GPCPMON: Global Monthly Precipitation at 0.5-Degree Resolution, 1983-2020

The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) Version 3.2 monthly product provides a long-term, homogeneous global precipitation record from 1983 to 2020. It is produced by NASA under the World Climate Research Program, merging satellite-based estimates from SSMI/SSMIS, PERSIANN-CDR, TOVS/AIRS, and gauge analyses from GPCC. The dataset offers a 0.5-degree resolution grid and includes ancillary precipitation and error estimates.

Use Cases

• Modeling global water and energy cycles based on the merged satellite and gauge precipitation estimates.
• Analyzing long-term precipitation climatology and trends from 1983 to 2020.
• Calibrating other precipitation products or climate models using the internally consistent GPCPV3 suite.
• Studying regional precipitation variability using the 0.5-degree spatial resolution.

Strengths

• Provides a 38-year continuous record from 1983 to 2020.
• Uses a sophisticated merging technique combining multiple satellite sensors and gauge data for internal consistency.
• Offers global spatial coverage at a 0.5-degree resolution.

Limitations

• Version 3.2 has been superseded by Version 3.3, as stated in the description.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / GES DISC, under the World Climate Research Program's GEWEX Data and Assessment Panel.

Collection Method

Data is produced by merging precipitation estimates from GPROF SSMI/SSMIS, PERSIANN-CDR, TOVS/AIRS, and GPCC gauge analyses, with climatological adjustments.

Time Range

1983 - 2020

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:10:21.462074; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global