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Description

M2I6NVANA (or inst6_3d_ana_Nv) is an instantaneous 3-dimensional 6-hourly data collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of analized meteorological fields at 72 model layers, such as temperature, wind components,specific humidity, and layer pressure thickness. The data field is available every six hour starting from 00:00 UTC, e.g.: 00:00, 06:00, … , 18:00 UTC. Section 4.2 of the MERRA-2 File Specification document provides pressure values nominal for a 1000 hPa surface pressure and refers to the top edge of the layer. The lev=1 is for the top layer, and lev=72 is for the bottom (or surface) model layer.

MERRA-2 is the latest version of global atmospheric reanalysis for the satellite era produced by NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4. The dataset covers the period of 1980-present with the latency of ~3 weeks after the end of a month.

Data Reprocessing: Please check “Records of MERRA-2 Data Reprocessing and Service Changes” linked from the “Documentation” tab on this page. Note that a reprocessed data filename is different from the original file.

MERRA-2 Mailing List: Sign up to receive information on reprocessing of data, changing of tools and services, as well as data announcements from GMAO. Contact the GES DISC Help Desk (gsfc-dl-help-disc@mail.nasa.gov) to be added to the list.

Questions: If you have a question, please read "MERRA-2 File Specification Document", “MERRA-2 Data Access – Quick Start Guide”, and FAQs linked from the ”Documentation” tab on this page. If that does not answer your question, you may post your question to the NASA Earthdata Forum (forum.earthdata.nasa.gov) or email the GES DISC Help Desk (gsfc-dl-help-disc@mail.nasa.gov).

Version Description

The GEOS-5 model version used for processing MERRA-2

Product Summary

Platforms
MERRA-2
Instruments
NOT APPLICABLE
Spatial Extent

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

Spatial Resolution
0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
1980-01-01 to Present
Data Partner
Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (formerly Goddard DAAC), Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/GESDI
Concept ID
C1276812885-GES_DISC
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
16923
Processing Level
4
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Geopotential Height ,
Atmospheric Ozone ,
Surface Pressure ,
Air Temperature ,
Upper Air Temperature ,
Atmospheric Water Vapor ,
Specific Humidity ,
U/V Wind Components ,
U/V Wind Components ,
Ozone Profiles

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, & Pawson, S. (2015). MERRA-2 inst6_3d_ana_Nv: 3d,6-Hourly,Instantaneous,Model-Level,Analysis,Analyzed Meteorological Fields V5.12.4 [Data set]. NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/IUUF4WB9FT4W Date Accessed: 2026-06-02

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Model sensitivity across scales: a case study of simulating an offshore low-level jet Hawbecker, Patrick, Lassman, William, Juliano, Timothy W., Kosovic, Branko, Haupt, Sue Ellen Sea Surface Temperature, Geopotential Height, Altitude, Surface Temperature, Skin Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Dew Point Temperature, Air Temperature, Cloud Top Temperature, Atmospheric Winds, Surface Winds, U/V Wind Components, Upper Level Winds, U/V Wind Components, Vertical Wind Velocity/Speed, Atmospheric Pressure, Sea Level Pressure, Cloud Top Pressure, Sea Level Pressure, Surface Pressure, Specific Humidity, Total Precipitable Water, Cloud Liquid Water/Ice, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Atmospheric Ozone, Oxygen Compounds, Boundary Layer Winds, Total Ozone, Sea Surface Topography, Vertical Profiles, Ozone Profiles, Sea Surface Temperature, Sea Surface Temperature, Sea Surface Temperature, Sea Surface Temperature, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Soil Heat Budget, Soil Heat Budget, Soil Temperature, Soil Temperature, Soil Infiltration, Soil Infiltration, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Surface Soil Moisture, Root Zone Soil Moisture, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Evaporation, Surface Water, Runoff Rate, Average Flow, Average Flow, Precipitation, Snow/Ice, Snow Depth, Snow Melt, Snow/Ice Temperature, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Heat Flux, Heat Flux, Heat Flux, Heat Flux, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Water Vapor Tendency, Water Vapor Flux, Cloud Dynamics, Cloud Microphysics, Ice Fraction, Sea Surface Skin Temperature, Skin Temperature
Long-Term Climatological Impacts of Major Sudden Stratospheric Warming Yang, Lingyun, Zhang, Shaodong, Huang, Chunming, Huang, Kaiming, Gong, Yun, Ma, Zheng, Luo, Jiahui Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Shift in cold-point tropopause trends derived from radiosonde, satellite Zolghadrshojaee, Mona, Tegtmeier, Susann, Davis, Sean M., Pilch Kedzierski, Robin, Haimberger, Leopold Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Precursors to Extreme Wintertime Cold in the Midwest United States Ryan, James M., Kravitz, Ben, Robeson, Scott M., Staten, Paul W. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Meridional wind in the upper stratosphere: A source of winter NAO predictability Collingwood, Elizabeth, Scaife, Adam A., Lu, Hua, Sinha, Bablu, King, John, Marsh, Robert, Marshall, Gareth Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Saharan dust impact on radiative heating rate errors inherent in reanalysis data in the African easterly wave development region Burgess, Ruby W., Oyola-Merced, Mayra I. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles, Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness, Dust/Ash/Smoke, Carbonaceous Aerosols, Organic Particles, Sulfate Particles, Sulfur Oxides, Sulfur Compounds, Sulfate, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulfur Oxides, Dimethyl Sulfide, Aerosol Particle Properties, Particulate Matter, Aerosols, Pressure Thickness, Relative Humidity, Sea Salt, Black Carbon, Air Mass/Density
Seasonal Distribution of Gravity Waves Near the Stratopause in 2019-2022 Xu, Shuang, Carstens, Justin N., France, Jeff A., Randall, Cora E., Yue, Jia, Harvey, V. Lynn, Gong, Jie, Lumpe, Jerry, Hoffmann, Lars, Russell, James M. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Impact of the Polar Vortex on SubSeasonal O/N2 Variability in the Lower Thermosphere Using GOLD and WACCMX Martinez, Benjamin C., Lu, Xian, Pedatella, Nicholas M., Wu, Haonan, Oberheide, Jens Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
CIPS observations of gravity wave activity at the edge of the polar vortices and coupling to the ionosphere Harvey, V. L., Randall, C. E., Goncharenko, L. P., Becker, E., Forbes, J. M., Carstens, J., Xu, S., France, J. A., Zhang, S.R., Bailey, S. M. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Polar vortex strength impacts on the longitudinal structure of thermospheric composition and ionospheric electron density Greer, K. R., Goncharenko, L. P., Harvey, V. L., Pedatella, N. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Source attribution of near-surface ozone trends in the United States during 19952019 Li, Pengwei, Yang, Yang, Wang, Hailong, Li, Su, Li, Ke, Wang, Pinya, Li, Baojie, Liao, Hong Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
North Atlantic Ocean SST-gradient-driven variations in aerosol and cloud evolution along Lagrangian cold-air outbreak trajectories Sanchez, Kevin J., Zhang, Bo, Liu, Hongyu, Brown, Matthew D., Crosbie, Ewan C., Gallo, Francesca, Hair, Johnathan W., Hostetler, Chris A., Jordan, Carolyn E., Robinson, Claire E., Scarino, Amy Jo, Shingler, Taylor J., Shook, Michael A., Thornhill, Kenneth L., Wiggins, Elizabeth B., Winstead, Edward L., Ziemba, Luke D., Saliba, Georges, Lewis, Savannah L., Russell, Lynn M., Quinn, Patricia K., Bates, Timothy S., Porter, Jack, Bell, Thomas G., Gaube, Peter, Saltzman, Eric S., Behrenfeld, Michael J., Moore, Richard H. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles, Ocean Chemistry, Ocean Optics, Ocean Temperature, Salinity/Density
Discovering Precursors to Tropical Cyclone Rapid Intensification in the Atlantic Basin Using Spatiotemporal Data Mining Li, Yun, Yang, Ruixin, Su, Hui, Yang, Chaowei Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Transport of nitric oxide via Lagrangian coherent structures into the top of the polar vortex Harvey, V. Lynn, DattaBarua, Seebany, Pedatella, Nicholas M., Wang, Ningchao, Randall, Cora E., Siskind, David E., van Caspel, Willem E. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Temperature and tropopause characteristics from reanalyses data in the tropical tropopause layer Tegtmeier, Susann, Anstey, James, Davis, Sean, Dragani, Rossana, Harada, Yayoi, Ivanciu, Ioana, Pilch Kedzierski, Robin, Kruger, Kirstin, Legras, Bernard, Long, Craig, Wang, James S., Wargan, Krzysztof, Wright, Jonathon S. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Estimation of the Antarctic surface mass balance using the regional climate model MAR (19792015) and identification of dominant processes Agosta, Cecile, Amory, Charles, Kittel, Christoph, Orsi, Anais, Favier, Vincent, Gallee, Hubert, van den Broeke, Michiel R., Lenaerts, Jan T. M., van Wessem, Jan Melchior, van de Berg, Willem Jan, Fettweis, Xavier Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
On the Upward Extension of the Polar Vortices Into the Mesosphere Harvey, V. Lynn, Randall, Cora E., Goncharenko, Larisa, Becker, Erich, France, Jeff Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
Reanalysis comparisons of upper troposphericlower stratospheric jets and multiple tropopauses Manney, Gloria L., Hegglin, Michaela I., Lawrence, Zachary D., Wargan, Krzysztof, Millan, Luis F., Schwartz, Michael J., Santee, Michelle L., Lambert, Alyn, Pawson, Steven, Knosp, Brian W., Fuller, Ryan A., Daffer, William H. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles, Sea Level Pressure, Pressure Thickness, Potential Vorticity, Vertical Wind Velocity/Speed, Vertical Profiles, Relative Humidity, Cloud Liquid Water/Ice, Cloud Fraction, Altitude
Large anomalies in lower stratospheric water vapour and ice during the 20152016 El Nino Avery, Melody A., Davis, Sean M., Rosenlof, Karen H., Ye, Hao, Dessler, Andrew E. Geopotential Height, Atmospheric Ozone, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Specific Humidity, U/V Wind Components, U/V Wind Components, Ozone Profiles
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Variables

The table below lists the variables contained within a single granule for this dataset. Variables often contain observed or derived geophysical measurements collected from a variety of sources, including remote sensing instruments on satellite and airborne platforms, field campaigns, in situ measurements, and model outputs. The terms variable, parameter, scientific data set, layer, and band have been used across NASA’s Earth science disciplines; however, variable is the designated nomenclature in NASA’s Common Metadata Repository (CMR). Variable metadata attributes such as Name, Description, Units, Data Type, Fill Value, Valid Range, and Scale Factor allow users to efficiently process and analyze the data. The full range of attributes may not be applicable to all variables. Additional information on variable attributes is typically available in the data, user guide, and/or other product documentation.

For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor Offset
DELP DELP Pa float32 999999986991104 N/A 1 0
lat lat degrees_north float64 N/A N/A N/A N/A
lev lev layer float64 N/A N/A N/A N/A
lon lon degrees_east float64 N/A N/A N/A N/A
O3 O3 kg/kg float32 999999986991104 N/A 1 0
PS PS Pa float32 999999986991104 N/A 1 0
QV QV kg/kg float32 999999986991104 N/A 1 0
T T K float32 999999986991104 N/A 1 0
time time minutes since 2025-01-01 00:00:00 int32 N/A N/A N/A N/A
U U m/s float32 999999986991104 N/A 1 0
V V m/s float32 999999986991104 N/A 1 0
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