Temperature profile data collected using BT and XBT casts in the North Atlantic Ocean from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER from 1986-07-15 to 1986-09-27 (NODC Accession 8600347)

Temperature profile data were collected using XBT and BT casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER in the North Atlantic Ocean from 15 July 1986 to 27 September 1986. Data were collected by the National Ocean Service (NOS) in Miami, Florida with support from SubTropical Atlantic Climate Study (STACS) project. 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.

1986年7月15日至1986年9月27日期间，美国国家海洋和大气管理局（NOAA）"科研号"（RESEARCHER）科考船在北大西洋海域，通过投放抛弃式温深计（expendable bathythermograph, XBT）与BT温深仪开展观测，采集得到温度剖面数据。本数据集由位于美国佛罗里达州迈阿密的国家海洋局（National Ocean Service, NOS）负责采集，获得亚热带大西洋气候研究（SubTropical Atlantic Climate Study, STACS）项目资助。数据经美国国家海洋数据中心（National Oceanographic Data Center, NODC）处理，转换为NODC标准通用温深计输出（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查询获取。

UBT文件格式用于存储通过抛弃式温深计（XBT）获取的温度-深度剖面数据。标准型XBT可获取约450米或760米深度范围内的剖面数据；若使用专用型号仪器，最大测量深度可达1830米。每条观测记录均包含航次信息、观测位置、日期与时间。数据记录由温度-深度值对构成。与以5米等间隔记录温度值的MBT数据文件不同，XBT数据文件中的温度值对应非均匀分布的深度。这些深度点为以可接受精度记录温度曲线所需的最少数量的"拐点（inflection points）"。但在数据输出环节，用户可选择按拐点位置提取温度值，或通过插值得到均匀深度间隔下的温度数据。