Temperature profiles from expendable bathythermograph (XBT) casts from the NOAA Ship OCEANOGRAPHER in the Coastal Waters of Washington/Oregon in support of the Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) project from 15 September 1971 to 30 September 1972 (NODC Accession 7201174)

XBT data were collected from the NOAA Ship OCEANOGRAPHER in support of the Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) project. Data were collected by the National Ocean Service (NOS) from 15 September 1972 to 30 September 1972. 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.

本数据集的投弃式温深仪（Expendable Bathythermograph, XBT）数据采集自美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA）“海洋学家号”科考船，用于支撑全球海洋综合服务系统（Integrated Global Ocean Services System, IGOSS）项目。数据由美国国家海洋服务局（National Ocean Service, NOS）于1972年9月15日至1972年9月30日期间采集完成，后经美国国家海洋数据中心（National Oceanographic Data Center, NODC）处理为NODC标准通用温深仪输出（Universal Bathythermograph Output, UBT）格式。完整格式说明可通过NODC官方网站www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html查阅获取。

UBT文件格式用于存储通过投弃式温深仪（XBT）获取的温度-深度剖面数据。标准XBT设备可采集深度约450米或760米的温度剖面；若搭载专用配套仪器，测量深度可达1830米。每份观测记录均包含航次信息、观测位置、观测日期与时间。数据记录由若干温度-深度值对构成。与机械温深仪（Mechanical Bathythermograph, MBT）数据文件采用均匀5米间隔记录温度值的方式不同，XBT数据文件的温度值对应非均匀分布的深度点。这些深度点为以可接受精度完整记录温度曲线所需的最少“拐点”数量。但在数据输出环节，用户可选择直接获取拐点处的温度值，或通过插值运算得到均匀深度间隔下的温度数值。