Southern Ocean XBT Temperature Profiles from RV Italica Cruise

Temperature profiles document ocean conditions in the Southern Ocean and Southwest Pacific Ocean during a 2001 research cruise. Data were collected using Sippican T7 Expendable Bathythermograph probes, providing measurements with 65 cm vertical resolution down to 760 meters. The dataset is part of the Italian CLIMA project, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature structure and thermocline depth in the Southern Ocean.
• Studying short-term oceanographic variability along the cruise track between New Zealand and the Ross Sea.
• Validating regional ocean circulation or climate models with in-situ profile data.
• Investigating the impact of sea and weather conditions on data collection gaps.

Strengths

• Profiles underwent quality control for consistency between adjacent profiles and spike editing.
• Probes provide high vertical resolution measurements of 65 cm.
• Data collection occurred during a defined scientific campaign (CLIMA project) with a known vessel and instrument.

Limitations

• The dataset contains gaps in sampling due to interruptions during severe sea conditions.
• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and file size are unavailable across all platforms.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between sources (2001-02 26 vs 2026-03-05), suggesting possible metadata errors.

Provenance

Source

Italian National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA) CLIMA project, collected from RV Italica.

Collection Method

Sippican T7 Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) launches with a spatial resolution between 15 and 20 nautical miles.

Time Range

2001-01-06 to 2001-02 26

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:27:20.782793

Geography

Southern Ocean and Southwest Pacific Ocean, along a cruise track between New Zealand and the Ross Sea.