Three Years of TRMM Precipitation Features. Part I: Radar, Radiometric, and Lightning Characteristics

摘要

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has collected detailed measurements of rainstorms in the tropics and subtropics since its launch in late 1997. The instrument suite provides simultaneous measurement of many quantities related to precipitation, e.g. radar reflectivity, passive microwave brightness temperature, infrared cloud top temperature, lightning flash rate and location. This combination allows detailed characterization of millions of individual precipitation features. The characteristics of nearly six million precipitation features are presented here, representing the first three years of TRMM observations. The purpose is to provide a global (tropical and subtropical) context for individual cases and for regional, seasonal, or other regime-dependent studies.