Dear Dr. Laruelle, dear Goulven:

Thank you for submitting this paper to Biogeosciences. The two referees provided a thorough evaluation identifying the strengths and weaknesses. In the rebut you clearly indicate that you will be able to incorporate all the feedback. The distinction between training/calibration data on the one hand and validation on the other has significantly improved the conclusiveness of your paper. I am therefore confident that your revised version will eventually make it into print. I invite you to submit a revised version incorporating the changes indicated in your reply.

With best regards, Jack Middelburg, Associate Editor

Dear Goulven:

Thank you for submitting this nice, labor-intensive piece of work to Biogeosciences. I have read the correspondence again and read your revised version and I am happy to inform you that your paper is now accepted for publication pending technical corrections. The technical comments are pasted below.

With best regards,

Jack Middelburg, Editor Biogeosciences

Line 44-46: This sentence is unclear. I guess you want to communicate: Finally, because this product includes part of open ocean areas as well, it can be readily merged with….

Line 97: ‘sea-ice cover are used to account for…”. (Delete at high latitudes because sea-ice cover is used in Med. Sea as well. Also because of the interaction with your referees.

Line 137 … sea-ice concentrations were taken…

Line 146: delete . just before,

Line 147: idem

Line 157-158: there is NO on the one hand; modify to However, or In constrast..

Check figure numbering all through:
Line 294: figure 4
Line 317: Fig. 5A
Line 366: Fig. 5B
Line 368: Fig 6

Line 414: overlapping

Line 419: Figure 2 or 3?