Land/Sea static mask relevant to TMPA precipitation 0.25x0.25 degree V2 (TRMM_TMPA_LandSea

TRMM_TMPA_LandSeaMask Version 2 is a static land/sea mask regridded to a 0.25x0.25 degree resolution for use with GPCP, TMPA, and IMERG precipitation products. The mask was originally produced by NOAA at SSEC in the 1980s and was restructured into a CF-compliant netCDF4 format by NASA's Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory. Version 2 was created in May 2019 to resolve inaccuracies detected in coastal regions.

Use Cases

• Preprocessing satellite precipitation data based on the described land/sea classification
• Masking oceanic data points in geospatial analysis based on the static grid
• Validating coastal boundary definitions in climate models based on the updated Version 2 corrections

Strengths

• Version 2 was created in May 2019 specifically to resolve detected inaccuracies in coastal regions
• Data is structured as CF-compliant netCDF4, a standard format for climate and forecast data
• Mask is regridded to a consistent 0.25x0.25 degree resolution matching TMPA precipitation products

Limitations

• The description notes this is a static mask with no seasonal or annual variability and it is due for an update
• The provider explicitly states it is not recommended for use outside of the GPCP, TMPA, and IMERG precipitation data
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory (code 610.2)

Collection Method

Originally produced by NOAA at SSEC in the 1980s at 1/6 deg resolution, then regridded and restructured for TMPA products.

Time Range

Static mask; no temporal variability indicated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 01:06:44.594230; freshness should be verified

Geography

Global coverage at 0.25x0.25 degree resolution.