North Sea Historical Temperature Profiles from the Willem Beukelsz

North Sea temperature-depth profiles were collected by the vessel Willem Beukelsz using Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instruments. The dataset covers a four-year period from March 1961 to August 1965 and was processed into the NODC standard C128 format. These observations are specifically useful for studying the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal and interannual temperature variability in the North Sea's upper 285 meters using depth-temperature pairs.
• Studying the vertical thermal structure of the ocean by examining profiles recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals.
• Correlating historical ocean surface conditions with cruise information, date, position, and time metadata for each observation.
• Calibrating or validating regional ocean model simulations for the mid-20th century North Sea.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a multi-year time series from 1961 to 1965 for analyzing temporal patterns.
• Includes precise metadata for each profile (cruise, date, position, time), supporting spatiotemporal analysis.

Limitations

• Instrument maximum depth is approximately 285 meters, limiting analysis to the ocean's upper layers only.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2026-04 01 vs. 1965-08-28), creating uncertainty about metadata currency.
• Key quantitative details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1961-03-06 to 1965-08-28

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:15:06.235405

Geography

North Sea