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Banks, C.J., Gommenginger, C.P., Srokosz, M.A., and Snaith, H.M. (26-Feb-14)

The UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has produced monthly 1 degree Level 3 SSS data products (L3) for SMOS and Aquarius based on Level 2 (L2) data (using ESA operational v5_50 and V2.0 respectively). Similar results have been reported on before using earlier versions of L2 data but are now also joined by products of different spatial/temporal resolutions. Previous and on-going work shows for both satellites significant temporally varying differences between SSS from ascending passes and from descending passes. Therefore, for both satellites, separate L3 products are produced from data for ascending and descending passes. Two validation datasets are used: i) near-surface salinity as derived from Argo buoys; and ii) output from UK Met Office Forecasting Ocean Assimilation Model (FOAM; based on NEMO/Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean). The latter is of particular importance at the shorter time and smaller spatial resolutions. A particular focus of the different spatio-temporal scales is given to the SPURS region, as this is one of the case Studies of the NOC-led, ESA funded SMOS+SOS project.