MERRA-2 M2TUNXCSP: Monthly Diurnal Cloud Properties from Satellite Simulator

NASA's MERRA-2 global atmospheric reanalysis provides monthly diurnal means of cloud properties simulated by the CFMIP Observations Simulator Package (COSP). The dataset covers the period from 1980 to the present, with a latency of approximately three weeks after each month. It includes parameters such as ISCCP total cloud area fraction and MODIS cloud fraction for water and ice at different altitudes.

Use Cases

• Analyze diurnal cycles of cloud coverage based on hourly time-stamped monthly means
• Validate climate model cloud feedback simulations using CFMIP Observations Simulator Package (COSP) outputs
• Study global cloud microphysics trends based on MODIS cloud particle size water and ice means
• Compare satellite-derived cloud fraction data with model assimilation results from NASA's GEOS system

Strengths

• Data is produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) using the GEOS version 5.12.4 model
• Coverage spans from 1980 to the present, providing a long-term record
• Includes specific parameters like ISCCP total cloud area fraction and MODIS cloud fraction low, mid, and high mean

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Last updated 2026-03-13 00:28:20.522101; freshness should be verified

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Produced by NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4

Time Range

1980-present

Freshness

Latency of ~3 weeks after the end of a month

Geography

Global