MERRA-2 Global 3-Hourly Moisture Process Diagnostics at Model Layer Edges

MERRA-2 provides a global 3-dimensional atmospheric reanalysis from 1980 to the present. NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office produced this dataset using the GEOS model, offering 3-hourly time-averaged data on moisture processes at 73 model layer edges.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal trends in convective precipitation flux across the 73 model layers to study storm intensity changes.
• Validating climate model simulations of liquid and ice nonconvective precipitation using the 3D flux parameters.
• Calculating vertical profiles of cumulative mass flux for atmospheric energy budget studies.
• Correlating model layer edge pressure data with satellite observations to assess reanalysis accuracy.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage at 0.625 x 0.5 degree resolution.
• Continuous temporal coverage from 1980 to present, updated with ~3 week latency.
• Provides data at 73 vertical model layer edges for detailed atmospheric profiling.

Limitations

• Reprocessing events create filename inconsistencies between original and reprocessed data.
• Spatial resolution (0.625 x 0.5 degree) may be coarse for regional-scale studies.
• Specific data volume and file sizes are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) via GES DISC.

Collection Method

Assimilation produced using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4.

Time Range

1980 to present.

Freshness

Updated monthly with a latency of approximately three weeks.

Geography

Global.