diff --git a/modules/util/acspo_validate.py b/modules/util/acspo_validate.py
index 4569e426a2e4c61dd537da75d1fe1b34ea252dbf..335b3b793cfdaff7c6089b61179de4a7261d1968 100644
--- a/modules/util/acspo_validate.py
+++ b/modules/util/acspo_validate.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import xarray as xr
 from util.util import get_grid_values_all
 
 
-def acspo_validate(oper_file, cspp_file, rel_tol=0.001, deg_tol=0.0002, outfile_nc=None):
+def acspo_validate(oper_file, cspp_file, rel_tol=0.01, deg_tol=0.0002, outfile_nc=None):
 
     h5f_oper = h5py.File(oper_file, 'r')
     h5f_cspp = h5py.File(cspp_file, 'r')
@@ -107,28 +107,28 @@ def acspo_validate(oper_file, cspp_file, rel_tol=0.001, deg_tol=0.0002, outfile_
     overlap_shape = lon_cspp.shape
     print('overlap shape, size: ', overlap_shape, np.size(lon_cspp))
 
-    # sst_cspp_2d = np.where(cspp_clear, sst_cspp_2d, np.nan)
-    # sst_oper_2d = np.where(oper_clear, sst_oper_2d, np.nan)
+    both_valid = np.invert(np.isnan(sst_cspp_2d)) & np.invert(np.isnan(sst_oper_2d))
+    sst_cspp_2d = np.where(both_valid, sst_cspp_2d, np.nan)
+    sst_oper_2d = np.where(both_valid, sst_oper_2d, np.nan)
 
-    sst_cspp = sst_cspp_2d.flatten()
-    sst_oper = sst_oper_2d.flatten()
-    oper_clear = oper_clear.flatten()
-    cspp_clear = cspp_clear.flatten()
-    lon_cspp = lon_cspp.flatten()
-    lat_cspp = lat_cspp.flatten()
-    lon_oper = lon_oper.flatten()
-    lat_oper = lat_oper.flatten()
+    both_valid = both_valid.flatten()
+    sst_cspp = sst_cspp_2d.flatten()[both_valid]
+    sst_oper = sst_oper_2d.flatten()[both_valid]
+    oper_clear = oper_clear.flatten()[both_valid]
+    cspp_clear = cspp_clear.flatten()[both_valid]
+    lon_cspp = lon_cspp.flatten()[both_valid]
+    lat_cspp = lat_cspp.flatten()[both_valid]
+    lon_oper = lon_oper.flatten()[both_valid]
+    lat_oper = lat_oper.flatten()[both_valid]
 
-    both_valid = np.invert(np.isnan(sst_cspp)) & np.invert(np.isnan(sst_oper))
     both_clear = oper_clear & cspp_clear
-    keep = both_valid & both_clear
 
-    valid_sst_cspp = sst_cspp[keep]
-    valid_sst_oper = sst_oper[keep]
-    valid_lon_cspp = lon_cspp[keep]
-    valid_lat_cspp = lat_cspp[keep]
-    valid_lon_oper = lon_oper[keep]
-    valid_lat_oper = lat_oper[keep]
+    valid_sst_cspp = sst_cspp[both_clear]
+    valid_sst_oper = sst_oper[both_clear]
+    valid_lon_cspp = lon_cspp[both_clear]
+    valid_lat_cspp = lat_cspp[both_clear]
+    valid_lon_oper = lon_oper[both_clear]
+    valid_lat_oper = lat_oper[both_clear]
 
     xarray_data = xr.Dataset({
         'sst_cspp': xr.DataArray(valid_sst_cspp, coords=None, dims=None, name='sst_cspp'),
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def acspo_validate(oper_file, cspp_file, rel_tol=0.001, deg_tol=0.0002, outfile_
         xarray_data.to_netcdf(outfile_nc)
 
     print('fraction SSTs approx equal: ',
-          np.sum(np.isclose(valid_sst_cspp, valid_sst_oper, rtol=rel_tol))/np.sum(keep))
+          np.sum(np.isclose(valid_sst_cspp, valid_sst_oper, rtol=rel_tol))/np.sum(both_clear))
 
     h5f_oper.close()
     h5f_cspp.close()