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Full catalog/M2I3NVGAS
M2I3NVGAS·v5.12.4·dataset

Modeled aerosol amounts aloft, 3-hourly (MERRA-2)

MERRA-2 inst3_3d_gas_Nv: 3d,3-Hourly,Instantaneous,Model-Level,Assimilation,Aerosol Mixing Ratio Analysis Increments 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2I3NVGAS) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 4 active
In plain English

What it measures. Model-based estimates of small adjustments (analysis increments) to aerosol amounts at 72 atmospheric layers, every 3 hours, covering particles like black carbon, dust, organic carbon, sea salt, and sulfate.

How it's made. Produced by NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis, which blends satellite and other observations into a consistent atmospheric model rather than measuring directly.

How & where you'd use it. A specialized input for atmospheric researchers studying how the model corrects its aerosol fields; not a direct observation product for general use.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › AEROSOLS › CARBONACEOUS AEROSOLSATMOSPHERE › AEROSOLS › DUST/ASH/SMOKEATMOSPHERE › AEROSOLS › SULFATE PARTICLESATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE › PRESSURE THICKNESS

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span1980-01-01 → ongoing
  • Measured byMERRA-2 (NOT APPLICABLE)
  • Processing levelLevel 4
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

M2I3NVGAS (or inst3_3d_gas_Nv) is an instantaneous 3-dimensional 3-hourly data collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of aerosol mixing ratio analysis increments at 72 model layers, such as mixing ratio analysis increments of black carbon, dust, organic carbon, sea salt, and sulfate. The data field is available every three hour starting from 00:00 UTC, e.g.: 00:00, 03:00, … , 21:00 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).

Get the data

m2i3nvgas_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="M2I3NVGAS",
    version="5.12.4",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GES_DISC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.