Scott Braun: TRMM is the
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. It was launched in November of 1997,
originally designed as a five-year
mission, but we've gone now for fifteen years.
Music. Fifteen years and thousands of
storms later, TRMM has contributed to the advancement of scientific milestones.
TRMM has advanced research in the areas of agriculture,
disease tracking, precipitation physics, and natural hazards.
Scott: We get roughly three hourly rainfall estimates
across much of the globe at fairly high resolution, and these
rainfall estimates are used to monitor major rainfall events, and to
look for events that might lead to significant flooding
and even landslides, and there are a number of groups that have been using it
as sort of an early warning system.
TRMM's unforseen longevity has provided more
robust information on weather and climate patterns that can only be seen
after years of observations. This decade and a half of data
lets scientists see variations in rainfall from year to year, how El Nino
affects rain patterns worldwide, and the anatomy and lifecycle
of major storms, like hurricanes. Scott: It's also proven
to be an extremely useful satellite for understanding hurricanes,
partly because its orbit stays within the tropics, so you get
much more frequent observations. And it's just provided a wealth of
rainfall information over its relatively short time period
that, in many ways, surpasses all of the information we have
prior to that.
From giant storms
to individual droplets: TRMM also provides scientists with
data on the precise physics of falling rain drops. Scott: TRMM has a unique
set of instruments, including the first and only precipitation radar in space
It also has a microwave imager, which is an instrument
that can give you the equivalent of an X-ray of a storm, whereas the radar
is giving you more of a CAT scan of the storm. It provides
extremely valuable information on the structure, rainfall structure,
of storms, which tells us something about how
the storm is responding to its environment, whether or not it might intensify
or weaken in the upcoming hours.
Building on TRMM's success will be the Global Precipitation Measurement, or GPM,
mission. Its two instruments are more advanced and more sensitive versions
of TRMM's microwave imager and precipitation radar.
GPM's orbit will also extend coverage beyond the tropics, and provide
measurements of light to heavy rain and snow, expanding TRMM's legacy
into the future.
[ beeping sound, thunder ]