Physical, chemical, and other data from CTD and XBT casts from the DIAMOND SHOALS and other platforms. Data were collected by the United States Coast Guard and other institutions as part of the Outer Continental Shelf - South Atlantic project from 01 January 1958 to 18 October 1975. Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard Station Data II Output Format (SD2) and the Universal Bathythermograph Output Format (UBT). Full format descriptions are available from NODC at www.nodc.noaa.gov/.

The SD2 file format is used for physical-chemical oceanographic data recorded at discrete depth levels. Most of the observations were made using multi- bottle Nansen casts or other types of water samplers. A small amount (about 5%), were obtained using electronic CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) or STD (salinity-temperature-depth) recorders. The CTD/STD data were reported to NODC at depth levels equivalent to Nansen cast data, however, and have been processed and stored the same as the Nansen data. Cruise information, position, date and time are reported for each station. Each station contains the measurements taken at observed depth levels, but also includes data values interpolated to a set of standard depth levels.

The UBT format contains temperature-depth profile data obtained using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments. Cruise information, position, date and time were reported for each observation. The data records are comprised of pairs of temperature-depth values. The XBT data files contain temperature values at originators defined depths. Standard XBTs can obtain profiles to depths of either 450 or 760 m. Special instruments permit measurements to be obtained to 1830 m.