Temperature profiles from mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) casts from combatant ships of the U.S. Navy in support of the Fleet Observations of Oceanographic Data (FLOOD) program from 1943-05-12 to 1996-03-10

MBT data were collected from ships in the U.S. Navy combatant fleet in support of the Fleet Observations of Oceanographic Data (FLOOD) program. These platforms were equipped and staffed to observe weather and sea conditions. Data were collected by the U.S. Navy from 12 May 1943 to 10 March 1996.

The Fleet Observations of Oceanographic Data (FLOOD) program was a program whereby combatant ships of the U.S. Navy were equipped with an instrument package for collection of oceanographic and hydrographic data. The objective is to obtain broader geographic coverage of information than can be obtained with the Navy's regular fleet of survey ships. The program also provides for the collection of data on an opportunity basis in localities where the immediate needs of the Navy do not warrant a full-scale survey, but where data can contribute significantly to future requirements.

Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard Universal Bathythermograph Output (UBT) format. The UBT file format is used for temperature-depth profile data obtained using the mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument. The maximum depth of MBT observations is approximately 285 m. Therefore, MBT data are useful only in studying the thermal structure of the upper layers of the ocean. Cruise information, date, position, and time are reported for each observation. The data record comprises pairs of temperature-depth values. Temperature data in this file are recorded at uniform 5 m depth intervals.