This was the situation with Bonnie whose central pressure dropped from 977 millibars to 957 millibars in the subsequent 24 hours. TRMM is the first mission dedicated to measuring tropical and subtropical rainfall through microwave and visible infrared sensors, including the first spaceborne rain radar. The Precipitation Radar aboard TRMM is the first rain radar ever to be launched into space. It measures precipitation distributions over both land and sea areas. Scientists say that TRMM is exceeding expectations for accuracy and resolution, and the spacecraft is providing unprecedented insights into rainfall-producing cloud svstems over tropical land masses and oceans.
Tropical rainfall comprises more than two thirds of global rainfall.
It is the primary distributor of heat through the circulation of the atmosphere. Understanding rainfall and its variability is crucial to understanding and predicting global climate change. Our current knowledge of rainfall knowledge is limited, especially over the oceans. These new instruments are increasing knowledge of how rainfall releases heat energy to drive the air circulation. Global rainfall is the primary distributor of heat through atmospheric circulation.