ERA5-Land Data
Overview
ERA5-Land is a reanalysis dataset produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). It provides hourly high-resolution information about land surface variables from 1950 to present, with a spatial resolution of 0.1° x 0.1°. It's a downscaled version of the atmospheric data from the ERA5 reanalysis, focusing specifically on land surface parameters.
Data Specifications
- Provider: ECMWF via Copernicus Climate Data Store
- Frequency: Hourly (aggregated to daily for most use cases)
- Data Latency: Approximately 7 days
- Geospatial Resolution: 0.1° (approximately 9-10 km)
- Temporal Coverage: 1950 to present
- Data Format: NetCDF
- Coverage: Global
- Vertical Resolution: Land surface only (compared to 137 levels in ERA5)
Variables
Onboarded Variables
The following variables are currently implemented in Riskwolf's data processing pipeline:
| Variable | Units | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Daily precipitation totals | mm | 24-hour accumulated precipitation |
| Daily minimum temperature | °C | 24-hour minimum 2-meter temperature |
| Daily maximum temperature | °C | 24-hour maximum 2-meter temperature |
| Daily temperature fluctuation | °C | 24-hour temperature deviation/variability |
| Daily snowfall totals | cm | 24-hour accumulated snowfall |
Available Variables
Additional variables that can be onboarded from ERA5-Land:
- Relative humidity (2-meter)
- Soil moisture content (4 layers: 0-7cm, 7-28cm, 28-100cm, 100-289cm)
- Soil temperature (4 layers)
- Snow depth and snow density
- Leaf area index (vegetation parameter)
- Evaporation from bare soil and vegetation
- Surface runoff and sub-surface runoff
- Skin temperature and dewpoint temperature
- Surface solar radiation and thermal radiation
- Wind speed components (10-meter)
Key Features
- Provides a consistent view of the evolution of land variables over several decades
- Higher spatial resolution than standard ERA5 (0.1° vs. 0.25°)
- Includes uncertainty estimates for all variables
- Available in reduced spatial and temporal resolutions
- Consistent physics and methodology throughout the entire time period
Use in Parametric Insurance
ERA5-Land data is particularly useful for agricultural insurance products due to its high spatial resolution and comprehensive land surface parameters. It provides reliable historical data for:
- Drought indices
- Excess rainfall triggers
- Soil moisture analysis
- Temperature-related insurance products
- Snow cover/depth-based triggers
Data Access
The data is accessible through the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) API or through direct download from the CDS website.
Official Source: ERA5-Land Copernicus Climate Data Store
Link verified: ✅ Active (HTTP 307 redirect) - Last checked: 2025-09-24