Latitudinal and seasonal SMOS amplitude calibration assessment

The consistency of MIRAS amplitude calibration along the mission is a key issue to ensure a stable and accurate long-term dataset of ESA´s SMOS soil moisture and ocean salinity data. Recent studies have revealed latitudinal and seasonal drifts in some receivers of the instrument. This paper focuses on the assessment of MIRAS amplitude calibration consistency using the available long-term dataset. A methodology is presented to evaluate residual amplitude calibration errors and to investigate the origin of these deviations.