Temperature profile data collected using BT and XBT casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER and THOMAS WASHINGTON in the Caribbean Sea and North/South Pacific Ocean from 1983-03-05 to 1983-07-26 (NODC Accession 8300158)

Temperature profile data were collected using XBT and BT casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER and THOMAS WASHINGTON in the Caribbean Sea and North/South Pacific Ocean from 05 March 1983 to 26 July 1983. Data were collected by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in Miami, Florida. Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard Universal Bathythermograph Output (UBT) format. Full format description is available from NODC at www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html.

The UBT file format is used for temperature-depth profile data obtained using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments. Standard XBTs can obtain profiles at depths of about 450 or 760 m. With special instruments, measurements can be obtained to 1830 m. Cruise information, position, date, and time are reported for each observation. The data record comprises pairs of temperature-depth values. Unlike the MBT data file, in which temperature values are recorded at uniform 5m intervals, the XBT Data File contains temperature values at non-uniform depths. These depths are at a minimum number of points ("inflection points") required to record the temperature curve to an acceptable degree of accuracy. On output, however, the user may request temperature values either at inflection points or interpolated to uniform depth increments.

1983年3月5日至7月26日，研究人员依托美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA）科考船RESEARCHER与THOMAS WASHINGTON，在加勒比海、北太平洋与南太平洋海域，通过投放投弃式温深仪（expendable bathythermograph, XBT）和常规温深仪（BT）采集温度剖面数据。该数据由位于佛罗里达州迈阿密的大西洋海洋与气象实验室（Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, AOML）采集，并由国家海洋数据中心（National Oceanographic Data Center, NODC）处理为符合NODC标准的通用温深仪输出格式（Universal Bathythermograph Output, UBT）。完整格式说明可通过NODC官网获取：www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html。

UBT文件格式用于记录通过投弃式温深仪（XBT）获取的温深剖面数据。标准XBT可获取约450米或760米水深的温度剖面，配备专用仪器时，测量水深可达1830米。每次观测均记录航次信息、观测位置、日期与时间，数据记录由多组温深值对构成。与机械式温深仪（MBT）数据文件以5米均匀间隔记录温度值不同，XBT数据文件的温度值对应非均匀水深。这些水深点为以可接受精度记录温度曲线所需的最少点数（即“拐点”）。但在输出阶段，用户可选择获取拐点处的温度值，或通过插值得到均匀水深间隔下的温度值。