GPM Mentorship Resources

Precipitation Science and Applications

Resource page for the GPM Mentorship 2024.

The GPM Mentorship 2024 connects participants worldwide with subject matter experts from NASA and other key organizations for hands-on training on precipitation estimates and Earth Observation. Lectures and capstone projects will cover a wide array of precipitation-related topics. IMERG, DPR, ground validation, data discovery, and more.

Program leads: Vasco Mantas (University of Coimbra) & Andrea Portier (NASA/SSAI).

Lecture Series Resources

Session 1, March 13, 2023 (09.00 am – 11.00 am EST): GPM Fundamentals and IMERG data discovery/access.

Speaker: Dr. George Huffman (NASA/GPM Project Scientist), Dr. Jackson Tan (NASA/UMBC), Andrea Portier (NASA/SSAI), Dr. Zhong Liu, (NASA/GMU) & Dr. Vasco Mantas (University of Coimbra)

More information will be added soon.

Useful documents and websites:

1. NASA GPM website: https://gpm.nasa.gov/

2. IMERG Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document:

Version 06 here.
Version 07 here.

3. Paper: "NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement Mission: Leveraging Stakeholder Engagement & Applications Activities to Inform Decision-making." Access it here (may require access credentials).

4. Paper. "Creating Data Tool Kits That Everyone Can Use". Access it here (open access).

Data access points:

1. Earth Data (NASA): https://earthdata.nasa.gov/

2. GIOVANNI (NASA): https://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov/

3. Precipitation Processing System (PPS): https://pps.gsfc.nasa.gov

Suggested 'homework'

The suggested homework activities will help you cement what you've learned during the first session of the Lecture Series (March 13, 2024).

Submit your results in pdf format only (10 Mb maximum), using this form.

Activities (optional):

Review Dr. Zhong Liu's presentation and perform the suggested tasks.
Explore the data access portals and plot the diferent IMERG runs for a selected time and area of interest.
Consider how IMERG could be integrated with other datasets to enhance research and applications (including decision-making).

Session 2, March 20, 2023 (09.00 am – 11.00 am EST): Analysis of precipitation climatology and extreme events using IMERG.

Speaker: Dr. Andrey Savtchenko (NASA/ADNET), Dr. Mircea Grecu (NASA/MSU), Dr. Chuntao Liu (Texas A&M).

More information will be added soon.

Useful documents and websites:

1. Guide to Climatological Practices (WMO, 2023): click here

2. IMERG Precipitation Climatology: https://gpm.nasa.gov/data/imerg/precipitation-climatology

This is a dynamic list, we will update it soon.

Data access points:

1. Precipitation features database and other resources: https://atmos.tamucc.edu/trmm/data

Suggested 'homework'

The suggested homework activities will help you cement what you've learned during the second session of the Lecture Series (March 20, 2024).

Submit your results in pdf format only (10 Mb maximum), using this form.

Activities (optional):

Retrieve the last ~23 years’ worth of data using IMERG Final Run in your area of interest (early 2000 to June 2023). If possible, compare the IMERG-derived climatology with reference climatologies obtained from local weather stations.
Identify extreme precipitation events using statistical analysis learned during lectures.

Session 3, March 27, 2023 (09.00 am – 11.00 am EST): GPM Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR): fundamentals and applications.

Speaker: Aaron Funk (Texas A&M University), Dr. Courtney Schumacher (Texas A&M University), Dr. Mircea Grecu (NASA/MSU).

Suggested 'homework'

The suggested homework activities will help you cement what you've learned during the third session of the Lecture Series (March 27, 2024).

Submit your results in pdf format only (10 Mb maximum), using this form.

Activities (optional):

Using the extreme precipitation event that you identified for last week’s session assignement, access GPM DPR data and identify rain types detected during the event.

Points of contact for this event:

vasco.mantas /at/ dct.uc.pt or andrea.m.portier /at / nasa.gov

Session 4, April 3, 2023 (09.00 am – 11.30 am EST): Google Earth Engine and IMERG data access + Surface-atmosphere interactions + Ground validation

Speaker: Dr. Vasco Mantas University of Coimbra), Dr. Sarah Ringerud (NASA), Dr. Joseph Turk (NASA/JPL), Dr. Yagmur Derin (University of Wisconsin), and Dr. Pierre Kirstetter. (University of Oklahoma/NOAA)