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Full catalog/TRMM_3H25
TRMM_3H25·v7·dataset

Where rain heats the air over the tropics, monthly

TRMM Precipitation Radar Spectral Latent Heating L3 1 month 0.5 degree x 0.5 degree V7 (TRMM_3H25) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 3
In plain English

What it measures. Monthly maps over the tropics showing the heat released into the air when rain forms, broken down by altitude. It captures where rainfall is warming the atmosphere, on a half-degree grid.

How it's made. Derived from the Precipitation Radar aboard the TRMM satellite, which measured rainfall, then converted into latent-heating profiles.

How & where you'd use it. Helps scientists understand how tropical rainfall drives atmospheric circulation and weather patterns, a key input for climate and weather modeling.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD DYNAMICS › HEAT FLUX

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span1998-01-01 → 2015-04-01
  • Measured byTRMM (PR)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -37, 180, 37
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

3H25, "Monthly Spectral Latent Heating", produces 0.5 degree x 0.5 degree latent heating, Q1-QR, and Q2 profiles from PR rain

Get the data

trmm_3h25_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="TRMM_3H25",
    version="7",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GES_DISC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.