Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles from Caribbean and South Pacific

Temperature-depth profile data collected using Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instruments during UNANUE cruises. The dataset covers the Caribbean Sea and South Pacific Ocean from May 1964 to December 1967, processed into the NODC C128 standard format. Observations are limited to the upper ocean layers, with a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing thermal structure of the upper ocean (0-285m) using temperature-depth value pairs.
• Studying spatial and temporal variability of sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean Sea and South Pacific Ocean.
• Validating or calibrating ocean model outputs for historical periods using cruise-based profile data.
• Researching oceanographic conditions from specific UNANUE cruise information, date, position, and time records.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring consistent structure for temperature-depth profiles.
• Temporal coverage spans over three years (1964-1967), providing a multi-year snapshot.
• Temperature data is recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.

Limitations

• Row count, total size, and specific column names are unknown across all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of ~285m, excluding deeper ocean layers.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2026-03-05 on Data.gov vs. 1967-12-20 on NASA Earthdata).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instruments on UNANUE cruises and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1964-05-23 to 1967-12-20

Freshness

2026-03 05 22:24:55.605405

Geography

Caribbean Sea and South Pacific Ocean