MERRA-2 Global Wind Tendency Assimilation Data on Pressure Levels

MERRA-2 tavg3_3d_udt_Np provides assimilated 3-hourly time-averaged wind tendencies on 42 pressure levels from NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office. The dataset covers the globe from 1980 to the present, with a latency of approximately three weeks after each month. It is produced using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model version 5.12.4.

Use Cases

• Analyze total eastward wind analysis tendency to validate numerical weather prediction models.
• Study the tendency of northward wind due to dynamics for research on large-scale atmospheric circulation.
• Investigate the tendency of eastward wind due to turbulence to parameterize sub-grid scale processes.
• Correlate wind tendencies across 42 pressure levels to understand vertical atmospheric structure.
• Use the 3-hourly, 0.625 x 0.5 degree gridded data for initializing or benchmarking regional climate simulations.

Strengths

• Covers a long temporal range from 1980 to present, enabling long-term climate studies.
• Provides data on 42 distinct pressure levels, offering detailed vertical resolution.
• Global spatial coverage at a 0.625 x 0.5 degree horizontal resolution.

Limitations

• Data has a latency of about three weeks, limiting use for real-time or near-real-time applications.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and sample data are not provided in the description.
• Reprocessing events change filenames, which can complicate tracking specific data versions.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1980-present

Freshness

Updated monthly with a ~3-week latency.

Geography

Global