Major advances are occurring in the modeling of rainfall and rain-related cloud processes. The response of cloud systems to their environment is an important link in a chain of climate variations. Scientists are developing cloud models to convert TRMM's signals into rainfall rates. The atmosphere, oceans and biosphere of our planet are closely coupled components of the global environment, which is often called the Earth system. The unifying element of these large environmental systems is water.
Water is essential to our continued existence.
Because of the unifying role of the global water cycle, studies of rainfall are essential for a deeper understanding of the Earth as a system. Research in the Earth's system components can reveal the interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere, coupled with the many different life forms that make up the Earth's biosphere. Incorporating these interactions in Earth system models will test our understanding of the basic mechanisms, such as rainfall, and will improve simulations of future global trends. Because we do not have adequate rain measurements, existing climate models do not accurately predict the amounts of heat being released. TRMM data will help climate modelers in remedying one of their most serious deficiencies by providing more accurate rain and heat information.