MERRA is a NASA reanalysis for the satellite era using a major new version of the Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System Version 5 (GEOS-5). The Project focuses on historical analyses of the hydrological cycle on a broad range of weather and climate time scales and places the NASA EOS suite of observations in a climate context. [ Read More. ]
This visualization shows Total Precipitable Water (TPW) in centimeters over the United States for a one hour average during the warm season. The data come from an experimental reanalysis of Summer 2004 running the GEOS-5 Data Assimilation System (DAS) at the 1/2-degree resolution being used for MERRA.
MERRA User Review Meeting, November 7, 2007
The group of external reanalyses users charged with reviewing the GMAO's strategy for MERRA met on November 7th to discuss the results of recent validation experiments. The External User Group, chaired by Phil Arkin, gave enthusiastic support for GMAO's system and requested that it proceed with MERRA production. They noted that while the system is not perfect, as no existing system is, MERRA is better than any reanalysis to date and they expect that it will be the product of choice for the scientific community for some time. The group requested that the GMAO continue to improve the system and to make reanalysis an ongoing activity of GMAO. Read a Summary of November 7, 2007 Meeting.
*NEW* MERRA File Specification Available
The draft MERRA File Specification Document is available and open for comment. This describes the output variables and files that will be available from the MERRA reanalysis. Please send comments to Max.Suarez@nasa.gov and Michael.Bosilovich@nasa.gov. Download the DRAFT document [2008 Sep.] (PDF)
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![[ view large animation ]](GEOS5_TPW.gif){kind=link}