NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Ground Validation of TRMM 3B43 V7 Precipitation Estimates Over Colombia. Part I: Monthly and Seasonal TimescalesIn this study, we validate precipitation estimates remotely sensed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) at monthly and seasonal timescales, during the period 1998–2015, by calculating and analyzing diverse error metrics between the 3B43 V7 product and in situ measurements from 1,180 rain gauges over Colombia, of which at least 987 are fully independent of TRMM. We explore the existence of spatiotemporal patterns to assess the performance of 3B43 V7 over the five major natural regions of Colombia: Caribbean, Pacific, Andes, Orinoco and Amazon. The results show that 3B43 V7 product is able to capture the phase of the annual cycle of monthly mean precipitation, but the performance is not good for the amplitude, in particular over the Andes and Pacific regions owing to complex climatic and topographic conditions. In general, 3B43 V7 exhibits good performance in the low‐lying and plain Amazon, Orinoco and Caribbean regions. Over the Andes region, characterized by complex topography, overestimation errors are identified [root mean squared error (RMSE) ≥83.59 mm·month−1 and relative bias (BIAS) ≥4.69%], whereas the extremely wet rainfall regime of the Pacific region is largely underestimated (RMSE ≥253.52 mm ·month−1 and BIAS ≤−11.75%). These errors are greater during the wet seasons when the metrics reach worse scores than those reported in similar studies worldwide. Occurrence analyses showed that 3B43 V7 misses very frequent light rainfall events and less frequent but very heavy storms, which contribute to the overall underestimation (overestimation) observed over the Pacific (Andes) region. The error characteristics identified and quantified in this study confirm the well‐documented limitations of remote precipitation sensing and constitute a warning about major challenges that complex climatic and physiographic features can impose on satellite rainfall missions.
Document ID
20210013295
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Sara M. Vallejo-Bernal ORCID
(Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Medellín, Colombia)
Viviana Urrea ORCID
(Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Medellín, Colombia)
Juan M. Bedoya-Soto ORCID
(Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Medellín, Colombia)
Daniela Posada ORCID
(Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Medellín, Colombia)
Alejandro Olarte
(Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Medellín, Colombia)
Yadira Cárdenas-Posso
( Institutode Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales Bogotá, Colombia)
Franklyn Ruiz-Murcia
( Institutode Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales Bogotá, Colombia)
María T. Martínez
( Institutode Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales Bogotá, Colombia)
Walter A Petersen ORCID
(Marshall Space Flight Center Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, United States)
George J. Huffman ORCID
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, United States)
Germán Poveda ORCID
(Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Medellín, Colombia)
Date Acquired
April 7, 2021
Publication Date
July 29, 2020
Publication Information
Publication: International Journal of Climatology
Publisher: Wiley
Volume: 41
Issue: 1
Issue Publication Date: July 29, 2020
ISSN: 0899-8418
e-ISSN: 1097-0088
URL: https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/joc.6640
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 573945
CONTRACT_GRANT: HERMES 35973
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Portions of document may include copyright protected material.
Technical Review
External Peer Committee
Keywords
Columbia
Error metrics
Ground validation
Monthly timescale
Precipitation
Seasonal timescale
TRMM
Document Inquiry

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available