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CHOMPS: CICS High-Resolution Optimally Interpolated Microwave Precipitation from Satellites

CHOMPS utilizes all available passive microwave satellite estimates to develop improved global daily rainfall time series. No IR values are used. Satellite sources include SSM/I, AMSU, AMSR-E and TRMM. The most recent/accurate and consistent retrieval schemes have been used in the creation of the individual precipitation estimates. The original data are binned and optimal interpolation is used to merge the data and reduce errors. There are two data sets versions. One includes all passive satellite sources (CHOMPS) and one that does not include data from the AMSU sensor (CHOMPS-NoA). This was done to account for possible discontinuities when the AMSU instrument was added.

Key Strengths:

  • Uses all available passive microwave satellite estimates and most recent/accurate and consistent retrieval schemes
  • Data from multiple satellites binned to reduce diurnal sampling biases and optimal interpolation used to reduce random errors. Error estimates provided.
  • High temporal and spatial resolution

Years of Record

1998/01 to 2007/12
temporal metadataID:

Formats

Timestep

Daily

Data Time Period Extended?

no, data set not being extended

Domain

Global

Spatial Resolution

0.25x0.25

Ocean or Land

Ocean&Land

Missing Data Flag

missing data present

Vertical Levels

Surface Data Set

Input Data

multiple satellite microwave sensors

Earth system components and main variables

Atmosphere, Precipitation

Data Access: Please Cite data sources, following the data providers' instructions.

  1. CHOMPS

Key Figures

Click the thumbnails to view larger sizes

Thumbnails

Captions
Table showing source of data use. [SOURCE: http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~rjoseph/CHOMPS/TableSourceData.htm]
CHOMPS precipitation estimates for January 1, 2000. [Climate Data Guide; D. Shea]

Cite this page

National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff (Eds). Last modified 01 Oct 2013. "The Climate Data Guide: CHOMPS: CICS High-Resolution Optimally Interpolated Microwave Precipitation from Satellites." Retrieved from https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/chomps-cics-high-resolution-optimally-interpolated-microwave-precipitation-satellites.

Acknowledgement of any material taken from this page is appreciated. On behalf of experts who have contributed data, advice, and/or figures, please cite their work as well.