Global 3D Aerosol Mixing Ratio Assimilation Data from MERRA-2

MERRA-2 M2I3NVAER provides instantaneous 3D global atmospheric data for five aerosol species, including dust and black carbon, across 72 model layers. NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office produced this dataset using the GEOS model, covering the period from 1980 to the present with a latency of approximately three weeks. Data is available at three-hour intervals, starting from 00:00 UTC.

Use Cases

• Modeling the vertical transport of dust aerosols across 72 atmospheric layers using 3-hourly data.
• Analyzing long-term trends in sulphur dioxide concentrations from 1980 to present for air quality studies.
• Assimilating sea salt and organic carbon mixing ratios into regional climate models to improve aerosol-cloud interaction forecasts.
• Studying the spatial distribution of black carbon using the 0.625 x 0.5 degree global grid.

Strengths

• Covers over 40 years of data from 1980 to present.
• Provides data for five specific aerosol species: dust, sulphur dioxide, sea salt, black carbon, and organic carbon.
• Offers high vertical resolution with data across 72 model layers.
• Data is available at a high temporal frequency of every three hours.

Limitations

• Data has a latency of approximately three weeks after the end of each month, limiting near-real-time applications.
• The spatial resolution of 0.625 x 0.5 degrees may be too coarse for localized, high-resolution studies.
• Users must check for reprocessing records as file names change, adding complexity to version tracking.

Provenance

Source

NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO)

Collection Method

Produced using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4 for atmospheric reanalysis and assimilation.

Time Range

1980 to present

Freshness

Updated monthly with ~3-week latency.

Geography

Global coverage on a 0.625 x 0.5 degree grid