Other Names

Rain Rate, Rainfall, Precip. Rate

Definition

The amount of precipitation that is collected over a specific time period; usually measured in inches/hour or millimeters/hour.
Precipitation is all liquid or solid phase aqueous particles that originate in the atmosphere and fall to the earth's surface. The amount, usually expressed in millimeters or inches of liquid water depth, of the water substance that has fallen at a given point over a specified period of time. As this is usually measured in a fixed rain gauge, small amounts of dew, frost, rime, etc., may be included in the total. The more common term rainfall is also used in this total sense to include not only amounts of rain, but also the water equivalents of frozen precipitation. For obvious reasons, precipitation is the preferred general term.

Applications

(1) Global energy budget	(6) Agriculture
(2) Global and regional water balance	(7) Industry
(3) Climate change	(8) Drought and flood
(4) Global warming	(9) Aerosol wet deposition
(5) Health and Environment	(10) Acid rain

Platforms and Sensors

Platform	Sensor	Spectrum
Aqua	AIRS/AMSU
TRMM	VIRS	0.3, 1.6, 3,75, 10.8 and 12 micrometer
TRMM	TMI	Dual polarization: 10.65, 19.35, 37, and 85.5 GHz Vertical polarization: 21 GHz
TRMM	PR	Vertical polarization: 13.8 GHz

GES DISC Datasets

Quick Search for 'Precipitation Rate' with Mirador
Click on the corresponding 'WHOM access' links in the table below to access products containing specific parameter.

Parameter	Units	Platform /Instrument	Data
			Begin Date	End Date	WHOM Access	Doc
Precipitation Rate		TRMM/PR	1997-12-07	Current	2A25	Y
					3A25	Y
					3A26	Y
					3B42	Y
		TRMM/TMI	1997-12-07	Current	2A12	Y
					3A11	Y
					3A12	Y
					3B43	Y
		Aqua/AIRS	2002-08-30	Current	AIRH2SUP.005	Y

Other sources for data

1. Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) Pathfinder Pentad and Monthly Precipitation Rate Data Sets 2. Description of SSM/I Data Products