GPM SSM/I F10: Climate-Referenced Satellite Precipitation Profiles at 12 km

Version 7 is the current climate-referenced precipitation data product from the GPM constellation's SSM/I sensor on the DMSP F10 satellite. The Goddard Profiling (GPROF) algorithm uses a Bayesian method with an a-priori database to retrieve mean rain rates, vertical cloud structure, and related hydrometeor fields. This Level 2 product provides data at a 12 km resolution over a 1.5-hour temporal window, processed by NASA using ECMWF-Interim reanalysis for homogeneous climate records.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term precipitation trends and variability based on climate-referenced ancillary data.
• Validating and improving climate and weather models using retrieved vertical precipitation profiles.
• Studiating atmospheric water vapor and hydrometeor distribution based on Bayesian-retrieved science fields.
• Conducting inter-sensor calibration and consistency studies across the GPM passive microwave constellation.

Strengths

• Uses homogeneous ECMWF-Interim reanalysis ancillary data for consistent climate time series.
• Employs a parametric Bayesian algorithm suitable for a multi-sensor satellite constellation approach.
• Provides retrieved precipitation profiles with uncertainty estimates.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.
• Ancillary data from ECMWF-Interim has a 2-3 month lag behind regular production.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the SSM/I sensor on the DMSP F10 satellite, processed by the GPROF algorithm.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly stated, but the product is part of an ongoing climate time series.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:15:51.978488; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage, typical of low-Earth-orbit satellite observations.