Toward the new generation of products

Date

2021

Authors

Huffman, George
Kirstetter, Pierre-Emmanuel

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

World Climate Research Programme

Abstract

Modern precipitation products provide fine resolution precipitation estimates by combining estimates from many individual high-quality satellite sensors and by using approximations to fill numerous gaps in the mosaics of short-interval segments from the various sensors. Challenges include (1) the need for consistent estimates within the mosaics and across generations of sensors with differing capabilities, and (2) increasing the information content to better resolve uncertainty and extremes at full resolution, spanning from retrievals to merged estimates. These challenges are accentuated by the diversity of current and new sources of satellite and surface observations. The future directions of global observationally-based precipitation products involve improvements in the individual retrievals, improvements and operationalization of additional sensor estimates, and innovations in assembling the merged products, including the intercalibration and homogenization of the data record. Seamless integration of ground networks, numerical models, new observations, and improved conditioning with precipitation processes are keys for future precipitation products.

Description

DOI: 10.13021/gewex.precip.3.1

Keywords

Precipitation products, Future precipitation products, Global precipitation, Probabilistic QPE, Uncertainty estimation

Citation

Huffman, G., and P.-E. Kirstetter, 2021: Toward the new generation of products, in The Joint IPWG/GEWEX Precipitation Assessment (ed. R. Roca), WCRP Report 2/2021, World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), Geneva, Switzerland.