M2T1NXAER (or tavg1_2d_aer_Nx) is an hourly time-averaged 2-dimensional data
collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and
Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of assimilated
aerosol diagnostics, such as column mass density of aerosol components
(black carbon, dust, sea-salt, sulfate, and organic carbon), surface mass
concentration of aerosol components, and total extinction (and scattering)
aerosol optical thickness (AOT) at 550 nm. The total PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10
may be derived with the formula described in the
in the FAQ
The data field is time-stamped with the
central time of an hour starting from 00:30 UTC,
e.g.: 00:30, 01:30, ... , 23:30 UTC.
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.
Bands
Pixel Size 69375 meters
Y Pixel Size 55000 meters
Bands
Name
Units
Pixel Size
Description
BCANGSTR
meters
Black carbon angstrom parameter [470-870 nm]
BCCMASS
kg/m^2
meters
Black carbon column mass density
BCEXTTAU
meters
Black carbon extinction AOT [550 nm]
BCFLUXU
kg/m/s
meters
Black carbon column u-wind mass flux
BCFLUXV
kg/m/s
meters
Black carbon column v-wind mass flux
BCSCATAU
meters
Black carbon scattering AOT [550 nm]
BCSMASS
kg/m^3
meters
Black carbon surface mass concentration
DMSCMASS
kg/m^2
meters
Dms column mass density
DMSSMASS
kg/m^3
meters
Dms surface mass concentration
DUANGSTR
meters
Dust angstrom parameter [470-870 nm]
DUCMASS25
kg/m^2
meters
Dust column mass density - PM2.5
DUCMASS
kg/m^2
meters
Dust column mass density
DUEXTT25
meters
Dust extinction AOT [550 nm] - PM2.5
DUEXTTAU
meters
Dust extinction AOT [550 nm]
DUFLUXU
kg/m/s
meters
Dust column u-wind mass flux
DUFLUXV
kg/m/s
meters
Dust column v-wind mass flux
DUSCAT25
meters
Dust scattering AOT [550 nm] - PM2.5
DUSCATAU
meters
Dust scattering AOT [550 nm]
DUSMASS25
kg/m^3
meters
Dust surface mass concentration - PM2.5
DUSMASS
kg/m^3
meters
Dust surface mass concentration
OCANGSTR
meters
Organic carbon angstrom parameter [470-870 nm]
OCCMASS
kg/m^2
meters
Organic carbon column mass density
OCEXTTAU
meters
Organic carbon extinction AOT [550 nm]
OCFLUXU
kg/m/s
meters
Organic carbon column u-wind mass flux
OCFLUXV
kg/m/s
meters
Organic carbon column v-wind mass flux
OCSCATAU
meters
Organic carbon scattering AOT [550 nm]
OCSMASS
kg/m^3
meters
Organic carbon surface mass concentration
SO2CMASS
kg/m^2
meters
So2 column mass density
SO2SMASS
kg/m^3
meters
So2 surface mass concentration
SO4CMASS
kg/m^2
meters
SO4 column mass density
SO4SMASS
kg/m^3
meters
SO4 surface mass concentration
SSANGSTR
meters
Sea salt angstrom parameter [470-870 nm]
SSCMASS25
kg/m^2
meters
Sea salt column mass density - PM2.5
SSCMASS
kg/m^2
meters
Sea salt column mass density
SSEXTT25
meters
Sea salt extinction AOT [550 nm] - PM2.5
SSEXTTAU
meters
Sea salt extinction AOT [550 nm]
SSFLUXU
kg/m/s
meters
Sea salt column u-wind mass flux
SSFLUXV
kg/m/s
meters
Sea salt column v-wind mass flux
SSSCAT25
meters
Sea salt scattering AOT [550 nm] - PM2.5
SSSCATAU
meters
Sea salt scattering AOT [550 nm]
SSSMASS25
kg/m^3
meters
Sea salt surface mass concentration - PM2.5
SSSMASS
kg/m^3
meters
Sea salt surface mass concentration
SUANGSTR
meters
SO4 angstrom parameter [470-870 nm]
SUEXTTAU
meters
SO4 extinction AOT [550 nm]
SUFLUXU
kg/m/s
meters
SO4 column u-wind mass flux
SUFLUXV
kg/m/s
meters
SO4 column v-wind mass flux
SUSCATAU
meters
SO4 scattering AOT [550 nm]
TOTANGSTR
meters
Total aerosol angstrom parameter [470-870 nm]
TOTEXTTAU
meters
Total aerosol extinction AOT [550 nm]
TOTSCATAU
meters
Total aerosol scattering AOT [550 nm]
Terms of Use
Terms of Use
NASA promotes the full and open sharing of all data with research and
applications communities, private industry, academia, and the general
public.
M2T1NXAER (or tavg1_2d_aer_Nx) is an hourly time-averaged 2-dimensional data collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of assimilated aerosol diagnostics, such as column mass density of aerosol components (black carbon, dust, sea-salt, sulfate, and organic carbon), surface mass concentration of aerosol components, …
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],[],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe NASA/GSFC/MERRA/aer/2 dataset provides hourly time-averaged, 2-dimensional aerosol diagnostics from the MERRA-2 reanalysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eData includes assimilated aerosol components such as black carbon, dust, sea-salt, sulfate, and organic carbon, as well as total aerosol optical thickness (AOT) at 550 nm.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe dataset covers the period from 1980 to the present with a latency of approximately 3 weeks.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eMERRA-2 is produced by NASA using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eNASA promotes the full and open sharing of this data for research and application purposes.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# MERRA-2 M2T1NXAER: Aerosol Diagnostics V5.12.4\n\nDataset Availability\n: 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z--2025-07-01T23:00:00Z\n\nDataset Provider\n:\n\n\n [NASA/MERRA](https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/reanalysis/MERRA-2/)\n\nCadence\n: 1 Hour\n\nTags\n:\n[aerosol](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/aerosol) [atmosphere](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/atmosphere) [carbon](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/carbon) [dust](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/dust) [mass](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/mass) [merra](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/merra) [nasa](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/nasa) [sea-salt](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/sea-salt) [so2](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/so2) [so4](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/so4) \n\n#### Description\n\nM2T1NXAER (or tavg1_2d_aer_Nx) is an hourly time-averaged 2-dimensional data\ncollection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and\nApplications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of assimilated\naerosol diagnostics, such as column mass density of aerosol components\n(black carbon, dust, sea-salt, sulfate, and organic carbon), surface mass\nconcentration of aerosol components, and total extinction (and scattering)\naerosol optical thickness (AOT) at 550 nm. The total PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10\nmay be derived with the formula described in the\n[in the FAQ](https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/reanalysis/MERRA-2/FAQ/)\n\nThe data field is time-stamped with the\ncentral time of an hour starting from 00:30 UTC,\ne.g.: 00:30, 01:30, ... , 23:30 UTC.\n\nMERRA-2 is the latest version of global atmospheric reanalysis for the\nsatellite era produced by NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office\n(GMAO) using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) version 5.12.4.\nThe dataset covers the period of 1980-present with the latency of \\~3 weeks\nafter the end of a month.\n\n### Bands\n\n\n**Pixel Size**\n\n69375 meters\n\n\n**Y Pixel Size**\n\n55000 meters\n\n**Bands**\n\n| Name | Units | Pixel Size | Description |\n|-------------|---------|------------|--------------------------------------------------|\n| `BCANGSTR` | | meters | Black carbon angstrom parameter \\[470-870 nm\\] |\n| `BCCMASS` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | Black carbon column mass density |\n| `BCEXTTAU` | | meters | Black carbon extinction AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `BCFLUXU` | kg/m/s | meters | Black carbon column u-wind mass flux |\n| `BCFLUXV` | kg/m/s | meters | Black carbon column v-wind mass flux |\n| `BCSCATAU` | | meters | Black carbon scattering AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `BCSMASS` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | Black carbon surface mass concentration |\n| `DMSCMASS` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | Dms column mass density |\n| `DMSSMASS` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | Dms surface mass concentration |\n| `DUANGSTR` | | meters | Dust angstrom parameter \\[470-870 nm\\] |\n| `DUCMASS25` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | Dust column mass density - PM2.5 |\n| `DUCMASS` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | Dust column mass density |\n| `DUEXTT25` | | meters | Dust extinction AOT \\[550 nm\\] - PM2.5 |\n| `DUEXTTAU` | | meters | Dust extinction AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `DUFLUXU` | kg/m/s | meters | Dust column u-wind mass flux |\n| `DUFLUXV` | kg/m/s | meters | Dust column v-wind mass flux |\n| `DUSCAT25` | | meters | Dust scattering AOT \\[550 nm\\] - PM2.5 |\n| `DUSCATAU` | | meters | Dust scattering AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `DUSMASS25` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | Dust surface mass concentration - PM2.5 |\n| `DUSMASS` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | Dust surface mass concentration |\n| `OCANGSTR` | | meters | Organic carbon angstrom parameter \\[470-870 nm\\] |\n| `OCCMASS` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | Organic carbon column mass density |\n| `OCEXTTAU` | | meters | Organic carbon extinction AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `OCFLUXU` | kg/m/s | meters | Organic carbon column u-wind mass flux |\n| `OCFLUXV` | kg/m/s | meters | Organic carbon column v-wind mass flux |\n| `OCSCATAU` | | meters | Organic carbon scattering AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `OCSMASS` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | Organic carbon surface mass concentration |\n| `SO2CMASS` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | So2 column mass density |\n| `SO2SMASS` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | So2 surface mass concentration |\n| `SO4CMASS` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | SO4 column mass density |\n| `SO4SMASS` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | SO4 surface mass concentration |\n| `SSANGSTR` | | meters | Sea salt angstrom parameter \\[470-870 nm\\] |\n| `SSCMASS25` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | Sea salt column mass density - PM2.5 |\n| `SSCMASS` | kg/m\\^2 | meters | Sea salt column mass density |\n| `SSEXTT25` | | meters | Sea salt extinction AOT \\[550 nm\\] - PM2.5 |\n| `SSEXTTAU` | | meters | Sea salt extinction AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `SSFLUXU` | kg/m/s | meters | Sea salt column u-wind mass flux |\n| `SSFLUXV` | kg/m/s | meters | Sea salt column v-wind mass flux |\n| `SSSCAT25` | | meters | Sea salt scattering AOT \\[550 nm\\] - PM2.5 |\n| `SSSCATAU` | | meters | Sea salt scattering AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `SSSMASS25` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | Sea salt surface mass concentration - PM2.5 |\n| `SSSMASS` | kg/m\\^3 | meters | Sea salt surface mass concentration |\n| `SUANGSTR` | | meters | SO4 angstrom parameter \\[470-870 nm\\] |\n| `SUEXTTAU` | | meters | SO4 extinction AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `SUFLUXU` | kg/m/s | meters | SO4 column u-wind mass flux |\n| `SUFLUXV` | kg/m/s | meters | SO4 column v-wind mass flux |\n| `SUSCATAU` | | meters | SO4 scattering AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `TOTANGSTR` | | meters | Total aerosol angstrom parameter \\[470-870 nm\\] |\n| `TOTEXTTAU` | | meters | Total aerosol extinction AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n| `TOTSCATAU` | | meters | Total aerosol scattering AOT \\[550 nm\\] |\n\n### Terms of Use\n\n**Terms of Use**\n\nNASA promotes the full and open sharing of all data with research and\napplications communities, private industry, academia, and the general\npublic.\n\n### Explore with Earth Engine\n\n| **Important:** Earth Engine is a platform for petabyte-scale scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets, both for public benefit and for business and government users. Earth Engine is free to use for research, education, and nonprofit use. To get started, please [register for Earth Engine access.](https://console.cloud.google.com/earth-engine)\n\n### Code Editor (JavaScript)\n\n```javascript\nvar dataset = ee.ImageCollection('NASA/GSFC/MERRA/aer/2')\n .filter(ee.Filter.date('2022-02-01', '2022-02-02'));\nvar black_carbon_column_u_wind_mass_flux = dataset.select('BCFLUXU');\nvar bccVis = {\n min: -0.0000116,\n max: 0.0000165,\n palette: ['001137', '01abab', 'e7eb05', '620500']\n};\nMap.setCenter(-95.62, 39.91, 2);\nMap.addLayer(black_carbon_column_u_wind_mass_flux, bccVis);\n```\n[Open in Code Editor](https://code.earthengine.google.com/?scriptPath=Examples:Datasets/NASA/NASA_GSFC_MERRA_aer_2) \n[MERRA-2 M2T1NXAER: Aerosol Diagnostics V5.12.4](/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NASA_GSFC_MERRA_aer_2) \nM2T1NXAER (or tavg1_2d_aer_Nx) is an hourly time-averaged 2-dimensional data collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of assimilated aerosol diagnostics, such as column mass density of aerosol components (black carbon, dust, sea-salt, sulfate, and organic carbon), surface mass concentration of aerosol components, ... \nNASA/GSFC/MERRA/aer/2, aerosol,atmosphere,carbon,dust,mass,merra,nasa,sea-salt,so2,so4 \n1980-01-01T00:00:00Z/2025-07-01T23:00:00Z \n-90 -180 90 180 \nGoogle Earth Engine \nhttps://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets\n\n- [](https://doi.org/https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/reanalysis/MERRA-2/)\n- [](https://doi.org/https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NASA_GSFC_MERRA_aer_2)"]]
