TRMM_1B51: Ground Radar Rain Existence for Satellite Validation

TRMM_1B51 quantifies the fraction of a ground radar's field of view containing measurable precipitation, a key metric for validating satellite rainfall estimates from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. Each file contains one month of 'rain existence' data from one of four primary validation sites: Darwin, Houston, Kwajalein, and Melbourne. The dataset results from a multi-instrument ground validation effort involving radar, rain gauges, and disdrometers to provide quality-controlled reference measurements.

Use Cases

• Validating TRMM satellite precipitation products based on ground-based radar 'rain existence' fractions.
• Comparing precipitation detection algorithms across diverse climatic regions using data from the four primary GV sites.
• Analyzing long-term precipitation measurement quality using collocated rain gauge and disdrometer data from NASA Wallops Flight Facility.
• Studying drop size distributions using Joss-Waldvogel and Parsivel disdrometer measurements collected at Kwajalein and Melbourne.

Strengths

• Provides data from a multi-instrument ground validation network including radar, rain gauges, and multiple disdrometer types.
• Focuses on four primary, geographically diverse validation sites enabling cross-regional comparison.
• Data is quality-controlled as part of the TRMM Ground Validation effort.

Limitations

• Specific column names and dataset size/row counts are not provided in any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with entries from 2014 and 2026, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• License information is inconsistent, with one source specifying 'other-license-specified' and others listing 'None'.

Provenance

Source

NASA TRMM Ground Validation (GV) effort, managed by GES_DISC.

Collection Method

Data collected from ground-based radar, rain gauges, and disdrometers at validation sites, quality-controlled, and processed into validation products.

Freshness

2026-04-10 19:43:15.750032

Geography

Four primary sites: Darwin, Australia; Houston, Texas; Kwajalein, Republic of the Marshall Islands; Melbourne, Florida. Additional measurements from NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.