Monthly Global Aerosol Diagnostics from NASA MERRA-2 Reanalysis

MERRA-2 provides a global atmospheric reanalysis from 1980 to the present, with data latency of approximately three weeks. This monthly mean collection contains assimilated aerosol diagnostics produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). It includes column mass densities for components like black carbon and dust, surface concentrations, and aerosol optical thickness.

Use Cases

• Modeling long-term trends in black_carbon or dust column mass density to study climate forcing.
• Estimating regional PM2.5 and PM10 levels by combining surface mass concentration data for sulfate, organic_carbon, and other components.
• Analyzing spatiotemporal patterns of total aerosol optical thickness at 550 nm for satellite validation.
• Investigating correlations between sea_salt aerosol diagnostics and oceanic wind patterns over time.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage at 0.625 x 0.5 degree resolution.
• Continuous temporal coverage from 1980 to present, spanning over 40 years.
• Data is produced by NASA's authoritative Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO).

Limitations

• Data is model-assimilated, not direct observation, introducing inherent reanalysis uncertainty.
• Monthly temporal resolution may be too coarse for studying short-term aerosol events.
• Derivation of total PM metrics requires applying external formulas described in documentation.

Provenance

Source

NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) via the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC).

Collection Method

Produced using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4, assimilating satellite and observational data.

Time Range

1980 to present.

Freshness

Updated monthly with a latency of ~3 weeks.

Geography

Global.