Assessment of gap-filling techniques applied to satellite phytoplankton composition products for the Atlantic Ocean

Mehdipour, Ehsan; Xi, Hongyan; Barth, Alexander; Alvera-Azcárate, Aida; Wilhelm, Adalbert; Bracher, Astrid

doi:10.5194/gmd-19-1619-2026

Articles | Volume 19, issue 4

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1619-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1619-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 4

Model evaluation paper

|

26 Feb 2026

Model evaluation paper |

| 26 Feb 2026

Assessment of gap-filling techniques applied to satellite phytoplankton composition products for the Atlantic Ocean

Ehsan Mehdipour, Hongyan Xi, Alexander Barth, Aida Alvera-Azcárate, Adalbert Wilhelm, and Astrid Bracher

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1619-2026-supplement

Data sets

Gap-filled phytoplankton functional types (PFT) dataset for the Atlantic Ocean along corridor of the RV Polarstern PS113 expedition using DINEOF and DINCAE gap-filling methods Ehsan Mehdipour https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14905558

Gap-Filled Phytoplankton Functional Types (PFT) Dataset Using the DINCAE Method for Selected Regions Along an Atlantic Ocean Transect (2016-04-25 to 2019-04-25) Ehsan Mehdipour https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15102826

Gap-Filled Phytoplankton Functional Types (PFT) Dataset Using the DINEOF Method for Selected Regions Along an Atlantic Ocean Transect (2016-04-25 to 2019-04-25) Ehsan Mehdipour https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15095368

Phytoplankton pigment concentration and phytoplankton groups measured on water samples obtained during POLARSTERN cruise PS113 in the Atlantic Ocean A. Bracher et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.911061

Phytoplankton pigment concentrations and phytoplankton groups measured on water samples collected from various expeditions in the Atlantic Ocean from 71° S to 84° N H. Xi et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.954738

Global Ocean Colour (Copernicus-GlobColour), Bio-Geo-Chemical, L3 (daily) from Satellite Observations (1997-ongoing) E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00280

Global Ocean OSTIA Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Reprocessed E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00168

Model code and software

EhsanMehdipour/PFT_gapfilling: Gap-Filling Phytoplankton Functional Types in the Atlantic Ocean Using DINCAE and DINEOF Methods Ehsan Mehdipour https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14905369

gher-uliege/DINCAE.jl: v2.0.2 A. Barth https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5575066

Short summary

Phytoplankton are vital for marine ecosystems and nutrient cycling, detectable by optical satellites. Data gaps caused by clouds and other non-optimal conditions limit comprehensive analyses like trend monitoring. This study evaluated DINCAE and DINEOF gap-filling methods for reconstructing chlorophyll a datasets, including total chlorophyll a and five major phytoplankton groups. Both methods showed robust reconstruction capabilities, aiding pattern detection and long-term ocean colour analysis.