diff --git a/doc/sphinx/source/input.rst b/doc/sphinx/source/input.rst
index b48e6bd2ec..a72bce73aa 100644
--- a/doc/sphinx/source/input.rst
+++ b/doc/sphinx/source/input.rst
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ A list of the datasets for which a CMORizers is available is provided in the fol
 |                              | tasmax, tasmin, ts, ua, va, wap, zg (Amon)                                                           |      |                 |
 |                              | pr, rlut, ua, va (day)                                                                               |      |                 |
 +------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------+-----------------+
-| NCEP-DOE-R2                  | clt, hur, prw, ta (Amon)                                                                             |   2  | Python          |
+| NCEP-DOE-R2                  | clt, hur, prw, ta, wap (Amon)                                                                        |   2  | Python          |
 +------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------+-----------------+
 | NDP                          | cVeg (Lmon)                                                                                          |   3  | Python          |
 +------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------+-----------------+
diff --git a/esmvaltool/cmorizers/data/cmor_config/NCEP-DOE-R2.yml b/esmvaltool/cmorizers/data/cmor_config/NCEP-DOE-R2.yml
index 96fada79e4..e0768cf354 100644
--- a/esmvaltool/cmorizers/data/cmor_config/NCEP-DOE-R2.yml
+++ b/esmvaltool/cmorizers/data/cmor_config/NCEP-DOE-R2.yml
@@ -34,3 +34,8 @@ variables:
     mip: Amon
     raw: air
     file: 'air\.mon\.mean\.nc'
+  wap_month:
+    short_name: wap
+    mip: Amon
+    raw: omega
+    file: 'omega\.mon\.mean\.nc'
diff --git a/esmvaltool/cmorizers/data/downloaders/datasets/ncep_doe_r2.py b/esmvaltool/cmorizers/data/downloaders/datasets/ncep_doe_r2.py
index 096b54e898..704493554f 100644
--- a/esmvaltool/cmorizers/data/downloaders/datasets/ncep_doe_r2.py
+++ b/esmvaltool/cmorizers/data/downloaders/datasets/ncep_doe_r2.py
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ def download_dataset(config, dataset, dataset_info, start_date, end_date,
 
     url = "https://downloads.psl.noaa.gov/Datasets/ncep.reanalysis2/Monthlies/"
 
+    downloader.download_file(url + "pressure/omega.mon.mean.nc",
+                             wget_options=[])
     downloader.download_file(url + "pressure/rhum.mon.mean.nc",
                              wget_options=[])
     downloader.download_file(url + "pressure/air.mon.mean.nc", wget_options=[])
diff --git a/esmvaltool/recipes/examples/recipe_check_obs.yml b/esmvaltool/recipes/examples/recipe_check_obs.yml
index 3d7d11e6b9..325d9685b8 100644
--- a/esmvaltool/recipes/examples/recipe_check_obs.yml
+++ b/esmvaltool/recipes/examples/recipe_check_obs.yml
@@ -647,9 +647,10 @@ diagnostics:
       hur:
       prw:
       ta:
+      wap:
     additional_datasets:
       - {dataset: NCEP-DOE-R2, project: OBS6, mip: Amon, tier: 2,
-         type: reanaly, version: 2, start_year: 1979, end_year: 2021}
+         type: reanaly, version: 2, start_year: 1979, end_year: 2022}
     scripts: null