Temperature profile data collected using XBT and BT casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1986-01-14 to 1986-02-10 (NODC Accession 8600052)

Temperature profile data were collected using XBT and BT casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER in the North Atlantic Ocean from 14 January 1986 to 10 February 1986. Data were collected by the National Ocean Service (NOS) 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.

本数据集采集了1986年1月14日至1986年2月10日期间，由美国国家海洋和大气管理局（NOAA）"RESEARCHER"号科考船在北大西洋海域开展的投弃式海水温度剖面仪（Expendable Bathythermograph，XBT）与深度温度记录仪（Bathythermograph，BT）走航观测的温度-深度剖面数据。该数据由佛罗里达州迈阿密的美国国家海洋服务局（National Ocean Service，NOS）采集完成。美国国家海洋数据中心（National Oceanographic Data Center，NODC）将所有数据处理为符合NODC标准的通用深度温度记录仪输出（Universal Bathythermograph Output，UBT）格式。完整的格式说明可通过NODC官网页面https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html获取。

UBT文件格式适用于通过投弃式海水温度剖面仪（XBT）采集的温度-深度剖面数据。标准型XBT可获取最大深度约450米或760米的温度剖面；若使用专用型号仪器，测量深度可达1830米。每条观测记录均包含航次信息、观测位置、观测日期与时间。数据记录由多组温度-深度数值对构成。与MBT数据文件不同——MBT数据文件以均匀5米间隔记录温度数值——XBT数据文件的温度数值对应非均匀分布的深度。这些深度点为满足温度曲线可接受的记录精度所需的最少采样点（即"拐点"）。但在数据输出时，用户可选择获取拐点处的原始温度数值，或通过插值得到均匀深度间隔下的温度数据。