GPM 3GPROF: Global Monthly Satellite Precipitation Averages for Climate Studies

GPM_3GPROFNPPATMS_CLIM is a climate-reference precipitation dataset from NASA's GES DISC, last updated in March 2026. It provides global gridded monthly precipitation averages at 0.25-degree resolution, derived from microwave sensors on the SUOMI-NPP satellite. The data uses homogeneous ECMWF-Interim reanalysis as ancillary input to support long-term climate studies.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term global precipitation patterns for climate studies based on the climate-reference product design.
• Validating and calibrating climate models using homogeneous, satellite-derived precipitation data.
• Studying atmospheric hydrometeor distribution based on microwave sensor sensitivity to liquid and ice-phase precipitation.

Strengths

• Provides climate-reference data using homogeneous ECMWF-Interim reanalysis ancillary data for consistency.
• Derived from high-quality microwave sensors sensitive to detailed precipitation hydrometeors.
• Global coverage at a 0.25-degree spatial resolution.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data uses ECMWF-Interim reanalysis, which has a 2-3 month lag behind regular production.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) via the GES DISC.

Collection Method

Retrievals from the ATMS microwave radiometer on the SUOMI-NPP satellite, processed with the GPROF algorithm.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:28:51.583352; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global.