TRMM Field Experiment Data Collection Overview

Contents

TRMM Field Campaigns and Observation

Alphabetical List of Physical Parameters

Data Access and Information Service

References

Contact Us

TRMM Field Campaigns and Observation

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint mission between NASA and National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). TRMM satellite was launched on November 28 1997 with a unique complement of sensors to remotely observe rainfall throughout the global tropics. The field campaign program of TRMM is designed to provide ground truth for use in algorithm development of TRMM satellite measurement. To meet this goal, TRMM field campaigns employ ground-based radars and rain gauge networks to provide independent estimates of the TRMM variables, which the TRMM satellite also estimates. Also, the campaigns obtain aircraft measurements with instrumentation similar to the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar on the TRMM satellite. The NASA DC8 and ER2 aircraft support microwave sensors similar to those aboard the satellite, and the DC8 also supports Airborne Mapping Radar (ARMAR), a prototype of the TRMM satellite radar.

TRMM field campaigns consist of TExas-FLorida UNderflight TEFLUN A (focus on East Texas) and TEFLUN B (focus on East Florida), Large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (TRMM-LBA) , Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX), South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX) , Convection And Moisture EXperiment (CAMEX) , and Tropical Ocean Global Atmospheres/Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) . Of these seven field campaigns, TEFLUN A and TEFLUN B, TRMM-LBA, KWAJEX, and NASA TOGA/COARE data are archived at Goddard Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC).

TRMM Field Experiment (FE) data collected at GES DISC are accessible via ftp. The respective README files or notes for each campaign are also provided online on GES DISC hydrology TRMM FE web sites (see Data Access and Information Service ). The current TRMM FE data and related information are groupped by field campaigns or sites. Considering the users who just want to obtain the general inventories of TRMM FE data, we provide this data collection overview, which briefly describes the data observed over TEFLUN A/B, TRMM-LBA, and KWAJEX by the aircrafts and the surface based observations. TRMM TOGA/COARE data set, as an extension of its original 1992-1993 experiment, has its own features, and the documents have been already completed (see NASA TOGA COARE page). Therefore we do not include it here.

Table 1 lists the TRMM field campaigns and the observation platforms. It also describes the designed measurements for each campaign and the unique features of each campaign. The data availability are listed and will be updated as the new data come in. The KWAJEX data will be complete around the end of year 2000.

Table 1: TRMM Field Campaigns and Observation Description

TRMM Field Campaign	Measurement Platform	Observation Coverage	Campaign Features	Campaign Date and Data Availability
TEFLUN A TEFLUN B	Aircraft, Surface ground radar, Augmented sounding, Surface rain gage network, Cloud-to-Ground lightning detectors	3 dimensional hydrometeors observation, Surface rain, Lightning electric field, Temperature and moisture profiles	Meet several important TRMM timely requirements. Provide data with a variaty of tropical precipitation types: thunderstorms, mesoscale convective system, and stratiform precipitation	April 1 through May 15, 1998 Aug. 5 through Sept. 27, 1998 Available
TRMM-LBA	Aircraft, Surface ground radar, Augmented sounding, Augmented lightning, Surface rain gage network, Tethersonde and surface flux tower, Cloud-to-Ground lightning detectors	3 dimensional hydrometeors observation, Surface rain, Near-surface atmospheric state, Lightning electric field, Atmospheric planetary boundary layer turbulence, Temperature and moisture profiles	Represents a unique interior of tropical continents with heavy seasonal precipitation. The most important unsampled region of the tropics	Jan. 1 through Feb. 28 1999 Partly Available
Kwajalein	Aircraft, Surface ground radar, Augmented sounding, Surface rain gage network, Tethersonde and surface flux tower, Ship observation Cloud-to-Ground lightning detectors	3 dimensional hydrometeors observation, Surface rain, Near-surface atmospheric state, Lightning electric field, Temperature and moisture profiles, Oceanographic measurement	An only ocean location in TRMM FE Provide scientific data filling the missing observation at other FE regions.	July 23- Sept. 15 1999 Most data are not Available

Alphabetical List of Physical Parameters

A variety of physical parameters were observed at the TRMM FE during the respective observation periods. There are common physical parameters among these TRMM field campaigns. Table 2 lists the physical parameters observed at the four TRMM field campaigns (archived at GES DISC), in alphabetical order, along with the instruments, the respective field campaign, and the related web link. Where TEFa/TEFb denote TEFLUN A/B respectively, and LBA denotes TRMM-LBA.

Table 2: Physical Parameters List

Parameters	Instrument/Platform	TEFa	TEFb	LBA	Kwajex	Related Links
Aerosol Back Scattering Coefficients	Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE)					TEFLUN B
Atmospheric Scattering Ratios	Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE)					TEFLUN B
(Microwave) Brightness Temperature	Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR)					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
	Millimeter Imaging Radiometer (MIR)					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA
	Airborne Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (AMMR)					TEFLUN B KWAJEX
	Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR)					TEFLUN B
Cloud Aerosol Particle, Aerosol Scattering Ratio	Scanning Raman Lidar(SRL)					TEFLUN B
Cloud Microphysics (Particle size distribution and habits)	Forward Scattering Spectrometer (FSSP)					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
	Cloud Particle Imager (CPI)					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA
	2D Cloud Imaging Probe(2DC) 1D large particles imaging probe (1DP) 2D Precipitation Probe (2DP) Platform: Citation, Lear, DC8, Convair					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
	High Volume Precipitation Sensor (HVPS)					TEFLUN B KWAJEX
Doppler Velocity	Doppler Radar, Doppler Radar Profilers					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
	Airborne Rain Mapping Radar (ARMAR)					TEFLUN B KWAJEX
	EDOP					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA
Electric Field Components (vertical and horizonal), Self-Charge (Q)	Lightning Instrument Package					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA
Flight Level Data	Aircraft Navigation System Global Positioning System (GPS)					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
Fluxes of Air-Sea Interaction	NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown					KWAJEX
Ground Temperature	Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor(MAMS) Modis Airborn Simulator (MAS)					TEFLUN
Land Surface Fluxes	Tethersonde, Micromet Tower, Doppler SODAR					TRMM-LBA
Multispectral Radiances and brightness temperature (calibrated and Geolocated)	Modis Airborne Simulator (MAS)					TRMM-LBA
	Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor(MAMS)					TEFLUN
Planetary Boundary Layer Atmospheric Conditions	Tethersonde, Micromet Tower, Doppler SODAR					TRMM-LBA
Rain rate and drop size distribution at surface	Surface Rain guages					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
	Radar Measurements					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA
	Disdrometer					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
Radar Reflectivity	Doppler Radar Doppler Radar Profilers					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
	Airborne Rain Mapping Radar (ARMAR)					TEFLUN B KWAJEX
	EDOP					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA
Upper Air Temperature, Dew Point, and Wind Profiles	Rawinsonde					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA KWAJEX
Water Vapor Mixing Ratios	Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL)					TEFLUN B
	Millimeter Imaging Radiometer (MIR)					TEFLUN TRMM-LBA

Data Access and Information Service

TRMM FE data are accessible via ftp after linking to each campaign web page listed on the TRMM Campaigns online web page.

References

TRMM Field Campaigns of TRMM Science Operations Plan, 1996: TRMM Office

TEFLUN A

TEFLUN B

Univ. Washington Kwajex

NOAA_AL Profilers

TRMM-LBA

Contact Us

Your suggestions regarding the TRMM FE data and information are welcome. Please send them to the Hydrology data support team

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Last update:Fri Jan 30 07:54:27 EST 2004
> Page Author: Hydrology Data Support Team -- hydrology@daac.gsfc.nasa.gov
Web Curator: -- web-curator@daac.gsfc.nasa.gov
NASA official: Steve Kempler, DISC Manager -- Steven.J.Kempler@nasa.gov