The status of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) after two years in orbit

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was launched on 27 November 1997, and data from all the instruments first became available ap proximately 30 days after the launch. Since then, much progress has been ma de in the calibration of the sensors, the improvement of the rainfall algor ithms, and applications of these results to areas such as data assimilation and model initialization. The TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) calibration has been corrected and verified to account for a small source of radiation leak ing into the TMI receiver. The precipitation radar calibration has been adj usted upward slightly (by 0.6 dBZ) to match better the ground reference tar gets; the visible and infrared sensor calibration remains largely unchanged . Two versions of the TRMM rainfall algorithms are discussed. The at-launch (version 4) algorithms showed differences of 40% when averaged over the gl obal Tropics over 30-day periods. The improvements to the rainfall algorith ms that were undertaken after launch are presented, and intercomparisons of these products (version 5) show agreement improving to 24% for global trop ical monthly averages. The ground-based radar rainfall product generation i s discussed. Quality-control issues have delayed the routine production of these products until the summer of 2000, but comparisons of TRMM products w ith early versions of the ground validation products as well as with rain g auge network data suggest that uncertainties among the TRMM algorithms are of approximately the same magnitude as differences between TRMM products an d ground-based rainfall estimates. The TRMM field experiment program is dis cussed to describe active areas of measurements and plans to use these data for further algorithm improvements. In addition to the many papers in this special issue, results coming from the analysis of TRMM products to study the diurnal cycle, the climatological description of the vertical profile o f precipitation, storm types, and the distribution of shallow convection, a s well as advances in data assimilation of moisture and model forecast impr ovements using TRMM data, are discussed in a companion TRMM special issue i n the Journal of Climate (1 December 2000, Vol. 13, No. 23).