TROPICS05: Instantaneous Surface Rain Rate from Satellite Microwave Sounder

TROPICS05 satellite data provides Level 2B retrievals of instantaneous surface rain rate in mm/hr at G-band spatial resolution. The dataset is produced by NASA using an algorithm adapted from the Goddard Precipitation Retrieval and Profiling Scheme (PRPS). Each netCDF file contains a granule of data with 81 spots and approximately 2880 scans, representing an orbit's worth of observations.

Use Cases

• Analyzing precipitation horizontal structure in tropical cyclones based on microwave spectrometer data.
• Studying storm intensity and evolution based on high-temporal-resolution temperature and humidity profiles.
• Validating and improving precipitation retrieval algorithms based on the PRPS-adapted method.
• Conducting nearly all weather observations of cloud ice and precipitation based on channels near 90 GHz and 205 GHz.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated constellation of five identical small satellites designed for high-temporal-resolution observations.
• Each data granule contains approximately 2880 scans, providing an orbit's worth of coverage.
• Retrieval algorithm is adapted from the established NASA Goddard Precipitation Retrieval and Profiling Scheme (PRPS).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Dataset is labeled as Provisional version 0.2, indicating it may be preliminary.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite observations from the TROPICS05 spacecraft's TROPICS Millimeter-wave Sounder (TMS) payload.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 20:52:03.899187; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, with a focus on tropical regions for cyclone observation.