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TRMM: Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)

1997

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), one of the spacecraft in the NASA Earth Probe series of research satellites, was a highly-focused, limited-objective program aimed at measuring monthly and seasonal rainfall over the global tropics and subtropics. TRMM was a joint project between the USA and Japan to measure rainfall between 35 degrees N and 35 degrees S at 350 km altitude.

The TRMM Precipitaing Radar data would provide the first opportunity to estimate the vertical profile of latent heat release. Instruments on-board the satellite were: (1) a single frequency (13.8 GHz) Precipitation Radar (PR) provided by Japan; (2) a visible-infrared scanning radiometer (VIRS) similar to AVHRR; (3) a passive microwave radiometer called the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), similar to the SSM/I microwave radiometer on the DMSP-series; (4) a Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) for the detection and distribution of global lightning; and (5) the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument for the measurement of the Earth’s radiation budget. With the exception of the PR, all of the instruments were provided by NASA.

From National Space Science Data Center, NSSDC ID: 1997-074A

Investigators

Related Websites

Publications

  • Bauer, P.; Schanz, L.; Bennartz, R., and Schlussel, P. Outlook for combined TMI-VIRS algorithms for TRMM: Lessons from the PIP and AIP projects. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences v.55, no.9, 1998, pp1714-1729. Reprint #4119.

  • Bauer, Peter; Schanz, Lars-C.; Schulz, Jorg; Bennartz, Ralf; Testud, and Jaques. A new precipitation algorithm based on TRMM sensor synergy. Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, 9th, Paris, 25-29 May 1998 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 1998, pp604-606. Reprint #4229.

  • Greenwald, Thomas J. Observing the diurnal characteristics of marine stratocumulus drizzle using the TRMM microwave imager. Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, 10th, Long Beach, CA, 9-14 January 2000 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 2000, pp390. Reprint #4703.

  • Jin, Xin; Li, Wandiao, and Zhu, Yuanjing. A study on the Meiyu front using TRMM/PR data during the 1998 GAME/HUBEX. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences v.20, no.3, 2003, pp293-298. Reprint #6164.

  • Martin, D. W.; Cutrim, E. C.; Butzow, D.; Silva, I. O.; Hinton, B. B.; Lin, W.-S., and Suomi, V. E. Phenomenology of Amazon rain and its impact on TRMM. International Workshop on the Processing and Utilization of the Rainfall Data Measured from Space, Tokyo, 16-19 March 1992. Proceedings. Tokyo, Japan Interchange of Science and Technology Center (JISTEC), Communications Research Laboratory, 1992, pp135-139. Reprint #5592.

  • Martin, David W. and Hinton, Barry B. Collection and analysis of radar rainfall and satellite data for the Darwin TRMM experiment. A final report to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, grant NAG5-1308, for the period of 1 December 1990 to 31 May 1991. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center, 1991. 17p. UW SSEC Publication No.91.06.M2.

  • Martin, David W. AIP/3 Experiment: A test of the Garand/Moeller rain classification scheme. Report for NASA Grant NAG5-1586, A tropical rainfall analysis experiment for TRMM using ancillary satellite data. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center , 1995. 18p. UW SSEC Publication No.95.03.M1.

  • Minnis, Patrick; Young, David; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Heck, Patrick W.; Doelling, David R., and Trepte, Qing Z. CERES cloud property retrievals from imagers on TRMM, Terra, and Aqua. Remote Sensing of Clouds and the Atmosphere VIII, Barcelona, Spain, 9-12 September 2003. Bellingham, WA, SPIE-International Society for Optical Engineering, 2003, pp37-48. Reprint #4684.

  • Panegrossi, Giulia; Tassa, Alessandra; De Michele, Sabatino; Tripoli, Gregory J.; Mugnai, Alberto, and Smith, Eric A. Using TRMM observations to improve numerical simulations of precipitation with tropical cyclones. Symposium on Precipitation Extremes: Prediction, Impacts, and Responses, Albuquerque, NM, 14-18 January 2001 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 2001, pp324-326. Reprint #3883.

  • Smith, Eric A.; Fiorino, S.; Panegrossi, G., and Tripoli, G. J. Using TRMM and SSM/I measurements to critique microphysical features of mesoscale model simulation of Hurricane Bonnie (1998). Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, 10th, Long Beach, CA, 9-14 January 2000 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 2000, manuscript not available for publication.

  • Smith, G. L.; Barkstrom, B. R.; Lee, R. B. III; Wielicki, B. A.; Green, R. N.; Charlock, T. P. ; Minnis, P.; Baum, B. A.; Young, D. F., and Priestley, K. J. The CERES/TRMM Mission: Early results. Satellite Remote Sensing of Clouds and the Atmosphere III, Barcelona, Spain, 21-23 September 1998 (proceedings). Bellingham, WA, SPIE-International Society for Optical Engineering, 1998, pp246-255. Reprint #4791.

  • Suomi, Verner E. Aqua and the planet, GEWEX and the role of TRMM. The global role of tropical rainfall: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Aqua and Planet, Tokyo, 25-26 June 1990. Hampton, VA, A. Deepak Publishing, 1992, pp15-31. Reprint #1309.

  • Suomi, Verner E.; Ackerman, S.; Hinton, B., and Martin, D. TRMM-related research: Tropical rainfall and energy analysis experiment. TRMM final report for the first three years of NASA grant NAG5-1586. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center, 1994. 11p. NASA Contractor Report 195834. NAS 1.26:195834.

  • Tao, W. K.; Smith, E. A.; Adler, R. F.; Haddad, Z. S.; Holl, A. Y.; Iguchi, T.; Kakar, R.; Krishnamurti, T. N.; Kummerow, C. D.; Lang, S.; Meneghini, R.; Nakamura, K.; Makazawa, T.; Okamoto, K.; Olson, W. S.; Satch, S.; Shige, S.; Simpson, J.; Takatabu, Y.; Tripoli, G. J., and Yang, S. Retrieval of latent heating from TRMM measurements. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society v.87, no.11, 2006, pp1555-1572. Reprint #5244.

  • Zhenglong, Li; Jin, Xin; Li, Wanbiao, and Yuanjing, Zhu. A study on the relationship between GMS-5 infrared data and precipitation sounded by TRMM/PR. Acta Meteorologica Sinica v.16, no.2, 2002, pp317-326. Reprint #6150.

Images

  • NASA technicians assemble the TRMM satellite

    NASA

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