MERRA-2 M2TUNPTRB: Monthly Diurnal Turbulence Diagnostics on Pressure Levels

M2TUNPTRB is a 3-dimensional monthly diurnal means data collection from NASA's MERRA-2 global atmospheric reanalysis. It contains assimilations of turbulence diagnostics, such as total scalar diffusivity and Richardson number, on 42 pressure levels. The dataset covers the period from 1980 to the present and is produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office using the GEOS model.

Use Cases

• Model atmospheric turbulence and mixing based on total scalar and momentum diffusivity fields.
• Analyze diurnal cycles of atmospheric stability based on Richardson number data.
• Study long-term trends in turbulence diagnostics across 42 pressure levels from 1980 onward.
• Validate and calibrate climate models using assimilated reanalysis data from NASA's GEOS system.

Strengths

• Data is produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, an authoritative source.
• Covers a long temporal range from 1980 to the present.
• Provides data on 42 distinct pressure levels for vertical analysis.
• Offers monthly diurnal means at 3-hour intervals (e.g., 01:30, 04:30 UTC).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data has a latency of approximately 3 weeks after the end of a month.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Global Modeling and Assimilation Office

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1980-present

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:50:39.338194; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global