USS Sheldrake North Atlantic Temperature-Depth Profiles 1953-1965

285 meters is the maximum depth for temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at 5-meter intervals. The dataset contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data from the USS Sheldrake, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into its standard C128 format. Observations span over twelve years in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to 285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying decadal changes in near-surface ocean temperature from 1953 to 1965.
• Mapping cruise-based observations using reported date, position, and time for each profile.
• Validating or supplementing models of historical North Atlantic ocean conditions.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring a consistent structure for analysis.
• Provides a 12-year temporal record (1953-1965) for examining seasonal or interannual variability.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating direct comparison.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The instrument's maximum depth of ~285m limits analysis to the upper ocean only.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date (2026-03-06 vs. 1965-11-18), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument aboard the USS Sheldrake and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1953-01-19 to 1965-11-18

Freshness

2026-03 06 00:12:19.846654

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean