Historical North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from USNS Maurice Rose

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data collected from the USNS Maurice Rose during a 1961 cruise in the North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset provides temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C128 format. It documents the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature gradient in the North Atlantic's upper ocean for a specific 1961 time period.
• Comparing historical upper-ocean thermal conditions from 1961 to modern satellite or Argo float data.
• Validating or initializing regional ocean models for the North Atlantic with in-situ profile data.
• Studying cruise-based spatial patterns of sea surface temperature and subsurface warmth.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented standard format (NODC C128), ensuring a consistent structure.
• Provides a focused temporal snapshot from a continuous 69-day cruise from July to October 1961.
• Records temperature at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating straightforward vertical analysis.
• Cross-platform presence on U.S. government data portals signals its archival importance and accessibility.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to the upper ~285 meters of the ocean, missing deeper thermal data.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one listing 2026-04-01 and another the original 1961-10 05 collection date.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument during a ship cruise, processed by NODC.

Time Range

1961-07-29 to 1961-10-05

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:25:50.879842

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean