dataset · Global
Near surface meteorological variables from 1979 to present derived from bias-corrected reanalysis
This dataset provides bias-corrected reconstruction of near-surface meteorological variables derived from the fifth generation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalyses (ERA5). It is intended to be used as a meteorological forcing dataset for land surface and hydrological models. The dataset has been obtained using the same methodology used to derive the widely used water, energy and climate change (WATCH) forcing data, and is thus also referred to
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Licence: CC-BY-4.0
Evidence quality: 39.9
Listed in cds 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
- near-surface air temperature (2 m) · daily maximum and minimum air temperature · precipitation · rainfall flux · snowfall flux · near-surface relative humidity · near-surface specific humidity · near-surface wind speed (10 m) · surface air pressure · sea level pressure · surface downwelling shortwave and longwave radiation · grid-point and surface altitude
- Coverage docs-verified
- Global: WFDE5 land only (excluding oceans); W5E5 land and ocean (including oceans) · 1979 to 2024
- Resolution docs-verified
- 0.5° x 0.5° horizontal; hourly (WFDE5) and daily (W5E5) temporal
- Formats docs-verified
- NetCDF 4
- Access docs-verified
- CC-BY licence; download via the Copernicus Climate Data Store (login/register page shown)
Useful for
- Use cases llm-inferred
- Meteorological forcing inputs for a catchment hydrological or land surface model · Long-term rainfall and temperature context for flood risk or drainage baseline studies · Snowfall and snowmelt-related forcing for upland or cold-climate catchment modelling
- Audience llm-inferred
- hydrologists · flood consultants · drainage engineers · climate and water resources consultants
Limitations
- Constraints llm-inferred
- WFDE5 is land only; spatially complete land and ocean data requires W5E5, which is daily only · Entry name says 'to present' but docs state temporal coverage ends in 2024 · 0.5° grid is coarse for site-scale or small-catchment work · Bias corrections rely on CRU and GPCC datasets, so accuracy depends on those sources · NetCDF output requires suitable tooling to process · Version 1.0 is deprecated; check the version used
Evidence
- https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/api/catalogue/v1/collections/derived-near-surface-meteorological-variables
- https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/datasets/derived-near-surface-meteorological-variables
Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.