Comparison of global precipitation climatology products derived from ground- and satellite-based measurements

Zhong Liu

doi:10.1117/12.2066910

8 November 2014 Comparison of global precipitation climatology products derived from ground- and satellite-based measurements

Zhong Liu

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9259, Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Clouds, and Precipitation V; 92590B (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2066910
Event: SPIE Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing, 2014, Beijing, China

Abstract

Satellite-based products increasingly take an important role in filling data gaps in data sparse regions around the world. In recent years, precipitation products that utilize multi-satellite and multi-sensor datasets have been gaining more popularity than products from a single sensor or satellite. Adjusted with gauge and ground radar data, satellitebased products have been significantly improved. However the history of satellite-based precipitation products is relatively short compared to the length of 30 years in the definition for climatology from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). For example, the NASA/JAXA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) has been in operation for over 16 years since 1997. The length of TRMM is far shorter than those from ground observations, raising a question whether TRMM climatology products are good enough for research and applications. In this study, three climatologies derived from ground observations (Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) and Willmott and Matsuura (WM)) and a blended product (the TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) monthly product or 3B43) are compared on a global scale to assess the performance and weaknesses of the TMPAderived climatology. Results show that the 3B43 climatology matches well with the two gauge-based climatologies in all seasons in terms of spatial distribution, zonal means as well as seasonal variations. However, high variations in rain rates are found in light rain regions such as the Sahara Desert. Large negative biases (3B43<WM<GPCC) are found in some high rain rate regions, which is not well understood. Further investigations are needed.

Citation Download Citation

Zhong Liu "Comparison of global precipitation climatology products derived from ground- and satellite-based measurements", Proc. SPIE 9259, Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Clouds, and Precipitation V, 92590B (8 November 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2066910

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