Dear authors:
I have now received finally two reviewers' comments and read your response to the reviewers' comments. Generally, the reviewers find this an interesting work but also raise some questions, which you were addressing in the comments to the reviewers. I think the revised version should accommodate the suggestions and comments of the reviewers. Please submit the revised version in which you address the reviewers' criticism at your earliest convenience.
Best wishes, Gerhard Herndl

Dear authors:
First of all, please accept my apologies that reviewing your manuscript took take longer than it should but I had a terribly busy December and January.
I read through your response to the reviewers' comments and through the revised manuscript in track-change option. I found that the criticisms and comments of the two reviewer's are adequately addressed. Hence, I appreciate being able to inform you that your revised paper is accepted for publication. Please submit a clean manuscript at your earliest convenience. Please change "niskin" to Niskin" at the appropriate places.
Looking forward to receiving the clean manuscript. Thanks for choosing Biogeosciences as an outlet of your interesting work.
Best wishes, Gerhard Herndl