dataset · Global

MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_slv_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Single-Level Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree

Name: MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_slv_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Single-Level Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

M2T1NXSLV (or tavg1_2d_slv_Nx) is an hourly time-averaged 2-dimensional data collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of meteorology diagnostics at popularly used vertical levels, such as air temperature at 2-meter (or at 10-meter, 850hPa, 500 hPa, 250hPa), wind components at 50-meter (or at 2-meter, 10-meter, 850 hPa, 500hPa, 250 hPa), sea level pressure, surface pressure, and total precipitable water vapor (or i

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Source details

Licence: [Creative Commons BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Evidence quality: 40.5

Listed in aws-odr public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).

Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z

What's in it

Data offered docs-verified: air temperature at 2 m, 10 m, 850 hPa, 500 hPa, 250 hPa · wind components at 2 m, 10 m, 50 m, 850 hPa, 500 hPa, 250 hPa · sea level pressure · surface pressure · total precipitable water vapor · ice water · liquid water
Coverage docs-verified: Global · 1980-present
Resolution docs-verified: 0.625 x 0.5 degree spatial; hourly temporal (time-averaged, time-stamped at the centre of each hour)
Update frequency docs-verified: Ongoing, from 1980-01-01; about 3-week latency after the end of each month
Formats docs-verified: NetCDF
Access docs-verified: Controlled access: requires AWS S3 credentials (S3 bucket, us-west-2) obtained via the GES DISC guide; licence Creative Commons BY 4.0

Useful for

Use cases llm-inferred: Long-term air temperature and wind context for climate-change baseline narratives in FRA or drainage assessments · Regional sea level pressure and wind climatology as background met context for coastal or marine outfall studies · Background meteorological forcing for sensitivity checks where local station records are sparse · Historical total precipitable water vapour context for regional climate studies
Audience llm-inferred: climate change risk consultants · hydrologists · flood risk consultants · coastal engineers · GIS analysts · environmental consultants

Limitations

Constraints llm-inferred: Coarse grid (0.625 x 0.5 degree, roughly 50 km) is unsuitable for site-scale or catchment-scale design inputs · Reanalysis model output, not direct observations · Listed variables do not include surface precipitation, so it is not a rainfall input for drainage design (inferred from the variable list) · About 3-week latency after month end, so not suitable for real-time work · Requires AWS credentials under controlled access · Reprocessed files have different filenames, so scripts can break on reprocessing

Evidence

Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.