GPM Climate-Referenced Precipitation Profiles from SSMIS Radiometer

Climate-reference precipitation profiles are retrieved from the SSMIS sensor on the DMSP F17 satellite using a Bayesian algorithm. The data uses homogeneous ECMWF-Interim reanalysis as ancillary inputs to ensure consistency for climate time series analysis. This product is part of the GPM constellation processed by the Goddard Profiling algorithm and archived at the GES DISC.

Use Cases

• Analyze precipitation rate and uncertainty fields for climate model validation.
• Study the vertical structure of cloud and precipitation hydrometeors from retrieved profiles.
• Compare brightness temperature observations with simulated values from the algorithm's a-priori database.
• Investigate surface and atmospheric conditions derived from ECMWF-Interim reanalysis ancillary data.
• Examine consistency across sensor retrievals within the GPM constellation using the parametric Bayesian method.

Strengths

• Provides climate-referenced data using homogeneous ancillary inputs for long-term consistency.
• Algorithm uses a common a-priori database of rain profiles for retrievals across multiple constellation sensors.
• Product contributes to the bulk of 3-hour global precipitation coverage achieved by the GPM mission.

Limitations

• Ancillary data from ECMWF-Interim has a 2-3 month lag behind regular production, limiting near-real-time use.
• Specific row count, spatial resolution beyond '12 km', and precise temporal coverage are not provided in the description.
• Earlier mission data required for long climate records may be archived separately, complicating seamless analysis.

Provenance

Source

GES DISC (Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center).

Collection Method

Retrieval via the GPROF Bayesian algorithm applied to SSMIS passive microwave sensor brightness temperatures.

Time Range

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Freshness

Version 07 is the current version; older versions are superseded and unavailable.

Geography

Global coverage from the DMSP F17 satellite orbit.