TRMM_3A12: Global Monthly Precipitation and Hydrometeor Profiles

TRMM_3A12 provides global monthly averages of surface precipitation and vertical hydrometeor content. The dataset includes 28 vertical layers of cloud liquid water, rain, ice, snow, graupel, and latent heating on a 0.5 x 0.5 degree grid. These data are derived from the TRMM Microwave Imager and represent a climatological product for atmospheric and climate research.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global precipitation climatology based on monthly surface precipitation and rain rates.
• Studying vertical cloud structure and composition using the 28-layer hydrometeor content profiles.
• Investigating atmospheric convective processes via convective surface precipitation rate and latent heating data.
• Validating and improving climate model parameterizations for cloud and precipitation processes.

Strengths

• Provides detailed vertical structure with 28 layers of hydrometeor content.
• Offers global spatial coverage on a consistent 0.5 x 0.5 degree grid.
• Represents a long-term, multi-platform satellite record from the TRMM and GPM missions.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low: column names, row counts, and exact temporal coverage are unspecified.
• Conflicting freshness: last update dates conflict between 2015 and a future date of 2026.
• Dataset is described as a legacy product, with users directed to a newer equivalent (GPM_3GPROFTRMMTMI_CLIM).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the TRMM Microwave Imager.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:27:46.214146 (from datagov, but conflicts with a 2015 date from nasa_earthdata)

Geography

Global