Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles, North Pacific 1965

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data from multiple small Navy vessels details the thermal structure of the upper ocean in the North Pacific. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters. Data is formatted to the NODC standard C128 format and includes cruise information, date, position, and time for each observation.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean based on temperature-depth profile pairs.
• Studying historical ocean temperature variability in the North Pacific using data from a specific cruise period.
• Validating or calibrating ocean models for the upper 285-meter layer with instrument-specific observation data.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized standard format (NODC C128), suggesting consistency.
• Provides specific temporal coverage for a focused research cruise from March 25-27, 1965.
• Contains precise measurement intervals, with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing, including column names, row count, file size, and license information.
• The dataset's utility is limited to studying the upper ocean, as MBT observations have a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Platform metadata shows a conflict: one source lists a last updated date in 2026, while another lists 1965, creating uncertainty about provenance.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), originally from various small Navy vessels.

Collection Method

Observations gathered using mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instruments and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1965-03-25 to 1965-03-27

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:40:56.577136

Geography

North Pacific Ocean