Name: AMSR-E/Aqua L2B Global Swath Rain Rate/Type GSFC Profiling Algorithm, Version 2
Creator: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Keywords: PRECIPITATION RATE,RAIN

AMSR-E/Aqua L2B Global Swath Rain Rate/Type GSFC Profiling Algorithm, Version 2

Data set id:

AE_Rain

DOI: 10.5067/AMSR-E/AE_RAIN.002

Data Citation and Acknowledgment
As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set. Such a practice gives credit to data set producers and advances principles of transparency and reproducibility.

Adler, R., Wilheit, Jr., T., Kummerow, C. & Ferraro, R. (2004). AMSR-E/Aqua L2B Global Swath Rain Rate/Type GSFC Profiling Algorithm. (AE_Rain, Version 2). [Data Set]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/AMSR-E/AE_RAIN.002. [describe subset used if applicable]. Date Accessed 11-26-2025.

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There is a more recent version of these data.
Version Summary

Updated the product maturity code to include R, for near-real-time data. There were no changes to the science algorithm in this version.

Overview

This Level-2B swath product (AE_Rain) contains instantaneous measurements of rain rate and rain type (convective vs. stratiform), generated from Level-2A brightness temperatures (AE_L2A).

Parameter(s):

PRECIPITATION RATE

RAIN

Platform(s):

AQUA

Sensor(s):

AMSR-E

Data Format(s):

HDF-EOS2

Temporal Coverage:

18 June 2002 to 3 October 2011

Temporal Resolution:

50 minute

Spatial Resolution:

5.4 km

5.4 km

Spatial Reference System(s):

Not Specified

Spatial Coverage:

N:
70
S:
-70
E:
180
W:
-180

Blue outlined yellow areas on the map below indicate the spatial coverage for this data set.

View Metadata Record

Data Access & Tools

This data set has been retired. There is a more recent version of these data.

Documentation

ATBDs

Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document: EOS/AMSR-E Level-2 Rainfall [Supplement 2012]

EOS/AMSR-E Level-2 Rainfall: Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document [Supplement]

Help Articles

General Questions & FAQs

FAQs About NSIDC DAAC's Earthdata Cloud Migration

This article covers frequently asked questions about the NASA NSIDC DAAC's Earthdata cloud migration project and what it means to data users.

The NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) is migrating its primary data access from its legacy, on-premises archive to the NASA Earthdata Cloud.

A typical AMSR-E swath width consists of approximately 2000 scans, with 243 pixels per scan for the 6.9 GHz to 36.5 GHz channels, and 486 pixels per scan for the 89.0 GHz channel.

How to Articles

Can I use a Fortran Reader for AMSR-E Level-2B rain data?

Fortran readers for AMSR-E Level-2B rain data are available upon request. Please contact NSIDC User Services for more information.

This article shows how to download NSIDC DAAC data from NASA Earthdata Cloud to your computer using three tools: wget and curl—popular command-line utilities for downloading files—and Data Downloader, a Python-based command-line tool developed by the Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archi

Many NSIDC DAAC data sets can be accessed using NSIDC DAAC's Data Access Tool. This tool provides the ability to search and filter data with spatial and temporal constraints using a map-based interface.Users have the option to:

To convert HDF5 files into binary format you will need to use the h5dump utility, which is part of the HDF5 distribution available from the HDF Group. How you install HDF5 depends on your operating system.

NASA Earthdata Cloud Data Access Guide

The NASA Earthdata Cloud is the NASA cloud-based archive of Earth observations. It is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Learn how to find and access NSIDC DAAC data directly in the cloud.

This article highlights the NSIDC DAAC data sets available with customization options and outlines a workflow for searching, ordering, and customizing data in NASA Earthdata Search. This approach is ideal for users who want to download data to their local machine.

NASA Worldview is a map interface that allows users to interactively browse imagery, create visualizations, and download the underlying data.

NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) provides up to date, full resolution imagery for selected NSIDC DAAC data sets.