A monthly time-averaged 2-dimensional data collection of atmospheric aerosol parameters is provided by the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). The collection includes global model and data assimilations that incorporate satellite-based observations. It is authored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated on 2026-04-15.
Use Cases
- Modeling climate change impacts based on aerosol optical thickness at 550 nm.
- Analyzing air quality trends based on surface-level mass concentrations of aerosol components.
- Studying atmospheric radiative forcing based on total extinction and scattering parameters.
- Validating satellite observations based on assimilated global model data.
Strengths
- Data is produced by NASA, a leading space agency.
- Incorporates satellite-based observations into global model assimilations.
- Last updated on 2026-04-15, suggesting recent maintenance.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Collection Method
- Global model and data assimilations incorporating satellite-based observations.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-15 12:14:54.
- Geography
- Global