Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles from USS Maury Cruise

285 meters is the maximum depth for temperature observations in this dataset. It contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data processed by the NODC into the C128 standard format, capturing the thermal structure of the upper ocean layers. The data was collected by the USS Maury during a cruise in October 1962 across the East China Sea, North Pacific Ocean, and Philippine Sea.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature gradients in the upper 285 meters of the ocean.
• Studying seasonal or short-term thermal changes in the western Pacific during October 1962.
• Validating or calibrating ocean model simulations for historical periods using point profile data.
• Researching the spatial distribution of sea surface and sub-surface temperatures across the East China Sea, North Pacific, and Philippine Sea.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring consistent structure and units.
• Observations are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.
• Cruise information, date, position, and time are reported for each profile, providing essential spatiotemporal context.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details like total row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The dataset is limited to the upper ocean (max ~285m depth), excluding deeper thermal structures.
• The last update date conflicts between platforms (2026-03-05 on Data.gov vs. 1962-10-25 on NASA Earthdata).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument aboard the USS Maury and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1962-10 03 to 1962-10-25

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:07:39.382760

Geography

East China Sea, North Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea