Temperature profiles from expendable bathythermograph (XBT) casts from the KANE in the North Atlantic Ocean in support of the Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) project from 08 December 1974 to 21 December 1974 (NODC Accession 7400883)

XBT data were collected from the KANE in support of the Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) project. Data were collected by the US Navy; Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) from 08 December 1974 to 21 December 1974. 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“KANE”号科考船，用于支撑综合全球海洋服务系统（Integrated Global Ocean Services System, IGOSS）项目。该批数据由美国海军海军海洋学办公室（Naval Oceanographic Office, NAVOCEANO）于1974年12月8日至1974年12月21日期间采集完成，后由国家海洋数据中心（National Oceanographic Data Center, NODC）按照其制定的通用温深仪输出（Universal Bathythermograph Output, UBT）标准格式进行处理。完整格式说明可通过NODC官方网站www.nodc.noaa.gov/General/NODC-Archive/bt.html获取。

UBT文件格式专用于存储通过XBT仪器获取的温度-深度剖面数据。标准型XBT可获取最大深度约450米或760米的剖面数据；若搭载专用仪器，测量深度可达1830米。每条观测记录均附带航次信息、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。与机械温深仪（Mechanical Bathythermograph, MBT）数据文件中温度值按固定5米间隔均匀记录不同，XBT数据文件中的温度值对应的采样深度为非均匀分布。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（inflection points）。不过在最终输出时，用户可选择按原始拐点获取温度值，或通过插值运算得到均匀深度间隔下的温度数值。