NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) is changing focus from single satellite missions to measurement oriented programs. An example of this paradigm shift is the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) project. GPM is conceptualized as a rolling-wave of measurement possibilities all focused on the key precipitation parameter. In response to this shift to measurement programs and also integral to the ESE’s new strategy for processing and management its data, a measurement based approach is also critical for data processing system that support measurement programs like GPM. This paper provides an overview of the paradigm shift from mission to measurement. It also presents a summary of the ESE’s new strategy for its data systems. Building on this background the paper details the architectural, design and implementation aspects of the Precipitation Processing System (PPS). The PPS is an evolution of a single point system developed for the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission to a generic precipitation data system. The paper provides the context within which PPS will support the GPM program.
The real time rain estimates from the TRMM/TMI and the SSM/I Goddard Profiling Alforithm (GPROF), along with the Climate Prediction Center real time IR rain estimates, have been merged to a preparatory version of the TRMM global 3-hourly rain product. This paper discusses the issue of merging NOAA/AMSU rain estimates as an addition into this preparatory product and provides comparisons of rainfall among TMI, SSM/I GPROF and AMSU products. The orbit data of the three microwave sensors were aggregated to 3-hourly gridded rain products with horizontal resolution of 0.25°. The histogram data based on the coincident rainfall among TMI, SSM/I and AMSU estimates from the 3-hourly data series showed about +50% bias of AMSU rain as compared to the SSM/I-TMI rain over tropical ocean. However, over land, the AMSU data showed about -20% bias as compared to the SSM/I-TMI products. The correlation between TMI and AMSU oceanic data is about 0.5. In order to justify the results from microwave rainfall estimates, the TMI rain estimate were compared with ground validation data for a 4-year period. The results indicate a lower (-15%) TMI rain amount over ocean and a higher (+25%) TMI estimate over land as compared to the ground observation.
KEYWORDS: Space operations, Radiometry, L band, Climate change, Climatology, Remote sensing, Antennas, Data processing, Calibration, Data archive systems
Even the youngest child knows that the sea is salty. Yet, routine, global information about the degree of saltiness and the distribution of the salinity is not available. Indeed, the sea surface salinity measurement is a key missing measurement in global change research. Salinity influences circulation and links the ocean to global change and the water-cycle. Space-based remote sensing of important global change ocean parameters such as sea-surface temperature and water-cycle parameters such as precipitation have been available to the research community but a space-based global sensing of salinity has been missing. In July 2002, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) announced that the Aquarius mission, focused on the global measurement of sea surface salinity, is one of the missions approved under its ESSP-3 program. Aquarius will begin a risk-reduction phase during 2003. Aquarius will carry a multi-beam 1.4 GHz (L-band) radiometer used for retrieving salinity. It also will carry a 1.2 GHz (L-band) scatterometer used for measuring surface roughness. Aquarius is tentatively scheduled for a 2006 launch into an 8-day Sun-synchronous orbit. Aquarius key science data product will be a monthly, global surface salinity map at 100 km resolution with an accuracy of 0.2 practical salinity units. Aquarius will have a 3 year operational period. Among other things, global salinity data will permit estimates of sea surface density, or buoyancy, that drives the ocean's three-dimensional circulation.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.