Latent Heating Retrieved from TRMM and GPM Satellite Measurements

Latent heat release itself is a consequence of phase changes between the vapor, liquid, and frozen states of water.  This paper will highlight the retrieval of latent heat release from satellite measurements generated by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) satellite observatory.  Both TRMM and GPM are providing four-dimensional account of rainfall and its associated precipitation properties over the global Tropics and mid-latitudes: information that can be used to estimate the space-time structure of latent heating.

 

Goddard Convective-Stratiform or CSH retrieved LH is one of two standard LH products (the other one is from Japan Spectral Latent Heating or SLH). This paper will present (1) the new improvements of the CSH LH algorithm by better CRM simulated LH for its look-up table, and (2) the performance of CSH retrieved LH by comparison with surface rainfall rate.  In addition, the similarities and differences of CSH retrieved LH obtained from TRMM and GPM measurements, respectively, will be presented.  At the end of presentation, the further research on latent heating retrieval from satellites will be discussed.