Highlights of version 7 TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Algorithm (TMPA)

Version 7 of the TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) provides a number of scientific and processing enhancements over the previous Version 6 algorithm. The TMPA now includes important additional sources of passive microwave satellite precipitation, including NOAA-18 MHS, NOAA-19 MHS, Metop-A MHS, and F16 and F17 SSMIS. These are in addition to the Version 6 suite that already included TRMM, SSMI, AMSU-B, and AMSR-E. Furthermore, Version 7 now includes the 0.07° Grisat-B1 infrared data during the period 1998-1999 and represents a significant improvement in resolution and areal coverage over the 1° 24-Class histogram infrared data used in Version 6. In addition to new satellite sources, Version 7 TMPA now uses the new GPCC “Full” gauge analysis, when available, and the GPCC “Monitoring” gauge analysis elsewhere.

At the request of users, the number of output product data fields increased from two to six in the 3-hourly product and from two to three in the monthly product. The new 3-hourly data fields include the satellite precipitation source, the passive microwave-only precipitation estimates, the infrared-only estimates, and the satellite observation time. The new monthly field consists of the gauge relative weighting. These new parameters allow the user much more flexibility in analyzing and understanding the “background” information used to compute the final estimates. Finally, Version 7 includes a new automated QA algorithm designed to detect data anomalies prior to dissemination.