GPM ATMS on NOAA-20: Climate-based Satellite Precipitation Profiles

NASA's GPM mission provides Level 2A precipitation data from the NOAA-20 satellite's ATMS sensor. The dataset uses a Bayesian retrieval algorithm and climate-consistent ECMWF reanalysis ancillary data to produce profiles of rain rate and cloud hydrometeors. Version 07 is the current version, last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Climate trend analysis based on the climate-referenced ancillary data designed for homogeneous time series.
• Precipitation profile retrieval based on the Bayesian algorithm using an a-priori database of rain profiles.
• Inter-sensor calibration studies based on the use of a consistent algorithm across the GPM partner passive microwave sensors.
• Uncertainty quantification in rainfall estimates based on the provision of uncertainty metrics for the retrieved profiles.

Strengths

• Designed for climate homogeneity using ECMWF-Interim reanalysis ancillary data, lagging 2-3 months behind regular production.
• Algorithm provides a mean rain rate, vertical structure of hydrometeors, and their uncertainty.
• Part of a constellation approach, retrieving consistent fields from multiple passive microwave sensors to achieve 3-hour coverage.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and spatial/temporal granularity beyond '1.5 hours 17 km' are not specified in the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), GES DISC

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the ATMS sensor on the NOAA-20 platform, processed by the GPROF (2AGPROF) algorithm.

Time Range

Time series intended for climate reference; specific start and end dates are not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 02:08:36.594870; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite orbits; specific bounding coordinates are not provided.