Remote estimation of surface pCO2 on the West Florida Shelf

Surface pCO₂ data from the West Florida Shelf (WFS) have been collected during 25 cruise surveys between 2003 and 2012. The data were scaled up using remote sensing measurements of surface water properties in order to provide a more nearly synoptic map of pCO₂ spatial distributions and describe their temporal variations. This investigation involved extensive tests of various model forms through parsimony and Principal Component Analysis, which led to the development of a multi-variable empirical surface pCO₂ model based on concurrent MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) estimates of surface chlorophyll a concentrations (CHL, mg m⁻³), diffuse light attenuation at 490 nm (Kd_Lee, m⁻¹), and sea surface temperature (SST, °C). Validation using an independent dataset showed a pCO₂ Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of