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Full catalog/M2IMNXINT
M2IMNXINT·v5.12.4·dataset

Modeled water and energy totals in air column (MERRA-2, monthly)

MERRA-2 instM_2d_int_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Instantaneous,Single-Level,Assimilation,Vertically Integrated Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2IMNXINT) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 4 active
In plain English

What it measures. Monthly totals of water and energy stacked through the whole atmosphere, such as total precipitable water (vapor, liquid, and ice) and kinetic energy, on a global grid.

How it's made. Produced by MERRA-2, a NASA model that blends decades of satellite observations into a consistent reconstruction of the atmosphere from 1980 to the present.

How & where you'd use it. Useful for studying long-term patterns in atmospheric moisture and energy, and as a consistent backdrop for weather and climate research.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR › WATER VAPOR INDICATORS › TOTAL PRECIPITABLE WATERATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD MICROPHYSICS › CLOUD LIQUID WATER/ICEATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPORATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY › OXYGEN COMPOUNDSATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE › SURFACE TEMPERATURE › POTENTIAL TEMPERATUREOCEANS › OCEAN TEMPERATURE › POTENTIAL TEMPERATUREATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE › AIR MASS/DENSITY

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

M2IMNXINT (or instM_2d_int_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 vertically integrated diagnostics, such as kinetic energy, virtual potential temperature, and total precipitable water (or ice, liquid, and vapor). The collection also includes variance of certain variables. 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

m2imnxint_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="M2IMNXINT",
    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.