Changes to this version include:

• Implementation of a supplementary single-channel V-pol (SCV) algorithm for areas of lower latitudes where the seasonal difference of the NPR algorithm is too small to be effectively used to discriminate freeze/thaw state. This change provides stronger flag agreement between Tair and Tsoil, and for ascending/p.m. versus descending/a.m. overpasses due to physics (e.g. the NPR algorithm response to wet snow over frozen soil in spring). It also addresses an artifact of the validation approach (e.g. soils remain thawed for weeks after freeze onset in fall due to insulation from snow).
• With the addition of the new SCV algorithm to augment the NPR baseline algorithm, spatial coverage of freeze/thaw data was extended to global. Data are output on a fixed global 36 km EASE-Grid 2.0 and are provided in the Freeze_Thaw_Retrieval_Data_Global group.
• Updated retrieval_quality_flag for water contamination/permanent ice.
• Implementation of false flag mitigation using TB screening and AMSR-E weekly climatology maps, resulting in significantly fewer false flags.