Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) - Monthly, Version 2.2 (Version Superseded)

Version 2.2 of the dataset has been superseded by a newer version. Users should not use version 2.2 except in rare cases (e.g., when reproducing previous studies that used version 2.2). The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) comprises a total of 27 products with the two primary products being the monthly satellite-gauge and associated precipitation error estimates. The Version 2.2 monthly product covers the period January 1979 to the present, with a delay of two to three months for data reception and processing. Version 2.2 supersedes all previous versions of the GPCP monthly product, including Versions 1, 1b, 1c, V2x79, 2 and 2.1. (Previous versions are not available from the NOAA/NCEI archive). All the GPCP products are produced by optimally merging precipitation estimates computed from microwave, infrared, sounder data observed by the international constellation of precipitation-related satellites, and precipitation gauge analyses, taking advantage of the strengths of each data type. Files are provided monthly, and the newest monthly data are appended to a yearly data file as they are available. Monthly products include a satellite-gauge combined precipitation product, a satellite gauge random error error precipitation product, and intermediate files--all of which are available on a 2.5 degree grid. Code and documentation are also available.