USS WALKE Bathythermograph Data for Upper Ocean Thermal Structure
Updated 3mo ago
15files
Available on 2 platforms
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Description
Bathythermograph (MBT) data from the USS WALKE provides temperature-depth profiles for the upper ocean layers across the Japan Sea, North Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, Seto Naikai, and South China Sea. The dataset, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format, contains observations recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals up to approximately 285 meters. Data collection occurred from May 1, 1946, to July 29, 1960.
Use Cases
Analyzing historical temperature-depth profiles in the Northwest Pacific marginal seas.
Studying the thermal structure and variability of the upper 285 meters of the ocean over a 14-year period.
Correlating cruise information, date, position, and time with paired temperature-depth value records.
Investigating spatial patterns of sea surface temperatures across the Japan Sea and South China Sea.
Strengths
Provides a 14-year temporal record from 1946 to 1960 for analyzing decadal-scale changes.
Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring consistency in temperature-depth pair reporting.
Covers multiple specific geographic regions including the Japan Sea, North Pacific Ocean, and South China Sea.
Temperature data is recorded at a uniform 5-meter depth interval, facilitating systematic profile analysis.
Limitations
The maximum observation depth of ~285 meters limits utility to studies of the upper ocean only.
Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from the provided sources.
Sources disagree on the last updated date, with one listing 2026-03-05 and another listing the final observation date of 1960-07 29.
Provenance
Source
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Collection Method
Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC to the C128 standard format.
Time Range
1946-05-01 to 1960-07-29
Freshness
2026-03-05 22:38:03.086766
Geography
Japan Sea, North Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, Seto Naikai, South China Sea
License information is not provided in the source metadata. The dataset's presence on multiple platforms (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata) indicates broad archival but does not clarify access or use restrictions.