MERRA-2 Atmospheric Vertical Edge Coordinates at 3-Hourly Resolution

73 model layer edges provide vertical coordinate data, including edge pressure and edge heights, for the NASA MERRA-2 global atmospheric reanalysis. This 3-dimensional, 3-hourly time-averaged collection is produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office using the GEOS 5.12.4 model. The dataset covers the period from 1980 to the present, with data available every three hours starting from 01:30 UTC.

Use Cases

• Calculate atmospheric layer thicknesses by analyzing the difference between consecutive edge_height values across the 73 model levels.
• Validate the vertical pressure structure of other climate models by comparing their pressure profiles with the edge_pressure field from this dataset.
• Study diurnal cycles in the atmospheric boundary layer by examining time-series changes in edge_height for the bottom model layers (e.g., lev=73).
• Assimilate precise vertical coordinate information into high-resolution weather models using the 3-hourly edge_pressure data.

Strengths

• Provides data for 73 distinct vertical model layer edges, offering high vertical resolution.
• Covers a continuous time range from 1980 to present, enabling long-term climate trend analysis.
• Data is available at a 3-hourly temporal resolution, capturing diurnal cycles.

Limitations

• Data has a latency of approximately 3 weeks after the end of each month, limiting near-real-time applications.
• The dataset is subject to reprocessing events, which can create versioning complexities and filename changes.
• Specific row counts and total dataset size are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO)

Collection Method

Produced via the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4 as part of the MERRA-2 reanalysis.

Time Range

1980 to present

Freshness

Updated monthly with a ~3-week latency.

Geography

Global coverage at 0.625 x 0.5 degree horizontal resolution