MERRA-2 Global Atmospheric Analysis Fields at 72 Model Layers

MERRA-2 provides a global atmospheric reanalysis from 1980 to the present, with a latency of about three weeks. NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office produced this dataset using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model version 5.12.4. The collection offers instantaneous 3-dimensional, 6-hourly analyzed meteorological fields across 72 vertical model layers.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of temperature and specific humidity across 72 model layers for climate trend studies.
• Validating global circulation models using 6-hourly instantaneous wind component fields at 0.625 x 0.5 degree resolution.
• Studying atmospheric dynamics by examining layer pressure thickness across the full vertical column from 1980 onward.
• Assimilating reanalysis data for initialization of numerical weather prediction models using the analyzed meteorological fields.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage at 0.625 x 0.5 degree horizontal resolution.
• Continuous temporal coverage from 1980 to present, updated monthly.
• Comprehensive vertical resolution with data across 72 model layers.

Limitations

• Data has a latency of approximately three weeks, limiting near-real-time applications.
• Reprocessing events can create filename inconsistencies and version confusion.
• The 6-hourly instantaneous temporal resolution may miss sub-daily phenomena.

Provenance

Source

NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO).

Collection Method

Produced via the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4 atmospheric reanalysis.

Time Range

1980 to present.

Freshness

Updated monthly with a ~3-week latency.

Geography

Global.