Historical Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from R/V Thomas G. Thompson

October to November 1965 temperature-depth profiles from the R/V Thomas G. Thompson in the Caribbean Sea, North Atlantic, and North Pacific Oceans. The dataset contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) observations processed by the NODC into the standard C128 format. It captures the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing upper ocean thermal stratification using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying spatial temperature gradients across the Caribbean Sea, North Atlantic, and North Pacific.
• Investigating short-term oceanic temperature variability during the October-November 1965 cruise period.
• Calibrating or validating models of historical upper ocean heat content.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a focused temporal snapshot from a specific research vessel cruise over 53 days in 1965.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating profile analysis.

Limitations

• The maximum observation depth is ~285m, limiting analysis to the ocean's upper layers only.
• Key metadata such as exact row count, column names, and license are unavailable across all sources.
• There is a conflict in freshness metadata: one platform lists a 2026 update, while another lists the 1965 data date.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1965-10-09 to 1965-11-30

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:46:47.574010

Geography

Caribbean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean