This paper presents a reanalysis of ocean climate variability using the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) method. The reanalysis, SODA 1.4.2, spans the 44-year period from 1958 to 2001 and is complemented by the 40-year European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalysis (ERA-40). The oceanographic data used include hydrographic profiles, ship intake measurements, moored observations, and remotely sensed sea surface temperatures (SSTs). The assimilation process corrects model forecasts produced by an ocean general circulation model with a resolution of $0.25^{\circ} \times 0.4^{\circ} \times 40$ levels every 10 days. The results show that the new reanalysis significantly improves upon previous versions of the SODA algorithm, particularly in representing eddy kinetic energy and sea level variability. The paper also examines the relative importance of model forecasts versus observations in the analysis, finding that near-annual frequencies are strongly influenced by the forecast model, while decadal frequencies are dominated by observations. The decadal anomalies of 0–700-m heat content from SODA 1.4.2 are more similar to observations than those from SODA 1.4.0. The study concludes with a detailed analysis of mean transports and variability in sea level, vertically averaged temperature, and near-surface currents, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the SODA reanalysis compared to observed data.This paper presents a reanalysis of ocean climate variability using the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) method. The reanalysis, SODA 1.4.2, spans the 44-year period from 1958 to 2001 and is complemented by the 40-year European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalysis (ERA-40). The oceanographic data used include hydrographic profiles, ship intake measurements, moored observations, and remotely sensed sea surface temperatures (SSTs). The assimilation process corrects model forecasts produced by an ocean general circulation model with a resolution of $0.25^{\circ} \times 0.4^{\circ} \times 40$ levels every 10 days. The results show that the new reanalysis significantly improves upon previous versions of the SODA algorithm, particularly in representing eddy kinetic energy and sea level variability. The paper also examines the relative importance of model forecasts versus observations in the analysis, finding that near-annual frequencies are strongly influenced by the forecast model, while decadal frequencies are dominated by observations. The decadal anomalies of 0–700-m heat content from SODA 1.4.2 are more similar to observations than those from SODA 1.4.0. The study concludes with a detailed analysis of mean transports and variability in sea level, vertically averaged temperature, and near-surface currents, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the SODA reanalysis compared to observed data.