MERRA-2 M2T3NVASM: 3-Hourly Global Atmospheric Reanalysis Data

NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis provides assimilated meteorological data for the entire globe from 1980 to the present. The M2T3NVASM collection contains 3-hourly time-averaged fields across 72 model layers, including air temperature, wind components, and water vapor. This dataset is produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office using the GEOS model.

Use Cases

• Analyzing atmospheric dynamics based on assimilated wind component data
• Modeling climate change impacts based on long-term temperature and water vapor trends
• Validating weather forecasting algorithms based on 3-hourly assimilated meteorological fields
• Studying vertical atmospheric structure based on data across 72 model layers

Strengths

• Data covers a long temporal range from 1980 to the present
• Provides assimilated fields at a high temporal resolution of 3 hours
• Includes data across 72 vertical model layers for detailed atmospheric structure

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office

Collection Method

Assimilated from satellite and observational data using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS)

Time Range

1980-present

Freshness

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

Geography

Global