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Description

This data set contains a series of land surface parameters simulated from the VIC land-surface model (LSM) for Phase 2 of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-2). The data are in 1/8th degree grid spacing. The temporal resolution is monthly, ranging from January to December. The NLDAS-2 monthly climatology data are the NLDAS-2 monthly data averaged over forty years (1981 - 2020). The file format is netCDF. The previous version of this dataset (NLDAS_MC 002) was a 30-year average and was stored in GRIB file format.

A brief description about the NLDAS-2 hourly and monthly VIC LSM data can be found from the NLDAS_VIC0125_H_2.0 and NLDAS_VIC0125_M_2.0 landing pages.

Details about the NLDAS-2 configuration of the VIC LSM can be found in Xia et al. (2012). The version of the VIC model for the NLDAS-2 VIC data available from the NASA GES DISC is VIC-4.0.3; this version of the VIC model is the same as used in Sheffield et al. (2003).

For more information, please see the README Document.

Product Summary

Platforms
VIC-LSM
Instruments
NOT APPLICABLE
Spatial Extent

N: 53 S: 25 E: -67 W: -125

Location
NORTH AMERICA
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
1981-01-01 to 2020-12-31
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
C1888969053-GES_DISC
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
12
Processing Level
4
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Heat Flux ,
Longwave Radiation ,
Shortwave Radiation ,
Surface Temperature ,
Evaporation ,
Evapotranspiration ,
Rain ,
Snow ,
Canopy Characteristics ,
Leaf Characteristics ,
Vegetation Cover ,
Soil Moisture/Water Content ,
Soil Temperature ,
Albedo ,
Land Surface Temperature ,
Snow Water Equivalent ,
Runoff

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

NLDAS Project. (2020). NLDAS VIC Land Surface Model L4 Monthly Climatology 0.125 x 0.125 degree V2.0 [Data set]. NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/VSF4LKP6AC4H Date Accessed: 2026-04-14

Documents

READ-ME

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

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
ACond ACond m s-1 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Albedo Albedo % float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
AvgSurfT AvgSurfT K float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
CanopInt CanopInt kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
climatology_bnds climatology_bnds N/A float64 N/A N/A N/A N/A
ECanop ECanop W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
ESoil ESoil W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Evap Evap kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
LAI LAI unitless float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
lat lat degrees_north float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
lon lon degrees_east float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
LWdown LWdown W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
LWnet LWnet W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Qf Qf W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Qg Qg W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Qh Qh W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Qle Qle W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Qs Qs kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Qsb Qsb kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Qsm Qsm kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
RadT RadT K float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Rainf Rainf kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
RootMoist RootMoist kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SAlbedo_max SAlbedo_max % float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SMAvail_0_100cm SMAvail_0_100cm % float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SMAvail_total SMAvail_total % float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SMLiq_layer1 SMLiq_layer1 kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SMLiq_layer2 SMLiq_layer2 kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SMLiq_layer3 SMLiq_layer3 kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SnowDepth SnowDepth m float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Snowf Snowf kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SnowFrac SnowFrac fraction float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SnowT SnowT K float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SoilM_0_100cm SoilM_0_100cm kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SoilM_layer1 SoilM_layer1 kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SoilM_layer2 SoilM_layer2 kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SoilM_layer3 SoilM_layer3 kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SoilM_total SoilM_total kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SoilT_layer1 SoilT_layer1 K float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SoilT_layer2 SoilT_layer2 K float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SoilT_layer3 SoilT_layer3 K float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
Streamflow Streamflow m^3 sec-1 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SubSnow SubSnow W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SWdown SWdown W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SWE SWE kg m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
SWnet SWnet W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
time time hours since 1979-01-01 00:00:00 float64 N/A N/A N/A N/A
TVeg TVeg W m-2 float32 -9999 N/A 1 0
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