MERRA-2

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Global atmospheric reanalysis dataset produced by NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), +

Global atmospheric reanalysis produced by NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), providing physically consistent meteorological fields for weather, climate, and hazard modeling.

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At-a-glance (Quick Facts)

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Producer

NASA GMAO (GEOS)

Spatial coverage

Global

Spatial resolution

~0.5° (lat) × 0.625° (lon)

Temporal resolution

Hourly (also 3-hourly / daily / monthly products)

Data update frequency

Published monthly; typically available ~2–3 weeks after month end.

Period of record

1980–present

Format

NetCDF4

Grid / CRS

Regular latitude–longitude grid

Typical role in PyHazards

Core meteorological driver (forcing + covariates)

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Overview

MERRA-2 (Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2) is a global atmospheric reanalysis that assimilates satellite and conventional observations into a numerical weather prediction system to produce gridded, time-continuous estimates of the atmospheric state.

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It is widely used as a core meteorological driver in climate analysis and hazard prediction pipelines, +

It is widely used as a meteorological backbone for climate analysis and hazard prediction pipelines, including wildfire, hurricane, drought, and extreme heat studies.

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Stats

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Spatial

Temporal

Update cadence

Coverage

0.5° × 0.625°

Hourly

Monthly (+ ~2–3 weeks latency)

Global, 1980–present

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Data Characteristics

  • Spatial coverage: Global

  • Spatial resolution: ~0.5° latitude × 0.625° longitude

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  • Temporal resolution: Hourly

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  • Temporal resolution: Hourly (with derived 3-hourly/daily/monthly products)

  • Vertical structure: Surface fields and multi-level pressure profiles

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  • Data format: NetCDF

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  • Data format: NetCDF4

  • Coordinate system: Regular latitude–longitude grid

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  • Data update frequency: Monthly publication; new data typically appear ~2–3 weeks after month end +(common operational latency for standard MERRA-2 streams)

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Typical Use Cases

Access

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MERRA-2 data can be accessed via NASA GMAO and Earthdata services:

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MERRA-2 data can be accessed via NASA Earthdata / GES DISC services:

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Note

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For standard MERRA-2 streams, operational latency is commonly documented as +~2–3 weeks after the end of each month (monthly publication cadence).

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ReferenceMERRA-2