GPM SSMI F13: Global Gridded Monthly Precipitation Averages for Climate Studies

Global monthly precipitation averages derived from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) on the F13 satellite. The data is processed using the GPROF algorithm with climate-homogeneous ancillary data from ECMWF-Interim reanalysis. Version 07 is the current version, produced by NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission.

Use Cases

• Conducting climate trend analysis based on homogeneous, climate-referenced precipitation retrievals.
• Studying global atmospheric water vapor and precipitation distribution based on microwave sensor data.
• Validating climate models using gridded monthly precipitation averages from satellite observations.
• Investigating liquid and ice-phase precipitation hydrometeors in the atmosphere based on sensor sensitivity.

Strengths

• Uses climate-homogeneous ancillary data (ECMWF-Interim reanalysis) for consistent long-term analysis.
• Based on retrievals from high-quality microwave sensors sensitive to precipitation hydrometeors.
• Data is provided at a 0.25 degree x 0.25 degree spatial resolution.
• Version 07 is the current, superseding version, indicating maintained data processing.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The ancillary data (ECMWF-Interim) has a 2-3 month lag behind regular production.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission.

Collection Method

Retrievals from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) on the F13 satellite, processed by the GPROF algorithm.

Time Range

Monthly temporal resolution; specific date range is unknown.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 01:55:56.989735; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage.