VIGIL Ship Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles 1957-1961

Temperature-depth profiles from the mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument aboard the VIGIL in the North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset contains observations processed to the NODC standard C128 format, with data recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals up to approximately 285 meters. It covers a period from June 1957 to March 1961.

Use Cases

• Analyzing thermal structure of the ocean's upper 285 meters using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying seasonal or interannual temperature variability in the North Atlantic from 1957 to 1961.
• Correlating temperature profiles with specific cruise information, date, position, and time for each observation.
• Using standardized C128 format data for integration with other historical bathythermograph records.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a consistent standard format (NODC C128) ensuring interoperability.
• Provides a multi-year time series from June 1957 to March 1961 for temporal analysis.
• Each observation includes associated metadata: cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Key technical details are unknown, including row count, file size, specific column names, and license.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of ~285m, capturing only the upper ocean layer.
• A conflict exists for the 'last updated' metadata field between platforms (2026-03-06 vs. 1961-03-30).

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information).

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC to the C128 format.

Time Range

1957-06-30 to 1961-03-30

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:19:45.860663

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean (specific cruise track of VIGIL unknown).