This dataset contains zonal-mean model-generated and diagnosed heating rates as potential temperature tendencies on pressure levels. The model-generated heating rates consist of total heating rates due to parameterized physics along with heating rates due to long-wave and short-wave radiative transfer, as generated during the model forecast step. The diagnosed heating rates are calculated from the zonal-mean atmospheric diagnostics (Zonal-mean reanalyses on pressure levels dataset) according to the zonal-mean thermodynamic equation. All heating rates are provided 6-hourly on identical horizontal and vertical grids as the dynamical variables included in Zonal-mean reanalyses on pressure levels dataset. However, the time axis of this dataset lags that of Zonal-mean reanalyses on pressure levels dataset by three hours.

This dataset was produced to facilitate the comparison of reanalysis datasets for the collaborators of the SPARC- Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP). The dataset is substantially smaller in size compared to the full three dimensional reanalysis fields and uses unified numerical methods. The dataset includes all global reanalyses available at the time of its development and will be extended to new reanalysis products in the future.