Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center

Global Consequences of Land Use

Land use has generally been considered a local environmental issue, but it is becoming a force of global importance. Worldwide changes to forests, farmlands, waterways, and air ...

The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2)

The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2), is the latest atmospheric reanalysis of the modern satellite era produced by NASA’s Glo...

Emerging trends in global freshwater availability

Amazonia revealed: forest degradation and loss of ecosystem goods and services in the Amazon Basin

The Amazon Basin is one of the world's most important bioregions, harboring a rich array of plant and animal species and offering a wealth of goods and services to society. For ...

Global Energy and Water Budgets in MERRA

Abstract Reanalyses, retrospectively analyzing observations over climatological time scales, represent a merger between satellite observations and models to provide globally con...

Atmospheric Water Balance and Variability in the MERRA-2 Reanalysis

Abstract Closing and balancing Earth’s global water cycle remains a challenge for the climate community. Observations are limited in duration, global coverage, and frequency, an...

Structure and Dynamics of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation in MERRA-2

Abstract The structure, dynamics, and ozone signal of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) produced by the 35-yr NASA Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applicat...

Evaluation of the Surface Representation of the Greenland Ice Sheet in a General Circulation Model

Simulated surface conditions of the Goddard Earth Observing System model, version 5 (GEOS-5), atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) are examined for the contemporary Gree...

The Energy Budget of the Polar Atmosphere in MERRA

Abstract Components of the atmospheric energy budget from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) are evaluated in polar regions for the peri...