Historical North Pacific Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1949-1950

285 meters is the maximum depth for observations in this dataset of mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data. It contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at 5-meter intervals from the research vessels VELERO III and IV in the North Pacific Ocean. The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) processed this data into its standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to 285m) using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying seasonal or spatial temperature variations in the North Pacific from 1949-1950 using cruise, date, and position data.
• Calibrating or validating historical ocean model outputs with instrument-collected profile data.
• Researching oceanographic expedition data from specific vessels (VELERO III and IV).

Strengths

• Data is processed to a consistent standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural uniformity.
• Profiles provide high vertical resolution with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
• Covers a specific 13-month time range (1949-03-01 to 1950-04 25) from two dedicated research cruises.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, file size, and license are unavailable from all sources.
• The MBT instrument limits observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, restricting analysis to the upper ocean.
• A conflict exists: the last updated date is reported as 2026-04-01 on Data.gov but 1950-04-25 on NASA EarthData.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Data collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instruments from research vessels and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1949-03-01 to 1950-04-25

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:01:00.494643

Geography

North Pacific Ocean