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    • Water temperature and salinity profile data from bottle and bathythermograph (BT) casts in the Global Ocean from multiple ships and institutions prior to 1961 (NCEI Accession 6000000)

    Metadata Updated: April 1, 2026

    This dataset includes bathythermograph (MBT), ocean station data in the Alboran Sea, Andaman Sea or Burma Sea, Arabian Sea, Arctic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Barents Sea, Bay of Bengal, Bay of Biscay, Bay of Fundy, Beaufort Sea, Bering Sea, Bismarck Sea, Black Sea, Bristol Channel, Caribbean Sea, Chukchi Sea, Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, Coral Sea, Davis Strait, East China Sea, East Siberian Sea, English Channel, Great Australian Bight, Greenland Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Aqaba, Gulf of California, Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Thailand, Hudson Bay, Indian Ocean, Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland, Irish Sea and St. George's Channel, Japan Sea, Kara Sea, Kattegat, The Sound, Storebælt, Lillebælt, Laccadive Sea, Laptev Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, North Sea, Northwestern Passages, Norwegian Sea, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Philippine Sea, Red Sea, Rio de la Plata, Sea of Azov, Sea of Marmara, Sea of Okhotsk, Seto Naikai, Skagerrak, Solomon Sea, South Atlantic Ocean, South China Sea, South Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean, Tasman Sea, White Sea, and Yellow Sea from 1902-08-09 to 1960-12-12.

    Data has been processed by NODC to the NODC standard Bathythermograph (MBT) (C128) and Ocean Station (C100) formats.

    The Oceanographic Station Data (C100) format contains physical-chemical oceanographic data recorded at discrete depth levels. Most of the observations were made using multi-bottle Nansen casts or other types of water samplers. A small amount (about 5 percent) were obtained using electronic CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) or STD (salinity-temperature-depth) recorders. The CTD/STD data were reported to NODC at depth levels equivalent to Nansen cast data, however, and have been processed and stored the same as the Nansen data. Cruise information (e.g., ship, country, institution), position, date, and time, and reported for each station. The principal measured parameters and temperature and salinity, but dissolved oxygen, phosphate, total phosphorus, silicate, nitrate, nitrite, and pH may be reported. Meteorological conditions at the time of the cast (e.g., air temperature and pressure, wind, waves) may also be reported, as well as auxiliary data such as water color (Forel-Ule scale), water transparency (Secchi disk depth), and depth to bottom. Values of density (sigma-t) sound velocity, and dynamic depth anomaly are computed from measured parameters. Each station contains the measurements taken at the observed depth levels, but also includes data values interpolated to a set of standard depth levels.

    The C128 format is used for temperature-depth profile data obtained using the mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument. The maximum depth of MBT observations is approximately 285 m. Therefore, MBT data are useful only in studying the thermal structure of the upper layers of the ocean. Cruise information, date, position, and time are reported for each observation. The data record comprises pairs of temperature-depth values. Temperature data in this file are recorded at uniform 5 m depth intervals.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date 2026-02-05T19:10:10Z
    Metadata Created Date April 30, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date April 1, 2026
    Reference Date(s) October 24, 2003 (publication), August 4, 2022 (revision), 1960 (creation)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Preview graphic

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date 2026-02-05T19:10:10Z
    Metadata Created Date April 30, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date April 1, 2026
    Reference Date(s) October 24, 2003 (publication), August 4, 2022 (revision), 1960 (creation)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nodc:6000000
    Access Constraints Cite as: US National Oceanographic Data Center (2003). Water temperature and salinity profile data from bottle and bathythermograph (BT) casts in the Global Ocean from multiple ships and institutions prior to 1961 (NCEI Accession 6000000). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/6000000. Accessed [date]., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long 102.88
    Bbox North Lat 89.55
    Bbox South Lat -78.55
    Bbox West Long 103.22
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview Description Preview graphic
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/gfx?id=gov.noaa.nodc:6000000
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Harvest Object Id 184a40f0-c2f9-4152-ac1d-7fa26c79b01e
    Harvest Source Id c084a438-6f6b-470d-93e0-16aeddb9f513
    Harvest Source Title NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions
    Licence accessLevel: Public
    Lineage
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[103.22, -78.55], [102.88, -78.55], [102.88, 89.55], [103.22, 89.55], [103.22, -78.55]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1902-08-09
    Temporal Extent End 1960-12-12

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