![NASA/GSFC/MERRA/flx/2](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/images/NASA/NASA_GSFC_MERRA_flx_2_sample.png) Dataset Availability : 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z--2026-10-01T23:00:00Z Dataset Producer : [NASA/MERRA](https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/reanalysis/MERRA-2/) Cadence : 1 Hour Tags : [climate](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/tags/climate) [merra](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/tags/merra) [precipitation](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/tags/precipitation) [sea-salt](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/tags/sea-salt) [so2](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/tags/so2) [so4](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/tags/so4) [soil-moisture](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/tags/soil-moisture) [weather-and-climate](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/tags/weather-and-climate) #### Description M2T1NXFLX (or tavg1_2d_flx_Nx) is an hourly time-averaged data collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of assimilated surface flux diagnostics, such as total precipitation, bias corrected total precipitation, surface air temperature, surface specific humidity, surface wind speed, and evaporation from turbulence. The "surface" in this data collection is the model surface layer. The heights of the model surface layer (HLML) vary with time and location, with the value of \~60 meters above ground. 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)](https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/) using the [Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS)](https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/GEOS_systems/) 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 **Bands** Pixel size: 69375x55000 meters (all bands) | Name | Units | Min | Max | Pixel Size | Description | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | `BSTAR` | m/s\^2 | -0.021035\* | 0.791739\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface buoyancy scale | | `CDH` | kg/m\^2/s | 8e-06\* | 0.522482\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface exchange coefficient for heat | | `CDM` | kg/m\^2/s | 5e-06\* | 0.518079\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface exchange coefficient for momentum | | `CDQ` | kg/m\^2/s | 8e-06\* | 0.522482\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface exchange coefficient for moisture | | `CN` | | 0.000646\* | 0.032227\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface neutral drag coefficient | | `DISPH` | m | 0\* | 23.0781\* | 69375x55000 meters | Zero plane displacement height | | `EFLUX` | W/m\^2 | -308.949\* | 1655.85\* | 69375x55000 meters | Total latent energy flux | | `EVAP` | kg/m\^2/s | -0.00011\* | 0.000673\* | 69375x55000 meters | Evaporation from turbulence | | `FRCAN` | | 0\* | 1\* | 69375x55000 meters | Areal fraction of anvil showers | | `FRCCN` | | 0\* | 0.423096\* | 69375x55000 meters | Areal fraction of convective showers | | `FRCLS` | | 0\* | 1\* | 69375x55000 meters | Areal fraction of nonanvil large scale showers | | `FRSEAICE` | | 0\* | 1\* | 69375x55000 meters | Ice covered fraction of tile | | `GHTSKIN` | W/m\^2 | -245.078\* | 1e+15\* | 69375x55000 meters | Ground heating for skin temperature | | `HFLUX` | W/m\^2 | -1181.24\* | 686.742\* | 69375x55000 meters | Sensible heat flux from turbulence | | `HLML` | m | 42.3642\* | 71.0599\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface layer height | | `NIRDF` | W/m\^2 | 0\* | 282.495\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface downwelling nearinfrared diffuse flux | | `NIRDR` | W/m\^2 | 0\* | 592.217\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface downwelling nearinfrared beam flux | | `PBLH` | m | 42.3621\* | 5780.88\* | 69375x55000 meters | Planetary boundary layer height | | `PGENTOT` | kg/m\^2/s | 0\* | 0.017593\* | 69375x55000 meters | Total column production of precipitation | | `PRECANV` | kg/m\^2/s | 0\* | 0.000968\* | 69375x55000 meters | Anvil precipitation | | `PRECCON` | kg/m\^2/s | 0\* | 0.002629\* | 69375x55000 meters | Convective precipitation | | `PRECLSC` | kg/m\^2/s | 0\* | 0.014614\* | 69375x55000 meters | Nonanvil large scale precipitation | | `PRECSNO` | kg/m\^2/s | 0\* | 0.006308\* | 69375x55000 meters | Snowfall | | `PRECTOTCORR` | kg/m\^2/s | 0\* | 0.110565\* | 69375x55000 meters | Total precipitation | | `PRECTOT` | kg/m\^2/s | 0\* | 0.017509\* | 69375x55000 meters | Total precipitation | | `PREVTOT` | kg/m\^2/s | 0\* | 0.001474\* | 69375x55000 meters | Total column re-evaporation/sublimation of precipitation | | `QLML` | | 0\* | 0.034333\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface specific humidity | | `QSH` | Mass fraction | 0\* | 0.044069\* | 69375x55000 meters | Effective surface specific humidity | | `QSTAR` | Mass fraction | -0.000139\* | 0.005463\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface moisture scale | | `RHOA` | kg/m\^3 | 0.658498\* | 1.68283\* | 69375x55000 meters | Air density at surface | | `RISFC` | | -318.273\* | 578.05\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface bulk Richardson number | | `SPEEDMAX` | m/s | 0.074227\* | 49.4767\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface wind speed | | `SPEED` | m/s | 0.061141\* | 49.3541\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface wind speed | | `TAUGWX` | N/m\^2 | -3.06294\* | 5.8716\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface eastward gravity wave stress | | `TAUGWY` | N/m\^2 | -5.10649\* | 4.99554\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface northward gravity wave stress | | `TAUX` | N/m\^2 | -5.48865\* | 5.09378\* | 69375x55000 meters | Eastward surface stress | | `TAUY` | N/m\^2 | -6.19036\* | 4.19191\* | 69375x55000 meters | Northward surface stress | | `TCZPBL` | m | 6.55864\* | 2.83712e+06\* | 69375x55000 meters | Transcom planetary boundary layer height | | `TLML` | K | 191.833\* | 320.174\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface air temperature | | `TSH` | K | 185.73\* | 328.859\* | 69375x55000 meters | Effective surface skin temperature | | `TSTAR` | K | -11.0761\* | 5.74402\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface temperature scale | | `ULML` | m/s | -48.8082\* | 42.8239\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface eastward wind | | `USTAR` | m/s | 0.000667\* | 2.31844\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface velocity scale | | `VLML` | m/s | -41.9408\* | 44.3777\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface northward wind | | `Z0H` | m | 1e-05\* | 4.54622\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface roughness for heat | | `Z0M` | m | 1e-05\* | 4.54622\* | 69375x55000 meters | Surface roughness | \* estimated min or max value ### 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. ### Explore with Earth Engine > [!NOTE] > **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) ### Code Editor (JavaScript) ```javascript var dataset = ee.ImageCollection('NASA/GSFC/MERRA/flx/2') .filter(ee.Filter.date('2022-02-01', '2022-02-02')); var surface_buoyancy_scale = dataset.select('BSTAR'); var sbsVis = { min: -0.00998, max: 0.01174, palette: ['001137', '01abab', 'e7eb05', '620500'] }; Map.setCenter(-95, 39, 2); Map.addLayer(surface_buoyancy_scale, sbsVis, 'Surface buoyancy scale'); ``` [Open in Code Editor](https://code.earthengine.google.com/?scriptPath=Examples:Datasets/NASA/NASA_GSFC_MERRA_flx_2) [MERRA-2 M2T1NXFLX: Surface Flux Diagnostics V5.12.4](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NASA_GSFC_MERRA_flx_2) M2T1NXFLX (or tavg1_2d_flx_Nx) is an hourly time-averaged data collection in Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2). This collection consists of assimilated surface flux diagnostics, such as total precipitation, bias corrected total precipitation, surface air temperature, surface specific humidity, surface wind speed, and evaporation from turbulence. The ... NASA/GSFC/MERRA/flx/2, climate,merra,precipitation,sea-salt,so2,so4,soil-moisture,weather-and-climate 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z/2026-10-01T23:00:00Z -90 -180 90 180 Google Earth Engine https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets - [](https://doi.org/https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/reanalysis/MERRA-2/) - [](https://doi.org/https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NASA_GSFC_MERRA_flx_2)