GLDAS_NOAH025_3H: Global Land Surface Variables at 3-Hourly 0.25-Degree Resolution

36 land surface fields are simulated by the Noah Model 3.6 within NASA's Global Land Data Assimilation System Version 2.1 (GLDAS-2.1). The data, reprocessed in January 2020, covers the globe at a 0.25 x 0.25 degree spatial resolution with 3-hourly temporal resolution from January 2000 to the present. It is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and distributed by the GES DISC.

Use Cases

• Modeling soil moisture and temperature dynamics based on the 36 included land surface fields.
• Analyzing global precipitation and evapotranspiration patterns based on the combined meteorological forcing data.
• Validating other land surface or climate models using the temporally consistent, assimilated data series.
• Studying snow cover and terrestrial water storage changes based on the hydrological variables produced by the Noah model.

Strengths

• Contains 36 distinct land surface variables for comprehensive analysis.
• Provides global coverage at a relatively high 0.25-degree spatial resolution.
• Offers a long, consistent temporal series from January 2000 onward.
• Post-processed with a MODIS land mask to correct data over inland water bodies.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data latency is approximately 1.5 months for early products and 3-4 months for the main production stream.
• The dataset size and exact row count are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Simulated with the Noah Model 3.6 in the Land Information System (LIS) Version 7, forced with combined model and observation data including NOAA/GDAS, GPCP precipitation, and AGRMET radiation.

Time Range

January 2000 to present

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:29:39.371504; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global