Model:

Updated:

hourly to monthly from 1980 to last month

Greenwich Mean Time:

12:00 UTC = 07:00 EST

Resolution:

0.5° x 0.65°

Parameter:

Mean relative humidity between ca. 3000 and 6000 m above the ground

Description:

This map presents the mean relative humidity between about 3000 and 6000m a.s.l. - equivalent to the atmospheric layer between 10,000 and 20,000 ft. This is the atmospheric region where middle and high stratus clouds form. They are typically fringing a warm ridge along the anticyclonic sector of a frontal zone. In general, middle and high stratus clouds are a good indicator for the run of the jet stream. Mean Relative Humidity in the layer between about 600 and 3000 m above ground

MERRA:

The MERRA time period covers the modern era of remotely sensed data, from 1979 through the present, and the special focus of the atmospheric assimilation is the hydrological cycle. Previous long-term reanalyses of the Earth's climate had high levels of uncertainty in precipitation and inter-annual variability. The GEOS-5 data assimilation system used for MERRA implements Incremental Analysis Updates (IAU) to slowly adjust the model states toward the observed state. The water cycle benefits as unrealistic spin down is minimized. In addition, the model physical parameterizations have been tested and evaluated in a data assimilation context, which also reduces the shock of adjusting the model system. Land surface processes are modeled with the state-of-the-art GEOS-5 Catchment hydrology land surface model. MERRA thus makes significant advances in the representation of the water cycle in reanalyses.

Reanalyse:

Retrospective-analyses (or reanalyses) integrate a variety of observing systems with numerical models to produce a temporally and spatially consistent synthesis of observations and analyses of variables not easily observed. The breadth of variables, as well as observational influence, make reanalyses ideal for investigating climate variability. The Modern Era-Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications supports NASA's Earth science objectives, by applying the state-of-the-art GEOS-5 data assimilation system that includes many modern observing systems (such as EOS) in a climate framework.