GLDAS-2.1: Global Land Data Assimilation System

Page Summary

• The GLDAS-2.1 dataset is part of the NASA Global Land Data Assimilation System Version 2 and is forced with a combination of model and observation data.

• This dataset provides data from 2000 to the present with a 3-hour cadence.

• It includes numerous bands covering various meteorological and land surface parameters like temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and radiation fluxes.

• The data is freely available for the user community, funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Dataset Availability

2000-01-01T03:00:00Z–2026-02-11T21:00:00Z

Dataset Producer

NASA GES DISC at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Earth Engine Snippet

ee.ImageCollection("NASA/GLDAS/V021/NOAH/G025/T3H")

Cadence

3 Hours

Tags

3-hourly climate cryosphere evaporation forcing geophysical gldas humidity ldas nasa precipitation pressure radiation soil soil-moisture surface temperature water-vapor wind

Description

NASA Global Land Data Assimilation System Version 2 (GLDAS-2) has three components: GLDAS-2.0, GLDAS-2.1, and GLDAS-2.2. GLDAS-2.0 is forced entirely with the Princeton meteorological forcing input data and provides a temporally consistent series from 1948 through 2014. GLDAS-2.1 is forced with a combination of model and observation data from 2000 to present. GLDAS-2.2 product suites use data assimilation (DA), whereas the GLDAS-2.0 and GLDAS-2.1 products are "open-loop" (i.e., no data assimilation). The choice of forcing data, as well as DA observation source, variable, and scheme, vary for different GLDAS-2.2 products.GLDAS-2.1 is one of two components of the GLDAS Version 2 (GLDAS-2) dataset, the second being GLDAS-2.0. GLDAS-2.1 is analogous to GLDAS-1 product stream, with upgraded models forced by a combination of GDAS, disaggregated GPCP, and AGRMET radiation data sets.

The GLDAS-2.1 simulation started on January 1, 2000 using the conditions from the GLDAS-2.0 simulation. This simulation was forced with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) atmospheric analysis fields (Derber et al., 1991), the disaggregated Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) precipitation fields (Adler et al., 2003), and the Air Force Weather Agency's AGRicultural METeorological modeling system (AGRMET) radiation fields which became available for March 1, 2001 onwards.

Documentation:

• Readme

• How-to

• GES DISC Hydrology Documentation

• GES DISC Data Rods Documentation

Provider's Note: the names with extension _tavg are variables averaged over the past 3-hours, the names with extension '_acc' are variables accumulated over the past 3-hours, the names with extension '_inst' are instantaneous variables, and the names with '_f' are forcing variables.

Bands

Bands

Pixel size: 27830 meters (all bands)

Name	Units	Min	Max	Pixel Size	Description
Albedo_inst	%	4.99*	82.25*	27830 meters	Albedo
AvgSurfT_inst	K	187.48*	1323.35*	27830 meters	Average surface skin temperature
CanopInt_inst	kg/m^2	0*	0.5*	27830 meters	Plant canopy surface water
ECanop_tavg	W/m^2	0*	1273.66*	27830 meters	Canopy water evaporation
ESoil_tavg	W/m^2	0*	2275.63*	27830 meters	Direct evaporation from bare soil
Evap_tavg	kg/m^2/s	0*	0.002*	27830 meters	Evapotranspiration
LWdown_f_tavg	W/m^2	26.85*	600.9*	27830 meters	Downward long-wave radiation flux
Lwnet_tavg	W/m^2	-13792.7*	196.97*	27830 meters	Net long-wave radiation flux
PotEvap_tavg	W/m^2	-227.75*	18977.9*	27830 meters	Potential evaporation rate
Psurf_f_inst	Pa	44063.1*	108344*	27830 meters	Pressure
Qair_f_inst	Mass fraction	-0.02*	0.07*	27830 meters	Specific humidity
Qg_tavg	W/m^2	-552.64*	1538.41*	27830 meters	Heat flux
Qh_tavg	W/m^2	-1005.15*	18190.6*	27830 meters	Sensible heat net flux
Qle_tavg	W/m^2	-227.75*	5072.25*	27830 meters	Latent heat net flux
Qs_acc	kg/m^2	0*	170.93*	27830 meters	Storm surface runoff
Qsb_acc	kg/m^2	0*	50.6*	27830 meters	Baseflow-groundwater runoff
Qsm_acc	kg/m^2	0*	42.87*	27830 meters	Snow melt
Rainf_f_tavg	kg/m^2/s	0*	0.01*	27830 meters	Total precipitation rate
Rainf_tavg	kg/m^2/s	0*	0.01*	27830 meters	Rain precipitation rate
RootMoist_inst	kg/m^2	2*	949.6*	27830 meters	Root zone soil moisture
SWE_inst	kg/m^2	0*	120787*	27830 meters	Snow depth water equivalent
SWdown_f_tavg	W/m^2	-56.93*	30462.8*	27830 meters	Downward short-wave radiation flux
SnowDepth_inst	m	0*	301.96*	27830 meters	Snow depth
Snowf_tavg	kg/m^2/s	0*	0.009*	27830 meters	Snow precipitation rate
SoilMoi0_10cm_inst	kg/m^2	1.99*	47.59*	27830 meters	Soil moisture
SoilMoi10_40cm_inst	kg/m^2	5.99*	142.8*	27830 meters	Soil moisture
SoilMoi40_100cm_inst	kg/m^2	11.99*	285.6*	27830 meters	Soil moisture
SoilMoi100_200cm_inst	kg/m^2	20*	476*	27830 meters	Soil moisture
SoilTMP0_10cm_inst	K	221.98*	377.5*	27830 meters	Soil temperature
SoilTMP10_40cm_inst	K	227.43*	319.44*	27830 meters	Soil temperature
SoilTMP40_100cm_inst	K	232.97*	316.2*	27830 meters	Soil temperature
SoilTMP100_200cm_inst	K	238.52*	314.11*	27830 meters	Soil temperature
Swnet_tavg	W/m^2	-48.96*	23741.3*	27830 meters	Net short wave radiation flux
Tair_f_inst	K	206.8*	327.66*	27830 meters	Air temperature
Tveg_tavg	W/m^2	0*	3455.14*	27830 meters	Transpiration
Wind_f_inst	m/s	0*	57.7*	27830 meters	Wind speed

* estimated min or max value

Image Properties

Image Properties

Name	Type	Description
end_hour	DOUBLE	End hour
start_hour	DOUBLE	Start hour

Terms of Use

Terms of Use

Distribution of data from the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) is funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Consistent with NASA Earth Science Data and Information Policy, data from the GES DISC archive are available free to the user community. For more information visit the GES DISC Data Policy page.

Citations

Citations:

• Rodell, M., P.R. Houser, U. Jambor, J. Gottschalck, K. Mitchell, C.-J. Meng, K. Arsenault, B. Cosgrove, J. Radakovich, M. Bosilovich, J.K. Entin, J.P. Walker, D. Lohmann, and D. Toll, The Global Land Data Assimilation System, Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 85(3), 381-394, 2004.

• Additional references

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Code Editor (JavaScript)

var dataset = ee.ImageCollection('NASA/GLDAS/V021/NOAH/G025/T3H')
                  .filter(ee.Filter.date('2010-06-01', '2010-06-02'));
var averageSurfaceSkinTemperatureK = dataset.select('AvgSurfT_inst');
var averageSurfaceSkinTemperatureKVis = {
  min: 250.0,
  max: 300.0,
  palette: ['1303ff', '42fff6', 'f3ff40', 'ff5d0f'],
};
Map.setCenter(71.72, 52.48, 3.0);
Map.addLayer(
    averageSurfaceSkinTemperatureK, averageSurfaceSkinTemperatureKVis,
    'Average Surface Skin Temperature [K]');

Open in Code Editor

GLDAS-2.1: Global Land Data Assimilation System

NASA Global Land Data Assimilation System Version 2 (GLDAS-2) has three components: GLDAS-2.0, GLDAS-2.1, and GLDAS-2.2. GLDAS-2.0 is forced entirely with the Princeton meteorological forcing input data and provides a temporally consistent series from 1948 through 2014. GLDAS-2.1 is forced with a combination of model and observation data from 2000 …

NASA/GLDAS/V021/NOAH/G025/T3H, 3-hourly,climate,cryosphere,evaporation,forcing,geophysical,gldas,humidity,ldas,nasa,precipitation,pressure,radiation,soil,soil-moisture,surface,temperature,water-vapor,wind

2000-01-01T03:00:00Z/2026-02-11T21:00:00Z

-90 -180 90 180

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