Bio-optical retrievals of primary production using a shipboard underway system in the northern Gulf of Alaska

Bio-optical observations from shipboard underway systems provide essential monitoring capabilities for advancing our understanding of the primary productivity dynamics. The present study examined the robustness of a carbon-based productivity model with an underway system in the northern Gulf of Alaska, an optically complex region characterized by significant freshwater inputs from terrestrial sources. Our validation exercise showed reasonable performance of the model regardless of optical complexity. The resulting spatiotemporal patterns of primary productivity reveal fine-scale structures, such as sharp gradients associated with oceanographic fronts, which are not captured by conventional discrete sampling methods. The integration of data from additional observational platforms further enhances our ability to investigate dynamic marine systems that demand high-resolution monitoring.