The Great Plains Low-Level Jet in MERRA-2

The Great Plains low-level jet (GPLLJ), characterized by its diurnally varying southerly winds in the lower troposphere, is a critical component of the hydroclimate in the central US. Here, we evaluate the representation of the GPLLJ in the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) developed by NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). Based on a preliminary analysis of several strong GPLLJ events, MERRA-2 is shown to be a valuable dataset for studying the horizontal, vertical, and diurnal characteristics of the LLJ. A comparison with rawinsonde and radar wind profiles suggests that the strength and height of the LLJ is overall realistic in MERRA-2.