MERRA-2 M2I3NVAER: 3-Hourly Global Aerosol Mixing Ratio Assimilation

NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis provides assimilated 3-dimensional data for aerosol mixing ratios at 72 model layers, covering dust, sulphur dioxide, sea salt, black carbon, and organic carbon. The dataset spans from 1980 to the present, with a latency of about three weeks after the end of each month. It is produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office using the GEOS version 5.12.4 model.

Use Cases

• Modeling global dust transport patterns based on assimilated dust mixing ratio data
• Analyzing trends in sulfur dioxide concentrations based on 3-hourly assimilation fields
• Studying the vertical distribution of sea salt aerosols based on 72 model layer data
• Investigating black carbon and organic carbon particle mixing ratios for climate impact studies

Strengths

• Data covers a long temporal range from 1980 to the present
• Provides assimilated values for multiple aerosol types including dust, sulphur dioxide, sea salt, black carbon, and organic carbon
• Offers high vertical resolution with data at 72 model layers

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data reprocessing may result in filename changes, requiring careful version tracking

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Modeling and Assimilation Office

Collection Method

Assimilated reanalysis produced using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4

Time Range

1980-present

Freshness

Updated with a latency of ~3 weeks after the end of a month; last metadata update was 2026-03-13.

Geography

Global, 0.625 x 0.5 degree resolution