GPM GPROF: Global Monthly Satellite Precipitation Grids for Climate Reference

Version 07 is the current version of this climate-referenced precipitation dataset. The data provides global gridded monthly precipitation averages derived from microwave sensors on the NOAA-21 satellite, processed using the GPROF algorithm with homogeneous ECMWF-Interim reanalysis ancillary data. It is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated on 2026-03-13.

Use Cases

• Conducting climate trend analysis based on global, gridded monthly precipitation averages.
• Validating climate models using homogeneous, climate-reference precipitation retrievals.
• Studying atmospheric hydrometeor distribution based on microwave sensor sensitivity to liquid and ice-phase precipitation.

Strengths

• Uses Version 07 processing, superseding all older versions for consistency.
• Provides climate-reference homogeneity by using ECMWF-Interim reanalysis as ancillary data.
• Derived from high-quality microwave sensors sensitive to detailed precipitation phases.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The ECMWF-Interim ancillary data has a 2-3 month lag behind regular production.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite retrievals from the ATMS instrument on NOAA-21, processed by the GPROF algorithm.

Time Range

Monthly averages; specific temporal coverage is not provided in the input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:08:57.038308; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage at a 0.25 degree x 0.25 degree grid resolution.