Historical Bathythermograph Temperature Profiles from USS McKean

1953-12-19 data from the USS McKean in the North Pacific Ocean, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into its standard C128 format. The dataset contains pairs of temperature and depth values recorded at 5-meter intervals, providing a snapshot of the ocean's upper thermal layer. It is managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature structure of the upper ocean (up to ~285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying historical ocean conditions for climate model validation or reanalysis projects using date, position, and time metadata.
• Investigating the performance and data characteristics of the Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented, standard format (NODC C128) ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides precise temporal and spatial context with recorded cruise information, date, position, and time for each observation.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating straightforward profile analysis.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The dataset's utility is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata exists between platforms (2026-03-05 vs. 1953-12-19), creating uncertainty about provenance management.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1953-12-19 to 1953-12-19

Freshness

2026-03 05 23:53:41.984473

Geography

North Pacific Ocean