65 Years of Reprocessed GLDAS Version 2.0 Data and Their Exploration Using the NASA GES DISC Giovanni

Abstract:

Global Land Data Assimilation System Version 2 (GLDAS-2) has two components: (1) GLDAS-2.0, entirely forced with the Princeton meteorological forcing data and (2) GLDAS-2.1, forced with a combination of model and observation-based data sets. GLDAS-2.0 data from the Noah model have been reprocessed in July 2015 with updated Princeton forcing data and upgraded Land Information System (LIS) software. The temporal coverage of GLDAS 2.0 is extended to 1948 ~ 2012. The reprocessed GLDAS-2.0 data are archived at the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), in self-describing and machine-independent NetCDF format, and can be accessed via HTTP for direct download, OPeNDAP for parameter and spatial subsetting, time aggregation, and format conversion, and Giovanni - Interactive Visualization and Analysis System. The OPeNDAP subsetting is also integrated into Simple Subset Wizard (SSW) for better User Interface and better downloading capability.

This presentation describes the main characteristics of GLDAS data, the major improvements of the reprocessed data, and the access to the data. To further facilitate their use, reprocessed GLDAS-2.0 data are integrated into Giovanni, where the data can be easily explored with 17 visualization types, such as Lat-Lon Map and Animation, Time Series, Scatter Plot, and Histogram. This presentation also showcases the main climatology characteristics of 65 years of GLDAS, derived with Giovanni’s new capabilities in computing climatology for user-defined time range and visualizing in Lat-Lon Map and Time Series.

GLDAS-2.1 is analogous to and will soon replace GLDAS Version 1 (GLDAS-1), covering the time period from 2001 (or 2000 for the 0.25 degree data) to the present, with about a one-month latency. The data are also in NetCDF format and can be accessed via HTTP, OPeNDAP, and Giovanni.