Historical North Pacific Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1953

285 meters is the maximum depth for temperature observations in this dataset. It contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data from the vessel SIOUX, processed into the NODC C128 standard format. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides these profiles for studying the thermal structure of the upper ocean layers.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to 285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying spatial and temporal patterns of sea surface temperature in the North Pacific during July 1953.
• Validating or supplementing historical oceanographic models with cruise-based profile data.
• Researching the methodology and data format of historical NODC standard bathythermograph (C128) records.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring a consistent structure.
• Observations have a defined temporal scope, covering a specific cruise from July 1 to July 28, 1953.
• Temperature data is recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing or conflicting: row count, column names, file size, and license are unknown across platforms.
• The dataset's utility is limited to the upper ocean, as the MBT instrument's maximum observation depth is approximately 285 meters.
• One platform lists a last updated date in 2026, which conflicts with the 1953 data collection date, suggesting a metadata management issue.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument from the vessel SIOUX and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1953-07-01 to 1953-07-28

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:40:19.677601

Geography

North Pacific Ocean