A diagnosis of rainfall over South America during 1997/98 El Niño and 1998/99 La Niña events: Comparison between TRMM PR and GPCP rainfall estimates

A comparison between TRMM PR rainfall estimates and rain gauge data from ANEEL and combined gauge/satellite data from GPCP over South America (SA) is made. In general, the annual and seasonal regional characteristics of rainfall over SA are qualitatively well reproduced by TRMM PR and GPCP. It is found that over most of SA GPCP exceeds TRMM PR rainfall. The largest positive differences between GPCP and TRMM PR data occur in the north SA, northwestern and central Amazonia. However, there are regions where GPCP rainfall is lower than TRMM PR, particularly in the Pacific coastal regions and in southern Brazil. We suggest that the cause for the positive differences GPCP minus TRMM PR rainfall are related to the fact that satellite observations based on infrared radiation and outgoing longwave radiance sensors overestimate convective rainfall in GPCP and the cause for the negative differences are due to the random errors in TRMM PR. Rainfall differences in the latter phases of the 1997/98 El Niño and 1998/99 La Niña are analyzed. The results showed that the rainfall anomalies are generally higher in GPCP than in TRMM PR, however, as in the mean annual case, there are regions where the rainfall in GPCP is lower than in TRMM PR. The higher positive (negative) differences between the rainfall anomalies in GPCP and TRMM PR, which occur in the central Amazonia (southern Brazil), are reduced (increased) in the El Niño event. This is due to the fact that during the El Niño episode the rainfall decreases in the central Amazonia and increases in the southern Brazil. Consequently, the overestimation of the convective rainfall by GPCP is reduced and the overestimation of the rainfall by TRMM PR is increased in these two regions, respectively.     

Rain rate measurements over global oceans from IRS-P4 MSMR

In this paper rain estimation capability of MSMR is explored. MSMR brightness temperature data of six channels corresponding to three frequencies of 10, 18 and 21 GHz are colocated with the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) derived rain rates to find a new empirical algorithm for rain rate by multiple regression. Multiple correlation analysis involving various combinations of channels in linear and non-linear forms and rain rate from TMI is carried out, and thus the best possible algorithm for rain rate measurement was identified which involved V and H polarized brightness temperature measurements at 10 and 18 GHz channels. This algorithm explained about 82 per cent correlation (r) with rain rate, and 1.61 mm h^-1 of error of estimation. Further, this algorithm is used for generating global average rain rate map for two contrasting months of August (2000) and January (2001) of northern and southern hemispheric summers, respectively. MSMR derived monthly averaged rain rates are compared with similar estimates from TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), and it was found that MSMR derived rain rates match well, quantitatively and qualitatively, with that from PR.     

Evaluation of TRMM rainfall for soil moisture prediction in a subtropical climate

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint space mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall. In this study, the daily rainfall from TRMM has been utilized to simulate the soil moisture content up to 30 cm vertical soil profile of at an interval depth of 15 cm by using the HYDRUS 1D numerical model for the three plots. The simulated soil moisture content using ground-based rainfall and TRMM-derived rainfall measurements indicate an agreeable goodness of fit between the both. The Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency using ground-based and TRMM-derived rainfall was found in the range of 0.90–0.68 and 0.70–0.40, respectively. The input data sensitivity analysis of precipitation combined with different irrigation treatment indicates a high dependency of soil moisture content with rainfall input. The overall analysis reveals that TRMM rainfall is promising for soil moisture prediction in absence of ground-based measurements of soil moisture.     

Comparison of TRMM-based flood indices for Gaziantep,Turkey

Floods are the most common natural disasters threatening the welfare of humanity. Gaziantep, a city located in a semi-arid region of Turkey, is occasionally flooded, and in May 2014, a flood not only caused property damage, but also resulted in the death of a lady who became trapped in flood waters. The fatality and property damage of flash floods arise from the limited response time for remediation. Despite improvements in numerical weather predictions, forecasting flash floods is not easy. Due to its frequent observations, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) real-time (RT) 3B42RT data are tested for Gaziantep flood predictions in this study. During TRMM era, six floods occurred in Gaziantep. Three-hourly 3B42RT data covering the 2000- to 2014-year period indicated high rain rates during months in which floods were observed. Also daily variation of rainfall was well represented. High-intensity rain (HIR), cumulative distribution functions (CDF) and Gaziantep Flood Index (GAFI) indices are developed for flood characterization. HIR, calculated as 10 mm/h, detected October and December of 2010 floods. CDFs with 99, 98.5, 95 and 91.3% indicated 4 floods occurred in August 2005, June 2007, October 2010 and December 2010, respectively. GAFI was able to detect 4 out of 6 occurrences (August 2005, June 2007, October 2010 and December 2010) as values ranging from 1 to 2.63 are selected for monthly precipitation. In the missed occurrence, 3B42RT did not indicate any rainfall. Although only rain rates are used in flood characterization, the results are promising, and the simplicity of the methodology favors its usage. Also, methodology can easily be implemented to TRMM following missions such as Global Precipitation Measurement Mission.     

卫星降雨数据在高山峡谷地区的代表性与可靠性

以长江上游金沙江流域典型高山峡谷地区为研究对象,用该区域地面观测降雨量数据对TRMM PR 3B42 V6产品进行了3 h、日、月3个时间尺度的有效性评估,旨在为开展区域卫星与地面降水数据融合的流域水文模拟及预报奠定数据基础。分别采用了线性回归方法分析降雨量相关性、经验正交函数-奇异值分解方法(EOF-SVD)分析降雨量主要模态空间分布特征、相对偏差B_ias、错报率R_FA和探测率P_D指标对该卫星产品进行了精度评定。研究结果表明:研究区该卫星产品与地面观测数据在3个时间尺度存在显著的线性时间和空间相关性,但相关程度随时间尺度的减小而减弱;二者在空间分布上总体具有一致性特征,但在高海拔、大坡度区域表现出较为显著的差异;相对偏差指标显示2008-2010年降雨量均值相对偏差在±10%的概率密度百分数为36.08%;随高程的增加,卫星数据R_FA呈逐渐增加趋势变化,P_D呈逐渐减小趋势变化;总体上小雨对误差的贡献最大,大雨峰值误差贡献次之,时段降雨量偏差随时间尺度的增加逐渐减小,而随高程的增加卫星数据的探测精度下降。因此,对于类似的高山峡谷流域,要应用该卫星产品进行日、3 h尺度水文模拟及预报,有必要对流域卫星数据和地面观测数据进行融合,充分发挥两种数据的优势。     

Customization of WRF-ARW model with physical parameterization schemes for the simulation of tropical cyclones over North Indian Ocean

The convection and planetary boundary layer (PBL) processes play significant role in the genesis and intensification of tropical cyclones (TCs). Several convection and PBL parameterization schemes incorporate these processes in the numerical weather prediction models. Therefore, a systematic intercomparison of performance of parameterization schemes is essential to customize a model. In this context, six combinations of physical parameterization schemes (2 PBL Schemes, YSU and MYJ, and 3 convection schemes, KF, BM, and GD) of WRF-ARW model are employed to obtain the optimum combination for the prediction of TCs over North Indian Ocean. Five cyclones are studied for sensitivity experiments and the out-coming combination is tested on real-time prediction of TCs during 2008. The tracks are also compared with those provided by the operational centers like NCEP, ECMWF, UKMO, NCMRWF, and IMD. It is found that the combination of YSU PBL scheme with KF convection scheme (YKF) provides a better prediction of intensity, track, and rainfall consistently. The average RMSE of intensity (13?hPa in CSLP and 11?m?s^?1 in 10-m wind), mean track, and landfall errors is found to be least with YKF combination. The equitable threat score (ETS) of YKF combination is more than 0.2 for the prediction of 24-h accumulated rainfall up to 125?mm. The vertical structural characteristics of cyclone inner core also recommend the YKF combination for Indian seas cyclones. In the real-time prediction of 2008 TCs, the 72-, 48-, and 24-h mean track errors are 172, 129, and 155?km and the mean landfall errors are 125, 73, and 66?km, respectively. Compared with the track of leading operational agencies, the WRF model is competing in 24?h (116?km error) and 72?h (166?km) but superior in 48-h (119?km) track forecast.     

人工集水面临界产流降雨量确定实验研究

通过在中国科学院寒区旱区环境与工程研究所皋兰生态农业试验站1998-1999年的降雨-径流观测实验,利用直线回归模型确定包括自然集水面在内的9种人工集水面的临界产流降雨量值(降雨阀值)。结果表明:在不受前期降雨影响下,自然黄土坡面、清除杂草自然黄土坡面和粘土夯实集水面的临界产流降雨量分别为8.5mm,8.0mm和4.1mm。在受前期降雨影响下,其临界产流降雨量分别为6.0mm,5.0mm和1.9mm。塑料膜、油毡、沥青和混凝土处理集水面的产流过程受降雨量和降雨强度的影响小,平均状态下其临界产流降雨量为0.1～1.5mm。塑料膜、油毡、沥青、塑料+小砾石和塑料+大砾石集水面的临界产流降雨量分别为0.13mm,0.21mm,0.17mm,0.98mm和0.85mm。混凝土集水面在干燥情况下的临界产流降雨量为1.48mm,在不干燥情况下的临界产流降雨量为1.16mm。     

TRMM卫星降雨雷达观测的南海降雨空间结构和季节变化

利用热带降雨计划卫星(TRMM)获得的雷达降雨资料,对南海及其周边区域(简称南海地区)降雨的空间分布和季节特征进行了研究。结果表明：南海地区的降雨在空间上分布很不均匀,同时具有显著的季节变化。除了副高活动、季风潮、冬季冷涌和热带低压活动等天气过程,南海周边广泛分布的山地地形对该地区的降雨分布也产生强烈影响,降雨呈现南部高于北部、东部高于西部的分布特征?与CAMP和台站资料相比,PR观测具有更丰富的空间结构,能够更好地体现降雨随时间和空间变化的特征、反映高大的山地地形对降雨分布的影响。     

中国大陆流域分区TRMM降水质量评价

根据中国境内2 257个气象站点1998-2013年逐日降水资料,结合流域分区,采用探测准确性、相关系数以及相对误差等指标,对热带降水测量（TRMM）降水精度和一致性进行系统评价。结果表明:① TRMM日降水准确性从东南沿海向西北内陆递减;② 气象站点年均降水日数显著大于TRMM年均降水日数;③ 西北片区以外气象站点降水量和TRMM降水量在月尺度和年尺度上均具有较好的相关关系;④ 各流域年均TRMM面降水量均高于气象站点面降水量,且TRMM面降水量相对误差雨季较小,枯季较大;⑤ 各流域TRMM面降水量与气象站点面降水量演变趋势基本一致,南方各流域年降水量均呈减少趋势,北方各流域年降水量均呈增加趋势,全国尺度上年降水量呈微弱的减少趋势。     

TRMM卫星降雨雷达观测的南海降雨空间结构和季节变化

利用热带降雨计划卫星（TRMM）获得的雷达降雨资料，对南海及其周边区域（简称南海地区）降雨的空间分布和季节特征进行了研究。结果表明：南海地区的降雨在空间上分布很不均匀，同时具有显著的季节变化。除了副高活动、季风潮、冬季冷涌和热带低压活动等天气过程，南海周边广泛分布的山地地形对该地区的降雨分布也产生强烈影响，降雨呈现南部高于北部、东部高于西部的分布特征。与CAMP和台站资料相比，PR观测具有更丰富的空间结构，能够更好地体现降雨随时间和空间变化的特征、反映高大的山地地形对降雨分布的影响。     

不同雨量次降雨空间插值对比——以四川省南充市降雨为例

为对比分析大雨、中雨、小雨条件下,不同空间插值方法模拟地市州尺度降雨的差异,基于四川省南充市9个县级辖区三次24h降雨量数据,采用反距离加权(Inverse Distance Weighting,IDW)、张力样条函数(Spline with Tension,ST)、局部多项式(Local Polynomial Interpolation,LPI)、ANUDEM四种插值方法,从插值平均误差(ME)、中误差(RMSE)角度进行了对比分析。结果显示,按ME排序,大雨、中雨时LPISTIDWANUDEM,小雨时IDW、ANUDEM、ST基本相似,LPI最大;三种降雨条件下四种插值方法 ME均小于0.5mm。从RMSE看,大雨、中雨、小雨时ANUDEM插值RMSE为1.79mm、3.07mm和0.05mm,显著小于IDW、LPI和ST;三种插值方法之间差异微小,大雨、中雨、小雨时均接近13mm、8mm和0.5mm。在降雨量等级为大雨和中雨时,ANUDEM插值方法优于其他插值方法,而在降雨量等级为小雨时,四种插值方法差异较小。     

基于TRMM卫星雷达降雨的流域陆面水文过程

利用热带降雨观测计划(TRMM)卫星雷达降雨数据驱动分布式陆面水文模型,研究流域尺度陆面水文过程,评估该数据在水文模拟与预报等研究领域的性能。通过与实测雨量资料比较,验证TRMM卫星雷达降雨数据的质量。分别将TRMM卫星雷达降雨与观测降雨作为耦合模型的气象输入,模拟和研究淮河流域1998~2003年的陆面水文过程时空变化。结果表明,TRMM卫星雷达降雨数据能够很好地描述降雨的时空分布,利用TRMM降雨模拟的结果与利用观测降雨模拟的结果精度相当;模拟流量与实测资料基本吻合。卫星雷达降雨数据在陆面水文过程研究中具有广泛的应用前景。     

卫星资料在暴雨数值模拟中的应用研究

分析研究了2001年5月15日～8月15日3个月GMS卫星资料在湖南资水流域实时数值预报中的应用以及将TRMM(Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission)卫星上的TMI(Microwave Imager)雨水资料适时融入数值模式改变当时模式中雨水分布场,数值模拟还研究了发生在淮河流域的10次暴雨过程。结果表明:资水流域3个月的实时预报效果良好,准确预报出其中出现的3次致洪暴雨和1次特大暴雨;对淮河流域暴雨,由于TMI资料空间分辨率较高,能够很好地反映中小尺度系统的空间结构,加入模式后使得模拟出来的降雨强度,雨量中心时空分布更接近实际情况,10次暴雨过程的TS评分较不使用TMI资料更好。     

Satellite-based rainfall estimation and discharge measurement of Middle Indus River,Pakistan

The impacts of floods and droughts are intensified by climate change, lack of preparedness, and coordination. The average rainfall in study area is ranging from 200 to 400 mm per year. Rain gauge generally provides very accurate measurement of point rain rates and the amounts of rainfall but due to scarcity of the gauge locations provides very general information of the area on regional scale. Recognizing these practical limitations, it is essential to use remote sensing techniques for measuring the quantity of rainfall in the Middle Indus. In this research, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) estimation can be used as a proxy for the magnitude of rainfall estimates from classical methods (rain gauge), quantity, and its spatial distribution for Middle Indus river basin. In order to use TRMM satellite data for discharge measurement, its accuracy is determined by statistically comparing it with in situ gauged data on daily and monthly bases. The daily R ² value (0.42) is significantly lower than monthly R ² value (0.82), probably due to the time of summation of TRMM 3-hourly precipitation data into daily estimates. Daily TRMM data from 2003 to 2012 was used as input forcing in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model along with other input parameters. The calibration and validation results of SWAT model give R ² = 0.72 and 0.73 and Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency = 0.69 and 0.65, respectively. Daily and monthly comparison graphs are generated on the basis of model discharge output and observed data.     

Accessing the capability of TRMM 3B42 V7 to simulate streamflow during extreme rain events: Case study for a Himalayan River Basin

The paper examines the quality of Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 V7 precipitation product to simulate the streamflow using Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model for various rainfall intensities over the Himalayan region. The SWAT model has been set up for Gandak River Basin with 41 sub-basins and 420 HRUs. Five stream gauge locations are used to simulate the streamflow for a time span of 10 years (2000–2010). Daily streamflow for the simulation period is collected from Central Water Commission (CWC), India and Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), Nepal. The simulation results are found good in terms of Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency \((\hbox {NSE}) {>}0.65\), coefficient of determination \((R^{2}) {>}0.67\) and Percentage Bias \(\hbox {(PBIAS)}{<}15\%\), at each stream gauge sites. Thereafter, we have calculated the PBIAS and RMSE-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR) statistics between TRMM simulated and observed streamflow for various rainfall intensity classes, viz., light (\({<}7.5 \, \hbox {mm}/\hbox {d}\)), moderate (7.5 to 35.4 mm/d), heavy (35.5 to 124.4 mm/d) and extremely heavy (\({>}124.4 \, \hbox {mm}/\hbox {d}\)). The PBIAS and RSR show that TRMM simulated streamflow is suitable for moderate to heavy rainfall intensities. However, it does not perform well for light- and extremely-heavy rainfall intensities. The finding of the present work is useful for the problems related to water resources management, irrigation planning and hazard analysis over the Himalayan regions.     

GPM和TRMM卫星日降水数据在黄河源区的适用性分析

通过评估GPM计划三种日降水产品（IMERG-E、 IMERG-L和IMERG-F）和TRMM卫星、 两种日降水产品（TMPA 3B42和TMPA 3B42RT）在黄河源及其周边区域38个台站的适用性, 探究了五种产品探测精度和海拔高度及雨强的相关关系, 结果表明： 在与实测资料的一致性和偏差方面, GPM卫星产品要全面优于TMPA产品。在TRMM卫星产品中, 3B42产品明显优于3B42RT。五种产品的相关系数均表现出明显的从东南到西北递减的趋势, 均方根误差北部普遍低于南部。IMERG产品的探测率（POD）和探测成功率（CSI）都要普遍高于TMPA产品, 而误报率（FAR）则是TMPA 产品更低, 表现更好。五种产品均在个别台站出现了严重误报的情况, 这些台站主要分布在研究区的西北部。IMERG三种产品对于海拔高度的依赖程度具有很强的一致性, 而3B42RT产品对海拔高度几乎没有依赖。除3B42RT产品外, 其余四种产品的偏差均随雨强的增加而增大。在探测率方面, IMERG产品对小雨、 中雨和大雨的探测能力均优于TMPA产品。     

Catchment-wide estimate of single storm interrill soil erosion using an aggregate instability index: a model based on geographic information systems

The main objective of this paper is to estimate interrill erosion after rainfall in the basin of Mourganis river (442?km²; Kalabaka province, Trikala prefecture, Thessaly, Greece). For the estimation of the interrill erosion, the method of Valmis et al. (1988) was used, in combination with Nearing et al. (1989). Input data of the algorithm include the slope angle of the ground surface, the rainfall, the ground cover type, the height of canopy, and the instability of ground of the study area. The spatial data were processed by standard GIS software. Soil samples were collected in the field to calibrate the model. The results comprise soil erosion maps for two specific rainfall scenarios. The first rainfall scenario refers to the most extreme rainfall in this catchment that happened on the 7/21/1959 with 48?mm/h. The second scenario is closer to average as the intensity rainfall is 3.54?mm/h. The total mass of eroded material ranges from 0.048?t/ha (assuming mean rainfall intensity) up to 3.5?t/ha (for the extreme scenario). We note that the western part of the Mourgani basin exhibits higher erosion than the eastern part.     

Relationships among remotely sensed soil moisture,precipitation and landslide events

Landslides are triggered by earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, and heavy continuous rainfall. For most types of slope failure, soil moisture plays a critical role because increased pore water pressure reduces the soil strength and increases stress. However, in-situ soil moisture profiles are rarely measured. To establish the soil moisture and landslide relationship, a qualitative comparison among soil moisture derived from AMSR-E, precipitation from TRMM and major landslide events was conducted. This study shows that it is possible to estimate antecedent soil moisture conditions using AMSR-E and TRMM satellite data in landslide prone areas. AMSR-E data show distinct annual patterns of soil moisture that reflect observed rainfall patterns from TRMM. Results also show enhanced AMSR-E soil moisture and TRMM rainfall prior to major landslide events in landslide prone regions of California, U.S.; Leyte, Philippines; and Dhading, Nepal.     

A simple and efficient approach to predict reservoir settling volume: case study of Bin El Ouidane reservoir (Morocco)

The negligence of the cumulative deposit volume over years may lead to uselessness of a pre-established and efficient reservoir management method. In this objective, this paper tries to introduce a simple approach to forecast annually the volume lost from the reservoir capacity. The suggested approach employs the modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) and the Dendy and Bolton (J Soil Water Conserv 31:264–266, 1976) methods, in addition to the sediment consolidation process. This process permits to follow the evolution of sediment deposit volume throughout the years. For application, we selected the reservoir of Bin El Ouidane (Morocco), for which we have tried to fit a linear regression between sediment yield and observed settling volumes. The optimization process was assured by the algorithm genetic and the OptQuest methods. The results show a high significant (R²?=?0.9513, RMSE?=?8.5428, and p value?=?0.0009) linear regression between cumulative sediment yield volume and accumulated measured lost volume from the reservoir of Bin El Ouidane. The use of a linear relation is justified by the fact that all nonlinear regressions in long term are composed of multiple linear regressions in short term. Nevertheless, this method can become more efficient, and confirmed for real forecasting applications by performing modifications essentially related to in situ measures of different variables. Finally, and considering its simplicity regarding input data and application, the proposed approach converges to efficient results. Therefore, and after validation in other reservoirs, this method can be used to forecast annual reservoir settling at short term.     

Rainfall threshold determination for flash flood warning in mountainous catchments with consideration of antecedent soil moisture and rainfall pattern

Flash flood disaster is a prominent issue threatening public safety and social development throughout the world, especially in mountainous regions. Rainfall threshold is a widely accepted alternative to hydrological forecasting for flash flood warning due to the short response time and limited observations of flash flood events. However, determination of rainfall threshold is still very complicated due to multiple impact factors, particular for antecedent soil moisture and rainfall patterns. In this study, hydrological simulation approach (i.e., China Flash Flood-Hydrological Modeling System: CNFF-HMS) was adopted to capture the flash flood processes. Multiple scenarios were further designed with consideration of antecedent soil moisture and rainfall temporal patterns to determine the possible assemble of rainfall thresholds by driving the CNFF-HMS. Moreover, their effects on rainfall thresholds were investigated. Three mountainous catchments (Zhong, Balisi and Yu villages) in southern China were selected for case study. Results showed that the model performance of CNFF-HMS was very satisfactory for flash flood simulations in all these catchments, especially for multimodal flood events. Specifically, the relative errors of runoff and peak flow were within?±?20%, the error of time to peak flow was within?±?2 h and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency was greater than 0.90 for over 90% of the flash flood events. The rainfall thresholds varied between 93 and 334 mm at Zhong village, between 77 and 246 mm at Balisi village and between 111 and 420 mm at Yu village. Both antecedent soil moistures and rainfall temporal pattern significantly affected the variations of rainfall threshold. Rainfall threshold decreased by 8–38 and 0–42% as soil saturation increased from 0.20 to 0.50 and from 0.20 to 0.80, respectively. The effect of rainfall threshold was the minimum for the decreasing hyetograph (advanced pattern) and the maximum for the increasing hyetograph (delayed pattern), while it was similar for the design hyetograph and triangular hyetograph (intermediate patterns). Moreover, rainfall thresholds with short time spans were more suitable for early flood warning, especially in small rural catchments with humid climatic characteristics. This study was expected to provide insights into flash flood disaster forecasting and early warning in mountainous regions, and scientific references for the implementation of flash flood disaster prevention in China.