GPM 3GPROF METOP-B: Daily Global Precipitation Grids for Climate Reference

Version 07 climate-reference data provides global daily precipitation averages at a 0.25-degree grid resolution. The dataset is produced by NASA using the GPROF algorithm on microwave sensor data from the METOP-B satellite, with ancillary atmospheric data from ECMWF-Interim reanalysis. It is designed for climate studies requiring homogeneous long-term data.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term global precipitation trends based on climate-reference data.
• Studying atmospheric water vapor and hydrometeor distribution based on microwave sensor retrievals.
• Validating climate models using homogeneous, gridded satellite precipitation data.
• Investigating the relationship between surface conditions and precipitation using ECMWF-Interim ancillary data.

Strengths

• Uses Version 07, the current and superseding version of the data.
• Provides global coverage at a 0.25-degree by 0.25-degree spatial resolution.
• Based on high-quality microwave sensors sensitive to liquid and ice-phase precipitation.
• Uses homogeneous ECMWF-Interim reanalysis ancillary data for climate time series consistency.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• ECMWF ancillary data has a 2-3 month lag behind regular production, which may affect timeliness for near-real-time studies.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Retrievals from the MHS microwave sensor on the METOP-B satellite, processed with the GPROF algorithm.

Time Range

Daily temporal coverage (specific date range not provided).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:18:23.322550; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global spatial coverage.