Earthdata Forum

The NLDAS Version 002 (GRIB-1) files are no longer being updated from the GES DISC archive and distribution system after the hourly files as valid at 23Z on August 1, 2024. Affected datasets are listed and linked in the Alert message on the GES DISC website:

NLDAS Version 002 (GRIB-1 files) are no longer being updated after 23Z on August 1, 2024

NLDAS-2 users need to switch to using the updated NLDAS version 2.0 netCDF data, which are currently publicly accessible and will continue to be updated daily. Additional information about the NLDAS v2.0 data can be found in the Release of NLDAS-2.0 netCDF Data Products, the NLDAS-2 README document, or in the landing pages linked in the Alert above.

The archive of NLDAS v002 (GRIB-1) files up to August 1, 2024 will remain available from the GES DISC for three months, and will be entirely removed from public access starting on November 1, 2024.

Additionally, the NLDAS v002 (GRIB-1) monthly climatology data files will be decommissioned on November 1, 2024. These data are listed in the Alert message.

The climatology data are replaced by the NLDAS v2.0 monthly climatology in which the period was redefined to 40 years (1981-2020). The period for the NLDAS-002 (GRIB-1) version of monthly climatology was 30 years. These datasets are also listed in the Alert message.

Hi,

A couple of notes:

1. The grib files had temperature in C, while the netcdf files are in K. The rest of the values are the same.

2. Here's the map from grib bands to netcdf subdataset names (the order of netcdf subdatasets is not the same as the order of the grib bands):
'temperature': 'Tair',
'specific_humidity': 'Qair',
'pressure': 'PSurf',
'wind_u': 'Wind_E',
'wind_v': 'Wind_N',
'longwave_radiation': 'LWdown',
'convective_fraction': 'CRainf_frac',
'potential_energy': 'CAPE',
'potential_evaporation': 'PotEvap',
'total_precipitation': 'Rainf',
'shortwave_radiation': 'SWdown'

Best,
Simon

Hi Simon,

The v002 GRIB-1 files had temperature in Kelvin, same as the netCDF data. You can confirm this in the README files.

Your plotting/analysis system may have assumed that the GRIB-1 temperatures were in C and converted them on the fly.
But natively, all temperatures in the GRIB-1 and in the netCDF files are Kelvin.

David