YAQUINA Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1970

285 meters is the maximum depth of observations from this mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) dataset. The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) processed temperature-depth profile data collected by the YAQUINA vessel in the North Pacific Ocean over a one-week period in late February and early March 1970. Data points are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temperature variation with depth up to 285m for the upper ocean thermal structure.
• Studying short-term oceanographic conditions during the YAQUINA cruise from 1970-02-26 to 1970-03 03.
• Correlating cruise information, date, position, and time with paired temperature-depth values.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized NODC format (C128), ensuring consistent structure.
• Provides a specific, high-resolution vertical sampling interval of 5 meters for temperature profiles.
• Contains core metadata for each observation, including cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Core dataset facts like row count, column names, and file size are unknown across all platforms.
• The dataset's utility is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (2026-03-05 on datagov vs. 1970-03-03 on nasa_earthdata).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected using a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by NODC to the C128 format.

Time Range

1970-02-26 to 1970-03-03

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:52:58.680294

Geography

North Pacific Ocean, YAQUINA vessel cruise area.