Climatological characteristics of summer precipitation over East Asia measured by TRMM PR: A review

Precipitation is an important indicator of climate change and a critical process in the hydrological cycle, on both the global and regional scales. Methods of precipitation observation and associated analyses are of strategic importance in global climate change research. As the first space-based radar, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) has been in operation for almost 17 years and has acquired a huge amount of cloud and precipitation data that provide a distinctive view to help expose the nature of cloud and precipitation in the tropics and subtropics. In this paper we review recent advances in summer East Asian precipitation climatology studies based on long-term TRMM PR measurements in the following three aspects: (1) the three-dimensional structure of precipitation, (2) the diurnal variation of precipitation, and (3) the recent precipitation trend. Additionally, some important prospects regarding satellite remote sensing of precipitation and its application in the near future are discussed.