Data Collections: Earth System Data Explorer

The My NASA Data visualization tool, Earth System Data Explorer (ESDE), helps learners visualize complex Earth System data sets over space and time. Below, datasets are organized by Earth System sphere, science variable, dataset name, and start/end dates. Selecting a specific dataset in the ESDE will show you a description of this variable, the units in which they are measured, and the NASA (or other) mission in which they are collected. Please note that these collections are continuously updated. If you don't see what you are looking for, contact us at larc-mynasadata@mail.nasa.gov.

Image Credit: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain

For complete data citation information please visit the Earth System Data Explorer Data Citations page.

 

Dataset Name	Categories	Spheres	Start Date	End Date
Daily High Cloud Coverage	Air Quality Clouds Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	01/01/1980	07/31/2026
Daily Low Cloud Coverage	Air Quality Clouds Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	01/01/1980	07/31/2026
Daily Mean Sea Surface Temperature	El Niño Southern Oscillation Sea Surface Properties	Earth as a System Hydrosphere	09/01/1981	08/31/2026
Daily Middle Cloud Coverage	Air Quality Clouds Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	01/01/1980	07/31/2026
Daily Precipitation Amount	Air Quality Clouds El Niño Southern Oscillation Extreme Heat Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere Geosphere	06/01/2000	08/31/2026
Daily Surface Air Temperature	El Niño Southern Oscillation Extreme Heat Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor Temperatures Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere Geosphere	1/1/1980	07/31/2026
Daily Total Cloud Coverage	Air Quality Clouds Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	01/01/1980	07/31/2026
Monthly Aerosol Optical Depth	Aerosols Air Quality Atmospheric Chemistry	Atmosphere Earth as a System	03/2000	03/2026
Monthly Air Column Concentration of NO2	Aerosols Air Quality Atmospheric Chemistry	Atmosphere Earth as a System	10/2004	02/2026
Monthly Air Column Concentration of Ozone	Air Quality Atmospheric Chemistry Greenhouse Gases	Atmosphere Earth as a System	10/2004	04/2026
Monthly Air Column Concentration of SO2	Aerosols Air Quality Atmospheric Chemistry	Atmosphere Earth as a System	10/2004	09/2025
Monthly Albedo Measured at the Surface	Albedo Albedo Measured at the Surface Changes in Snow and Ice Extent Earth's Energy Budget Extreme Heat Land Use and Land Cover Change Sea Ice Extent	Atmosphere Cryosphere Geosphere Earth as a System	03/2000	08/2025
Monthly Albedo Measured From Space	Albedo Earth's Energy Budget	Atmosphere Earth as a System	03/2000	07/2025
Monthly Carotenoid Content Index	Plant Growth Patterns Vegetation	Biosphere	03/2024	01/2026
Monthly Chlorophyll Concentration	Coral Reefs Phytoplankton    Vegetation	Biosphere	01/2012	07/2025
Monthly Chlorophyll Index Red Edge	Agriculture Plant Growth Patterns Vegetation	Biosphere	03/2024	01/2026
Monthly Coral Bleaching Alert Area	Coral Reefs	Biosphere	04/1985	03/2026
Monthly Concentration of Picoeukaryotes	Phytoplankton	Biosphere	03/2024	04/2026
Monthly Concentration of Prochlorococcus	Phytoplankton	Biosphere	03/2024	04/2026
Monthly Concentration of Synechococcus	Phytoplankton	Biosphere	03/2024	04/2026
Monthly Daytime Surface (Skin) Temperature	Albedo Extreme Heat Skin Temperature Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	02/2000	07/2026
Monthly Flow of Energy into Surface by Longwave Radiation	Albedo Agriculture Atmospheric Chemistry Earth's Energy Budget Longwave and Shortwave Radiation at the Earth's Surface	Atmosphere Biosphere Earth as a System	03/2000	06/2025
Monthly Flow of Energy into Surface by Shortwave Radiation	Albedo Albedo Measured at the Surface Agriculture Atmospheric Chemistry Earth's Energy Budget Extreme Heat Longwave and Shortwave Radiation at the Earth's Surface Phytoplankton Plant Growth Patterns Skin Temperature Temperatures Urban Heat Island Vegetation	Atmosphere Biosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	03/2000	12/2025
Monthly High Cloud Coverage	Air Quality Clouds Earth's Energy Budget Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	03/2000	07/2025
Monthly Leaf Area Index	Extreme Heat Land Use and Land Cover Change Plant Growth Patterns Vegetation	Biosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	01/2021	05/2026
Monthly Low Cloud Coverage	Air Quality Clouds Earth's Energy Budget Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	03/2000	10/2025
Monthly Lower Tropospheric Concentration of CH4	Atmospheric Chemistry	Atmosphere	09/2002	12/2025
Monthly Lower Tropospheric Concentration of CO	Atmospheric Chemistry	Atmosphere	09/2002	02/2026
Monthly Mean Relative Humidity	Air Quality Earth's Energy Budget Extreme Heat Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere Geosphere	01/2000	02/2026
Monthly Mean Sea Surface Temperature	Coral Reefs Changes in Snow and Ice Extent Earth's Energy Budget El Niño Southern Oscillation Phytoplankton Sea Ice Extent Sea Surface Properties	Biosphere Cryosphere Hydrosphere Earth as a System	12/1981	01/2026
Monthly Mean Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly	Changes in Snow and Ice Extent El Niño Southern Oscillation Sea Ice Extent Sea Surface Properties	Biosphere Cryosphere Hydrosphere Earth as a System	09/1981	05/2026
Monthly Mean Soil Moisture	Agriculture El Niño Southern Oscillation Plant Growth Patterns Soil Moisture Urban Heat Island Vegetation	Biosphere Geosphere Hydrosphere	01/1948	04/2026
Monthly Middle Cloud Coverage	Air Quality Clouds Earth's Energy Budget Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	03/2000	10/2025
Monthly Modified Anthocyanin Reflectance Index	Agriculture Plant Growth Patterns Vegetation	Biosphere	03/2024	01/2026
Monthly Net Flow of Energy towards Earth by Longwave and Shortwave Radiation with Clouds	Atmospheric Chemistry Earth's Energy Budget Net Atmospheric Radiation	Atmosphere Earth as a System	03/2000	12/2025
Monthly Nighttime Surface (Skin) Temperature	Albedo Extreme Heat Skin Temperature Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	02/2000	07/2026
Monthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index	Agriculture Extreme Heat Plant Growth Patterns Vegetation	Biosphere Earth as a System	02/2000	05/2026
Monthly Photochemical Reflectance Index	Plant Growth Patterns Vegetation	Biosphere	03/2024	01/2026
Monthly Precipitation Anomaly (Combined Sources)	Air Quality El Niño Southern Oscillation Extreme Heat Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor	Atmosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere	01/2000	06/2025
Monthly Precipitation Rate (Combined Sources)	Agriculture Air Quality Clouds El Niño Southern Oscillation Extreme Heat Plant Growth Patterns Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor Soil Moisture Urban Heat Island Vegetation	Atmosphere Biosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere Geosphere	01/1979	06/2026
Monthly Precipitation Rate (Satellite Observed)	Agriculture Air Quality Clouds El Niño Southern Oscillation Extreme Heat Plant Growth Patterns Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor Urban Heat Island Vegetation	Atmosphere Biosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere Geosphere	01/2000	09/2025
Monthly Sea Ice Extent (Northern Hemisphere)	Changes in Snow and Ice Extent Sea Ice Extent	Cryosphere	01/1979	07/2026
Monthly Sea Ice Extent (Southern Hemisphere)	Changes in Snow and Ice Extent Sea Ice Extent	Cryosphere	01/1979	07/2026
Monthly Sea Level (Sea Surface Height) Anomaly	El Niño Southern Oscillation Sea Level Rise Sea Surface Properties	Earth as a System Hydrosphere	01/1997	09/2025
Monthly Sea Surface Salinity	El Niño Southern Oscillation Sea Surface Properties	Earth as a System Hydrosphere	04/2015	05/2026
Monthly Snow and Ice Percent Coverage	Albedo Changes in Snow and Ice Extent Sea Ice Extent	Atmosphere Cryosphere	03/2000	05/2026
Monthly Surface Air Temperature	Air Quality Agriculture Albedo Changes in Snow and Ice Extent El Niño Southern Oscillation Extreme Heat Greenhouse Gases Plant Growth Patterns Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor Sea Ice Extent Skin Temperatures Soil Moisture Temperatures Urban Heat Island Vegetation	Atmosphere Biosphere Cryosphere Earth as a System Geosphere Hydrosphere	01/1980	02/2026
Monthly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly	Extreme Heat Temperatures	Atmosphere Earth as a System	01/1980	12/2025
Monthly Surface (Skin) Temperature	Albedo Changes in Snow and Ice Extent Extreme Heat Plant Growth Patterns Skin Temperatures Urban Heat Island Vegetation	Atmosphere Biosphere Cryosphere Earth as a System Geosphere	02/2000	05/2026
Monthly Total Cloud Coverage	Air Quality Clouds Earth's Energy Budget Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor Urban Heat Island	Atmosphere Earth as a System Geosphere Hydrosphere	03/2000	12/2025
Monthly Tropospheric Concentration of CO2	Air Quality Atmospheric Chemistry Greenhouse Gases	Atmosphere Earth as a System	09/2002	06/2025
Monthly Water Vapor in the Atmosphere	Agriculture Earth's Energy Budget Greenhouse Gases Plant Growth Patterns Precipitation Precipitation and Water Vapor Vegetation	Atmosphere Biosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere	09/2002	02/2026
Yearly Land Cover Classification (Global)	Agriculture Albedo Measured at the Surface Land Use and Land Cover Change Plant Growth Patterns Precipitation and Water Vapor Sea Level Rise Urban Heat Island Vegetation	Atmosphere Biosphere Cryosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere Geosphere	2001	2024
Yearly Land Cover Classification (United States)	Agriculture Albedo Measured at the Surface Land Use and Land Cover Change Plant Growth Patterns Precipitation and Water Vapor Sea Level Rise Urban Heat Island Vegetation	Atmosphere Biosphere Cryosphere Earth as a System Hydrosphere Geosphere	1985	2025
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - CNRM Model - Scenario 1 (Sustainability)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - CNRM Model - Scenario 2 (Middle of the Road)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - CNRM Model - Scenario 3 (Regional Rivalry)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - CNRM Model - Scenario 4 (Inequality)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - IPSL Model -      Scenario 1 (Sustainability)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - IPSL Model -      Scenario 2 (Middle of the Road)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - IPSL Model -     Scenario 3 (Regional Rivalry)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - IPSL Model -      Scenario 4 (Inequality)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - MIROC6 Model - Scenario 1 (Sustainability)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - MIROC6 Model - Scenario 2 (Middle of the Road)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - MIROC6 Model - Scenario 3 (Regional Rivalry)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - MIROC6 Model - Scenario 4 (Inequality)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - MRI Model -         Scenario 1 (Sustainability)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - MRI Model -         Scenario 2 (Middle of the Road)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - MRI Model -         Scenario 3 (Regional Rivalry)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099
Yearly Surface Air Temperature Anomaly - MRI Model -         Scenario 4 (Inequality)	Climate Models	Atmosphere	2020	2099

Updates: 

• On May 26, 2021, Sea Level (Sea Surface Height) Anomaly was updated and now features data from a different source.  Data for some years may have slightly different values when compared to the previous version, especially at any time after 2012.  
• On April 21, 2026, a unit labeling error was identified in the Monthly Air Column Concentration of Ozone dataset for data loaded between 2022 and 2026. During this period, ozone values were displayed as parts per billion by volume (ppbv), but the underlying data were actually in Dobson Units (DU). To correct this issue, the full dataset has been replaced with a version accurately labeled and presented in Dobson Units. As a result, any Monthly Air Column Concentration of Ozone data downloaded between 2022 and 2026 should be considered incorrect and should be redownloaded from the updated dataset.