IMPORTANT: Errors in GPROF Orbits within Select IMERG Final Data Products

The IMERG development team has become aware that a small number of isolated bad Level 2 GPROF orbit granules leaked into V07A IMERG Final Run processing. The team is working with PPS to identify a more-complete list of such instances and trace them back to the Level 1C microwave data. Additional testing is being done and might reveal a few more cases. We are providing this information now in case the times happen to impinge on a detailed study that you are performing. The above image is an example of one of the worse cases (from F16 SSMIS); most cases are less severe or shorter in duration and
GPM Overpass of Cyclone Bolaven
Typhoon Bolaven began as a tropical depression over the West Pacific Ocean on Oct. 7, 2023. On Oct. 10, Bolaven became a Typhoon and passed over the Mariana Islands as it tracked to the northwest. Bolaven then rapidly intensified over 12 hours from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, starting around 12 UTC on Oct. 10. Several factors contributed to the rapid intensification, including modest shear in the atmosphere and warm sea-surface temperatures. This animation shows precipitation within Typhoon Bolaven around the time that rapid intensification began. The global
Group photo of 2023 PMM Science Team Meeting Attendees
Above image: Attendees of the 2023 PMM Science Team Meeting.

Notification of Upcoming GPM Orbit Boost

The GPM Core Observatory satellite is scheduled to undergo a series of orbit boost maneuvers which will raise its altitude from 400km to 435km. These boosts are tentatively scheduled for Nov. 7 and 8, 2023. As a result of these maneuvers, the observing parameters of data collected by the GPM Microwave Imager ( GMI) and Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar ( DPR) instruments will change, including the footprint sizes and Earth incidence angle. The algorithms which process these data must be updated to accommodate these changes, including the Level 2 GPROF, DPR, and CORRA algorithms; the Level 3
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Updated: Nov. 8, 2023 George Huffman, GPM Project Scientist The GPM Core Observatory (GPM-CO) satellite performed two orbit boost maneuvers on Nov. 7 and 8, 2023 that raised its altitude from 400km to 435km. The goal of these boosts is to restore the GPM-CO's lifespan closer to the original estimates of ending in the early 2030’s. Recent lifespan estimates have been getting shorter due to unexpectedly high solar activity, which causes additional atmospheric drag on the spacecraft. The primary goal of restoring GPM-CO’s lifespan is to allow the GPM mission to overlap with the satellites