/****************************************************************************** README file for the algorithm 3B31, "Rainfall Combined", Version 7.0. L. Woltz 8/25/2011 ******************************************************************************/ 1. Overview of 3B31 Algorithm 3B31, "Rainfall Combined", is to produce monthly surface rainfall totals for 0.5x0.5-degree boxes and monthly means of hydrometeor contents (cloud liquid water, rain water, cloud ice, and precipitating ice) for 0.5x0.5-degree boxes and 28 vertical layers. This algorithm uses instantaneous rain retrievals generated in 2B31 to calibrate retrievals from 2A12. The 2B31-derived vertical hydrometeor profiles and surface rainfall using data from the PR and 10 GHz channels of the TMI and is supposed to provide high quality retrievals for the narrow swath. The 2A12 provides surface rainfall and hydrometeor profiles using TMI data in a wide swath. The ratios of monthly products from 2B31 to those from 2A12 in 0.5x0.5-degree boxes will also be calculated. 2. Process of 3B31 The algorithm 3B31 is executed once per granule. For each execution, output data of 2A12 and 2B31 are read and then gridded into 0.5-degree boxes. All 2A12 pixels and 2B31 pixels that have scanStatus.dataQuality = 0 and scanData.pixelStatus = 0 are accumulated and counted for averaging if the pixel value is greater than or equal to 0. Accumulations of both products are performed and saved in an intermediate data file that is read and updated for each execution. Since the two products are output at different vertical resolutions, averaging the outputs of 2B31 over several radar range gates to match the 28 TMI layers is performed. Also, the rain rate (mm/hr) at each radar gate in 2B31 is converted into rain water content (g/m^3) to match that in 2A12. While reading data of 2A12 and 2B31, the month period flag (begin/middle/end) is checked. For the granule in the beginning (or end) of one month, data from the previous (or next) month are skipped. For the granule in the middle of one month, all data are processed. If the flag indicates the beginning of a month, the 3B31 will perform the initialization. If the flag indicates the end of a month, monthly means are computed for the 0.5x0.5-degree boxes. Monthly surface rainfall totals are derived from multiplying monthly mean by the number of hours of that month. Then the 3B31 products are written into its output file. 3. Inputs of 3B31 The following files are input to 3B31: 2A12 file: name of 2A12 HDF file. 2B31 file: name of 2B31 HDF file. intermediate file: name of 3B31 intermediate binary data file. This file is used (read and update) for each execution. 4. C Struct for 3B31 typedef struct { float surfacePrecipTMI[720][160]; float convectPrecipTMI[720][160]; float rainWaterTMI[28][720][160]; float snowTMI[28][720][160]; float graupelTMI[28][720][160]; int npixTotalTMI[720][160]; float surfacePrecipCOMB[720][160]; float rainWaterCOMB[28][720][160]; float snowCOMB[28][720][160]; float graupelCOMB[28][720][160]; int npixTotalCOMB[720][160]; float surfAdjRatio[720][160]; float surfAdjRatioOverlap[720][160]; } L3B31_GRID;