AI-generated Key Takeaways
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The NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis 1 project provides surface air temperature data from 1948 to the present, with a temporal resolution of 6 hours and a spatial resolution of 2.5 degrees.
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This dataset is a joint effort between the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to produce new atmospheric analyses using historical and current data.
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The data is available in Earth Engine and can be accessed using the
ee.ImageCollection("NCEP_RE/surface_temp")
code snippet. -
There are no restrictions on the use of this dataset.

- Dataset Availability
- 1948-01-01T00:00:00Z–2025-09-30T18:00:00Z
- Dataset Provider
- NCEP
- Cadence
- 6 Hours
- Tags
Description
The NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Project is a joint project between the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP, formerly "NMC") and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The goal of this joint effort is to produce new atmospheric analyses using historical data as well as to produce analyses of the current atmospheric state (Climate Data Assimilation System, CDAS). The NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis 1 project is using a state-of-the-art analysis/forecast system to perform data assimilation using past data from 1948 to the present. The data have 6-hour temporal resolution (0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC) and 2.5 degree spatial resolution.
Bands
Pixel Size
278300 meters
Bands
Name | Units | Min | Max | Pixel Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
air |
K | 187.3* | 323.5* | meters | Surface air temperature |
Terms of Use
Terms of Use
There are no restrictions on the use of these datasets.
Citations
Kalnay et al., 1996, The NCEP/NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis Project. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 437-471. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1996)0770437:TNYRP\2.0.CO;2.
Explore with Earth Engine
Code Editor (JavaScript)
var dataset = ee.ImageCollection('NCEP_RE/surface_temp') .filter(ee.Filter.date('2018-08-01', '2018-08-15')); var surfaceAirTemperature = dataset.select('air'); var surfaceAirTemperatureVis = { min: 230.0, max: 308.0, palette: [ '800080', '0000ab', '0000ff', '008000', '19ff2b', 'a8f7ff', 'ffff00', 'd6d600', 'ffa500', 'ff6b01', 'ff0000' ], }; Map.setCenter(71.72, 52.48, 3.0); Map.addLayer( surfaceAirTemperature, surfaceAirTemperatureVis, 'Surface Air Temperature');