GPM GPROF: Climate-Referenced Satellite Precipitation Profiles

NASA's GPM mission provides Level 2 precipitation profiles from the NOAA-16 AMSU-B microwave radiometer, processed with the Goddard Profiling (GPROF) algorithm. The data uses a Bayesian retrieval method against a climate-consistent database and ECMWF reanalysis for homogeneous long-term records. Version 07 is the current version, superseding all older data.

Use Cases

• Climate trend analysis based on the climate-reference product design using homogeneous ancillary data.
• Precipitation profile retrieval based on the Bayesian algorithm using observed and simulated brightness temperatures.
• Inter-sensor consistency validation based on the use of a common a-priori database across the GPM constellation.
• Atmospheric hydrometeor study based on retrieved vertical structures of cloud and precipitation.

Strengths

• Provides a climate-consistent time series using ECMWF reanalysis as ancillary data.
• Uses a parametric Bayesian retrieval method suited for a multi-sensor satellite constellation.
• Retrieves mean rain rate, vertical hydrometeor structure, and associated uncertainty.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files include BIN and ISO formats, which may require specialized tools for processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the NOAA-16 AMSU-B sensor, processed with the GPROF algorithm.

Time Range

Time series intended for climate analysis, with data latency up to 3 months for the climate product.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:29:09.022285; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from the GPM satellite constellation.