Tuning the world's orchestra to hear every drop of rain
In short: Predicting a storm feels like guessing a random roll of the dice. However, a joint mission between NASA and JAXA now provides the most comprehensive collection of rainfall and snowfall data ever assembled. By standardizing observations from a global satellite network, scientists can finally see the full range of precipitation.
NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) collaborated on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) project, which offers the highest quality and most extensive set of ice, snowfall, and rain statistics ever gathered. Launched from Japan on February 27, 2014, the GPM Core Observatory serves as the mission's primary hub. It carries two advanced instruments: the Microwave Imager (GMI) and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR). These tools allow scientists to detect not just the presence of precipitation, but the specific size and distribution of rain particles and snowflakes.
The mission operates like a musical ensemble. Because different international partner satellites—including those from NOAA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and agencies from Europe, India, and France—collect data that may vary in absolute numbers, the GPM Core Observatory acts as a "principal violinist." It provides a reference standard to smooth out individual differences, unifying and standardizing observations into a consistent, comparable dataset. This allows for high-quality estimates of Earth's precipitation every 30 minutes.
This high-resolution data is critical for understanding atmospheric oscillations—repeating patterns of rainfall that occur over hours, months, or years. By capturing the three-dimensional structure of clouds layer by layer (the DPR images every 820 feet vertically), the mission provides a new perspective on winter storms near the poles. It also helps improve forecasts for extreme weather events like floods and assists global decision-makers in managing water resources.
The data is made freely available through NASA’s Precipitation Processing System at the Goddard Space Flight Center. It builds upon the legacy of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), expanding our ability to measure the full range of precipitation, from heavy downpours to light rain and snow.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Global Precipitation Measurement mission data released on This Week @NASA - September 5, 2014
- Also: Home | NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission
- Also: International Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Data Goes Public - NASA
- Also: science.gsfc.nasa.gov — Global Precipitation Measurement | NASA GSFC
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