In July 2011, the Precipitation Processing System at NASA/GSFC ceased production of Version 6 Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data and began production of Version 7. A number of new features have been added to the TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA), which provides three-hourly gridded estimates of precipitation at 0.25°x0.25° spatial resolution over the latitude band 50°N-50°S for the period 1998-present, incorporating intercalibrated passive microwave estimates, microwave-calibrated infrared estimates, and monthly raingauge analyses. These new features are designed to (1) achieve long-term consistency in the data record, (2) extend the record via the inclusion of additional satellite data sources, and (3) make the precipitation estimates more useful by providing additional output fields.

The new GPROF2010 microwave retrieval algorithm is applied to both the SSM/I and AMSR-E data archives, representing a significant modernization over the algorithms used in TRMM Version 6. For the first time, SSMIS data are included in the later part of the record, albeit with an older GPROF version using a proxy 85 GHz channel. SSMIS estimates are key to maintaining a relatively high level of spatial coverage by the higher-quality microwave data, after the demise of the last of the SSM/I series of instruments in 2009. Due to upgrades to the AMSU-B algorithm that NOAA implemented during the Version 6 era, the V6 TMPA suffered from two discontinuities. Version 7 addresses this by using the entire reprocessed AMSU-B archive. Additionally, while V6 incorporated MHS estimates only after the AMSU-B record became unusable, in V7 the complete MHS archive is included. The GPCC “full” raingauge analyses are now used for the available period (through 2009), and the updated GPCC “monitoring” analyses thereafter. Finally, the gridded files contain additional fields that allow users to examine the component estimates that went into the final merged product.

It is expected that by the time of the conference, PPS will have processed most of the data record. Initial results will be presented, demonstrating improvements over Version 6. An update on the current state of PPS processing will be provided.