MERRA-2: 3-Hourly Moisture Diagnostics at Model Layer Edges

73 model layer edges provide assimilated moisture process diagnostics, including cumulative mass flux and convective precipitation flux. NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office produces this 3-dimensional, 3-hourly time-averaged data collection using the GEOS model version 5.12.4. The dataset covers the period from 1980 to the present, with a latency of approximately three weeks after the end of each month.

Use Cases

• Modeling convective precipitation processes based on 3D flux of liquid/ice precipitation.
• Analyzing vertical moisture transport based on cumulative mass flux across 73 model layer edges.
• Studying atmospheric pressure profiles based on model layer edge pressure data.
• Validating satellite-era climate reanalysis based on assimilated moisture diagnostics.

Strengths

• Data is available at a high temporal resolution of every three hours.
• Provides diagnostics across 73 vertical model layer edges.
• Covers a long temporal range from 1980 to the present.

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 (GMAO)

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1980-present

Freshness

Data has a latency of ~3 weeks after the end of a month.

Geography

Global