Cloud-free sea surface temperature and colour reconstruction for the Gulf of Mexico: 2003–2009

Abstract

The data interpolating empirical orthogonal function (DINEOF) method is applied to concurrent MODIS sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) data to produce daily, 4 km, cloud-free SST and chl-a analyses for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) from 2003 to 2009. Comparisons between SST analysis and in situ buoy temperature measurements indicate that the DINEOF method can accurately resolve temperature variability and solve the cloud-cover problem, which is a typical issue of remote-sensing observations. Based on significant correlations between cloud-free chl-a, SST and sea surface height (SSH) data in the GOM, a simple chl-a statistical prediction model is further developed. Favourable comparisons between model solutions and independent satellite chl-a observations indicate that the statistical model provides a feasible means to predict GOM chl-a field based on existing SST and SSH information, allowing for observational gap fillings when concurrent chl-a data were not available.