MERRA-2: 3D Aerosol Mixing Ratio Data at 0.625 x 0.5 Degree Resolution

M2I3NVAER (inst3_3d_aer_Nv) is a 3-dimensional, 3-hourly instantaneous data collection from NASA's MERRA-2 global atmospheric reanalysis. The dataset contains assimilations of aerosol mixing ratios for dust, sulphur dioxide, sea salt, black carbon, and organic carbon across 72 model layers. It is produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) using the GEOS model and covers the period from 1980 to the present.

Use Cases

• Modeling global dust transport patterns based on dust mixing ratio data.
• Analyzing trends in anthropogenic aerosol emissions based on sulphur dioxide and black carbon concentrations.
• Studying sea salt aerosol distribution for ocean-atmosphere interaction research.
• Investigating the vertical profile of organic carbon aerosols across 72 model layers.

Strengths

• Data is produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, an authoritative source.
• Provides global 3D coverage at a 0.625 x 0.5 degree horizontal resolution.
• Offers a long temporal record, covering from 1980 to the present.
• Contains assimilated data for multiple aerosol species (dust, SO2, sea salt, black carbon, organic carbon).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data has a latency of approximately 3 weeks after the end of a month.

Provenance

Source

NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO).

Collection Method

Assimilation produced using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4.

Time Range

1980 to present.

Freshness

Updated with a latency of ~3 weeks after the end of a month.

Geography

Global.