Skip to main content

Description

M2IMNXLFO (or instM_2d_lfo_Nx) is an instantaneous 2-dimensional monthly mean data collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of land surface forcing parameters, such as height, specific humidity, wind, and air temperature of the model surface layer. The collection also includes variance of certain parameters.

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
C1276812840-GES_DISC
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
555
Processing Level
4
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Surface Pressure ,
Air Temperature ,
Specific Humidity ,
Surface Winds ,
Wind Speed ,
Geopotential Height

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 instM_2d_lfo_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Instantaneous,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Surface Forcings V5.12.4 [Data set]. NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/11F99Y6TXN99 Date Accessed: 2026-05-17

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Cardiovascular Disease Averted by China's Clean Air Act and the Potential Benefit of Further Air Pollution Intervention: Evidence Based on the Parametric G ... Xie, Jialong, Lu, Rong, Dai, Yucen, Yang, Lha, Wang, Yanjiao, Mao, Deqiang, Yang, Tingting, Wu, Gonghua, Wu, Jialong, Yu, Hui, Yang, Maoqing, Zhang, Juying, Guo, Bing, Zhao, Xing Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
Assessing air quality variations in relation to vegetation patterns and meteorological conditions using remote sensing Ngebe, Sisipho, Ngcoliso, Nasiphi, Shikwambana, Lerato 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, Wind Speed
Optimal Environmental Window of the Recruitment of Thread Herring DelgadoRobles, Efrain, JacobCervantes, Mercedes L., MarinEnriquez, Emigdio, PayanAlejo, Jorge, SalcidoGuevara, Luis A., VallartaZarate, J. Roberto F. Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
Retrieval of climate and environmental relationship with Gross Primary Production (GPP) from satellite observation in GBAO, Central Asia Boori, Mukesh Singh, Choudhary, Komal Tropopause, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Total Precipitable Water, Water Vapor, Cloud Height, Cloud Top Pressure, Cloud Top Temperature, Cloud Vertical Distribution, Emissivity, Sea Surface Temperature, Skin Temperature, Carbon Monoxide, Geopotential Height, Humidity, Water Vapor Profiles, Cloud Liquid Water/Ice, Outgoing Longwave Radiation, Methane, Atmospheric Ozone, Heat Flux, Skin Temperature, Specific Humidity, Precipitation Rate, Snow/Ice, Evaporation, Latent Heat Flux, Latent Heat Flux, Sensible Heat Flux, Diffusion, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, U/V Wind Components, Wind Stress, Wind Stress, Surface Roughness, Planetary Boundary Layer Height, Ice Fraction, Precipitation, Rain, Precipitation Amount, Snow, Surface Winds, Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide
Simulated Changes in the Phytoplankton Community Structure at the Subsurface Chlorophyll Maximum in the Philippine sea: Sensitivity Analysis and Possible Temperature Scenarios Cordero-Bailey, Kristina S.A., de Leon, Jose, David, Laura T., Yniguez, Aletta T. Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height, PHYTOPLANKTON, Nitrate, Nutrients, Chlorophyll, Ocean Color, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Ocean Mixed Layer
Developing a Multivariate Agro-Meteorological Index to Improve Capturing Zeraati, Masoud, Farahmand, Alireza, Asghari, Keyvan, Behrangi, Ali 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), Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
A Synoptic-Scale Comparison of Satellite Yukon River Mouth Temperature to In-Situ and Reanalysis Data During 20032020 Spratt, Rachel, Vazquez, Jorge, Carroll, Dustin Geopotential Height, Altitude, Surface 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, Skin Temperature, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Wind Speed
Long-term variations of global dust emissions and climate control Wang, Ning, Zhang, Yuanyuan Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height, Aerosols, Carbonaceous Aerosols, Dust/Ash/Smoke, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulfur Oxides, Sulfate, Sulfate Particles, Sulfur Oxides, Particulate Matter, Emissions, UV Aerosol Index, Gas/Aerosol Composition, Aerosol Extinction, Deposition
Retrieval and spatiotemporal variation of total suspended matter concentration using a MODIS-derived hue angle in the coastal waters of Qinhuangdao, China Wang, Lin, Wang, Xiang, Meng, Qinghui, Chen, Yanlong, Wang, Xinxin, Jiang, Lingling, Shang, Yuhao Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
Spatio-temporal variability of algal bloom in the Caspian Sea Lavrova, Olga Yu., Kostianoy, Andrey G., Bocharova, Tatiana Yu., Strochkov, Alexey Ya. Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height, Heat Flux, Skin Temperature, Water Vapor, Precipitation Rate, Snow/Ice, Evaporation, Latent Heat Flux, Latent Heat Flux, Sensible Heat Flux, Diffusion, Surface Winds, U/V Wind Components, Wind Stress, Wind Stress, Surface Roughness, Planetary Boundary Layer Height, Ice Fraction
Assessment of meteorological parameters on air pollution variability over Delhi Garsa, Kalpana, Khan, Abul Amir, Jindal, Prakhar, Middey, Anirban, Luqman, Nadeem, Mohanty, Hitankshi, Tiwari, Shubhansh Precipitation, Precipitation Amount, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Rain, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height, Heat Flux, Skin Temperature, Water Vapor, Snow/Ice, Evaporation, Latent Heat Flux, Latent Heat Flux, Sensible Heat Flux, Diffusion, Surface Winds, U/V Wind Components, Wind Stress, Wind Stress, Surface Roughness, Planetary Boundary Layer Height, Ice Fraction
Remote sensing techniques for monitoring algal blooms in the area between Jeddah and Rabigh on the Red Sea Coast Alharbi, Basma Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height, Heat Flux, Heat Flux, Heat Flux, Heat Flux, Longwave Radiation, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Water Vapor Tendency, Water Vapor Flux, Cloud Dynamics, Cloud Microphysics, Snow/Ice, Precipitation, Ice Fraction, Skin Temperature, Sea Surface Skin Temperature, Skin Temperature
Climates, soils, and agriculture in the tropical region. Paniagua, Cleiseano Emanuel da Silva Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
Correlation Investigation Between Aerosols Properties, Meteorological, and Environmental Variables During Summer Monsoon in Riau Province, Indonesia Sari, Wilin Julian, Cahyono, Waluyo Eko, Kombara, Prawira Yudha, Adetya, Emmanuel, Hatmaja, Rahaden Bagas Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height, Tropopause, Upper Air Temperature, Total Precipitable Water, Water Vapor, Cloud Height, Cloud Top Pressure, Cloud Top Temperature, Cloud Vertical Distribution, Emissivity, Sea Surface Temperature, Skin Temperature, Carbon Monoxide, Humidity, Water Vapor Profiles, Cloud Liquid Water/Ice, Outgoing Longwave Radiation, Methane, Atmospheric Ozone
Dust Dry Deposition over Israel Kishcha, Pavel, Volpov, Evgeni, Starobinets, Boris, Alpert, Pinhas, Nickovic, Slobodan Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
On the microphysical processing of aged combustion aerosols impacting warm rain microphysics over Asian megacities Gumber, Siddharth, Ghosh, Sat, Orr, Andrew, Sathish Kumar CR, Pope, James Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
Temporal variation of dust emissions in dust sources over Central Asia in recent decades and the climate linkages Shi, Lamei, Zhang, Jiahua, Yao, Fengmei, Zhang, Da, Guo, Huadong Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height, Aerosols, Carbonaceous Aerosols, Dust/Ash/Smoke, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulfur Oxides, Sulfate, Sulfate Particles, Sulfur Oxides, Particulate Matter, Emissions, UV Aerosol Index, Gas/Aerosol Composition, Aerosol Extinction, Deposition
GHG diffuse emissions estimation, and energy security to ENSO using MERRA-2 for largely hydroelectricity-based system Chirivi Salomon, J. S., Cuellar, Yohen, Cuadros Tejeda, Harold David, Guevara, Marco Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
An approach to simulate the climate-driven streamflow in the data-scarce mountain basins of Northwest China Wang, Chong, Xu, Jianhua, Chen, Yaning, Li, Weihong Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
Multi-temporal scale modeling on climatic-hydrological processes in data-scarce mountain basins of Northwest China Xu, Jianhua, Wang, Chong, Li, Weihong, Zuo, Jingping Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
A hybrid model to assess the impact of climate variability on streamflow for an ungauged mountainous basin Wang, Chong, Xu, Jianhua, Chen, Yaning, Bai, Ling, Chen, Zhongsheng Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Specific Humidity, Surface Winds, Wind Speed, Geopotential Height
You're viewing 21 of 21

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
HLML HLML m float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
lat lat degrees_north float64 N/A N/A N/A N/A
lon lon degrees_east float64 N/A N/A N/A N/A
PS PS Pa float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
QLML QLML 1 float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
SPEEDLML SPEEDLML m s-1 float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
time time minutes since 2025-11-01 00:00:00 int32 N/A N/A N/A N/A
TLML TLML K float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
Var_HLML Var_HLML m m float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
Var_PS Var_PS Pa Pa float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
Var_QLML Var_QLML 1 1 float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
Var_SPEEDLML Var_SPEEDLML m s-1 m s-1 float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
Var_TLML Var_TLML K K float32 999999986991104 N/A N/A N/A
You're viewing 13 of 13