USS Maury Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles 1947-1966

Temperature-depth profiles from the USS Maury's mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) surveys across 13 global seas and oceans. The dataset contains observations processed into the NODC C128 standard format, with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals down to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters. Data was collected by the U.S. Navy and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), now under NOAA.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal and interannual temperature variability in the upper ocean layer across multiple basins.
• Mapping the historical thermal structure of strategic waterways like the Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Aden.
• Validating or calibrating ocean model simulations for the 1947-1966 period using in-situ profile data.
• Studying the spatial distribution of near-surface ocean temperatures from a single survey vessel over a 19-year period.

Strengths

• Covers a 19-year time range (1947-09 09 to 1966-02-27) providing a long-term view for the era.
• Spatial coverage includes 13 distinct seas and ocean basins, offering broad geographical context.
• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring consistent structure for temperature-depth pairs.

Limitations

• Maximum observation depth is ~285m, limiting analysis to the upper ocean layers only.
• Key metadata such as exact row count, column names, and license information are unavailable from the provided sources.
• The 'last updated' date conflicts between platforms (2026-04-01 on Data.gov vs. 1966-02-27 on NASA Earthdata).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce. Originally from U.S. Navy USS Maury surveys.

Collection Method

Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument casts, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1947-09-09 to 1966-02-27

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:12:14.621817

Geography

Alboran Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Suez, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Philippine Sea, Red Sea, South China Sea.