An application of a new depth correction formula to archived XBT data

Historical expendable bathythermograph (XBT) data collected in the Tasma Sea off Eastern Australia (equator-45°S; 140–180°E), once corrected for a systematic depth error, are shown to be not significantly different from a hydrographic data set obtained over the same period. Prior to correction the XBTs exhibit significant differences (of order 0.3–0.4°C from the mean) from 200–700 m depth. This result appears to confirm that the new depth corrections remove the errors in the XBT depth measurements to within the quoted absolute accuracy of the XBTs.