Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles from USCGC Burton Island

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data captures temperature-depth profiles from the USCGC Burton Island's 1968 cruise in the South Pacific and Southern Oceans. The dataset, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the C128 standard format, consists of paired temperature-depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals. It provides a snapshot of the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers during a specific 12-day period.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to 285m) using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying spatial temperature variations across the South Pacific and Southern Oceans using cruise position data.
• Investigating short-term (daily) temperature profile changes during the February 1968 cruise using date and time stamps.
• Using the standardized C128 format data for comparative studies with other NODC historical bathythermograph records.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known, documented standard (NODC C128 format) ensuring consistency.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at a uniform, high-resolution 5-meter depth interval.
• Each observation includes associated metadata: cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• The dataset is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Sources conflict on the dataset's freshness: one platform lists a 2026 administrative update, while another lists the original 1968 collection date.
• Specific column names, row counts, file size, and licensing information are not provided by any source.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce, via the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Collection Method

Collected using a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument aboard the USCGC Burton Island and processed to NODC standard format.

Time Range

1968-02-15 to 1968-02-26

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:09:12.555871

Geography

South Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean