Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1966 SUNRISE Cruise

NODC processed mechanical bathythermograph data from the 1966 SUNRISE cruise in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals, capturing the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters. Data collection occurred from July 2 to July 12, 1966.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature gradients in the North Pacific upper ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term thermal variability during a specific July 1966 cruise using date, time, and position columns.
• Calibrating or validating models of historical sea surface and subsurface temperatures from a standardized (C128) format.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized NODC format (C128), ensuring consistent structure.
• Profiles provide high vertical resolution with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
• Each observation includes associated metadata: cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Row count, column names, and exact data size are unknown from all provided sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of ~285m, excluding deeper ocean layers.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata: Data.gov shows 2026-04-01, while NASA Earthdata shows the original 1966-07-12 date.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1966-07-02 to 1966-07-12

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:22:48.550666

Geography

North Pacific Ocean