South Pacific Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1971 MBT Survey

NODC-processed bathythermograph (MBT) data from the UNANUE cruise in the South Pacific Ocean. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters. Data collection occurred from November 13 to November 27, 1971.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the ocean's upper 285 meters using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying short-term temperature variability in the South Pacific during November 1971 using cruise date and time stamps.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of upper-ocean temperature from the reported position (latitude/longitude) data.
• Validating or calibrating ocean mixed-layer models with historical in-situ temperature profiles.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized NODC format (C128), ensuring consistent structure.
• Provides a focused two-week time series (1971-11-13 to 1971-11 27) for temporal analysis.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating profile comparison.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as exact row count, column names, file size, and license are unavailable across all sources.
• The mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument limits observations to approximately 285 meters depth, excluding deeper ocean layers.
• A conflict exists in 'last updated' metadata between platforms (2026-04-01 on Data.gov vs. 1971-11-27 on NASA Earthdata).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1971-11-13 to 1971-11-27

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:07:38.722254

Geography

South Pacific Ocean (from the UNANUE cruise)