NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Satellite Observation of Extremes in PrecipitationThe 22 year, monthly, globally complete precipitation analysis of the World Climate Research Program's (WCRP/GEWEX) Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), the four year (1997-present) daily GPCP analysis and 3-hr semi-global analyses using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data are used to study global and regional variations and trends during the 22 years and the shorter-time scale events that constitute those variations. The GPCP monthly data set shows no significant trend in global precipitation over the twenty years, unlike the positive trend in global surface temperatures over the past century. In terms of regional trends 1979 to 2000 the tropics have a distribution of regional rainfall trends that has an ENSO-like pattern with features of both the El Nino and La Nina. This feature is related to a possible trend in the frequency of ENSO events (either El Nino or La Nina) over the past 20 years. Monthly anomalies of precipitation are related to ENSO variations with clear signals extending into middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres. The El Nino and La Nina mean anomalies are near mirror images of each other and when combined produce an ENSO signal with significant spatial continuity over large distances. A number of the features are shown to extend into high latitudes. Positive anomalies extend in the Southern Hemisphere (S.H.) from the Pacific southeastward across Chile and Argentina into the south Atlantic Ocean. In the Northern Hemisphere (N.H.) the counterpart feature extends across the southern U.S. and Atlantic Ocean into Europe. In the Southern Hemisphere an anomaly feature is shown to spiral into the Antarctica land mass. The extremes of ENSO-related anomalies are also examined and indicate that globally, during both El Nino and La Nina, more extremes of precipitation ( both wet and dry) occur than during the "neutral" regime, with the El Nino regime showing larger magnitudes. The distribution is different for the globe as a whole and when the area is restricted to just land. The data sets are also explored to monitor extremes in precipitation related to localized and regional flooding and the occurrence of droughts.
Document ID
20020061795
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Adler, Robert F.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Huffman, George
(Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Greenbelt, MD United States)
Curtis, Scott
(Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Greenbelt, MD United States)
Bolvin, David
(Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Greenbelt, MD United States)
Nelkin, Eric
(Maryland Univ. Greenbelt, MD United States)
Einaudi, Franco
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: AAAS Annual Meeting
Location: Boston, MA
Country: United States
Start Date: February 14, 2002
End Date: February 15, 2002
Sponsors: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

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