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Full catalog/GPM_2BCMB_TRMM
GPM_2BCMB_TRMM·v07·dataset

How hard it rained, radar plus microwave, from the TRMM satellite

GPM PR and TMI on TRMM Combined Precipitation L2B 1.5 hours 5 km V07 (GPM_2BCMB_TRMM) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 2
In plain English

What it measures. Estimates of how hard it was raining and how precipitation was stacked vertically through storms, by combining a radar's view with a microwave imager's view for the most accurate snapshots possible from space.

How it's made. Produced from the radar and microwave instruments aboard the TRMM satellite, reprocessed with the newer GPM-mission algorithms to cover the 1997-2015 period at about 5-km detail.

How & where you'd use it. Valuable for studying storm structure and for serving as a common reference to cross-calibrate other rain-measuring satellites, which underpins long-term climate precipitation records.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPORATMOSPHERE › PRECIPITATION

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span1997-12-07 → 2015-04-01
  • Measured byTRMM (PR, TMI)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -40, 180, 40
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

This is the new (GPM-formated) TRMM Combined product, using the GPM algorithms, for the TRMM epoch (December 1997 - April 2015). It replaces the old TRMM_2B31 This is the GPM-like formatted TRMM Combined Precipitation (TRMM Ku radar and microwave radiometer/imager), first released with the "V8" TRMM reprocessing. The corresponding GPM Combined product is archived under the name GPM_2BCMB, with beginning date March 2014. Gombined Radar-Radiometer Algorithm performs two basic functions: First, it provides, in principle, the most accurate, high resolution estimates of surface rainfall rate and precipitation vertical distributions that can be achieved from a spaceborne platform, and it is therefore valuable for applications where information regarding instantaneous storm structure are vital. Second, a global, representative collection of combined algorithm estimates will yield a single common reference dataset that can be used to “cross-calibrate” rain rate estimates from all of the passive microwave radiometers in the TRMM and GPM constellations. The cross-calibration of radiometer estimates is crucial for developing a consistent, high time-resolution precipitation record for climate science and prediction model validation applications.

Get the data

gpm_2bcmb_trmm_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="GPM_2BCMB_TRMM",
    version="07",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GES_DISC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.