Measuring Precipitation from Space: EURAINSAT and the Future (Advances in Global Change Research Book 28)

More than 20 years after the last book on the subject the worldwide precipitation community has produced a comprehensive overview of its activities, achievements, ongoing research and future plans. Measuring Precipitation from Space presents state-of-the-art rainfall estimation algorithms, validation strategies, precipitation modelling, and assimilation in numerical weather prediction models. Clouds and precipitation observations and modelling are addressed for the improvement of the rainfall product quality. Special attention is given to the applications to monitoring and forecasting weather events and to climate monitoring in a frame of growing public interest. No other book can offer to scientists, Ph.D. or equivalent students, professionals in environmental disciplines, and decision makers such a powerful tool to understand the basics of remote sensing for precipitation, to make use of existing products and to have a glimpse of the near future missions and instruments. Other categories of readers will find in the book reference material for their questions on weather and climate applications. The essays are written by the most qualified experts in the field of passive and active remote sensing, cloud and mesoscale modelling, validation and space mission planning. Top academic and research institutions and space agencies have concurred to the first joint effort ever. Contents......Page 6 Contributors......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 24 Preface......Page 26 SECTION 1: CLIMATE MONITORING......Page 28 1. European Commission Research for Global Climate Change Studies: Towards Improved Water Observations and Forecasting Capability......Page 29 2. Is Man Actively Changing the Environment?......Page 33 3. The Global Precipitation Climatology Project......Page 51 4. Oceanic Precipitation Variability and the North Atlantic Oscillation......Page 62 5. Global Satellite Datasets: Data Availability for Scientists and Operational Users......Page 73 SECTION 2: CLOUD STUDIES IN SUPPORT OF SATELLITE RAINFALL MEASUREMENTS......Page 83 6. Cloud Top Microphysics as a Tool for Precipitation Measurements......Page 84 7. The Retrieval of Cloud Top Properties Using VIS-IR Channels......Page 101 8. Cloud Microphysical Properties Retrieval During Intense Biomass Burning Events Over Africa and Portugal......Page 118 9. 3D Effects in Microwave Radiative Transport Inside Precipitating Clouds: Modeling and Applications......Page 133 10. Cloud Microphysical Properties from Remote Sensing of Lightning within the Mediterranean......Page 146 11. The Worth of Long-Range Lightning Observations on Overland Satellite Rainfall Estimation......Page 154 12. Neural Network tools for Satellite Rainfall Estimation......Page 168 SECTION 3: RAINFALL ALGORITHMS......Page 181 13. Passive Microwave Precipitation Measurements at Mid- and High Latitudes......Page 182 14. The Goddard Profiling Algorithm (GPROF): Description and Current Applications......Page 195 15. Past, Present and Future of Microwave Operational Rainfall Algorithms......Page 205 16. Space-Borne Radar Algorithms......Page 215 17. Rain Type Classification Algorithm......Page 229 18. Dual-Wavelength Radar Algorithm......Page 241 19. A Next-generation Microwave Rainfall Retrieval Algorithm for use by TRMM and GPM......Page 251 SECTION 4: BLENDED TECHNIQUES......Page 269 20. The University of Birmingham Global Rainfall Algorithms......Page 270 21. Multivariate Probability Matching for Microwave Infrared Combined Rainfall Algorithm (MICRA)......Page 283 22. Toward Improvements in Short-time Scale Satellite-Derived Precipitation Estimates using Blended Satellite Techniques......Page 294 23. Global Rainfall Analyses at Monthly and 3-h Time Scales......Page 304 24. CPC MORPHING Technique (CMORPH)......Page 319 25. CMAP: The CPC Merged Analysis of Precipitation......Page 330 26. Rainfall Estimation Using a Cloud Patch Classification Map......Page 340 COLOUR SECTION......Page 354 SECTION 5: VALIDATING SATELLITE RAINFALL MEASUREMENTS......Page 370 27. Methods for Verifying Satellite Precipitation Estimates......Page 371 28. Assessment of Satellite Rain Retrieval Error Propagation in the Prediction of Land Surface Hydrologic Variables......Page 383 29. EURAINSAT Algorithm Validation and Intercomparison Exercise......Page 395 30. Ground Validation for the Global Precipitation Climatology Project......Page 407 31. Validation of Rainfall Algorithms at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center......Page 419 32. Ground Networks: Are We Doing the Right Thing?......Page 428 SECTION 6: MODELING PRECIPITATION PROCESSES AND DATA ASSIMILATION FOR NWP......Page 443 33. Aerosol Impact on Precipitation from Convective Clouds......Page 444 34. The Wisconsin Dynamic/Microphysical Model (WISCDYMM) and the use of it to Interpret Satellite-Observed Storm Dynamics......Page 458 35. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Global Rainfall Data Assimilation Experimentation......Page 470 36. Rainfall Assimilation into Limited Area Models......Page 481 37. Implementing an Operational Chain: The Florence LaMMA Laboratory......Page 493 SECTION 7: APPLICATIONS TO MONITORING WEATHER EVENTS......Page 505 38. Satellite Precipitation Algorithms for Extreme Precipitation Events......Page 506 39. Application of a Blended MW-IR Rainfall Algorithm to the Mediterranean......Page 517 40. Retrieving Precipitation with GOES, Meteosat, and Terra/MSG at the Tropics and Mid-latitudes......Page 528 41. Model and Satellite Analysis of the November 9–10, 2001 Algeria Flood......Page 539 42. Modeling Microphysical Signatures of Extreme Events in the Western Mediterranean to Provide a Basis for Diagnosing Precipitation from Space......Page 553 43. Online Visualization and Analysis: A New Avenue to use Satellite Data for Weather, Climate, and Interdisciplinary Research and Applications......Page 566 SECTION 8: THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF SATELLITE PLATFORMS......Page 576 44. The Space-Based Component of the World Weather Watch's Global Observing System (GOS)......Page 577 45. The Meteosat and EPS/Metop Satellite Series......Page 587 46. The Evolution of the NOAA Satellite Platforms......Page 603 47. Japan's Role in the Present and Future Satellite Observation for Global Water Cycle Research......Page 617 48. International Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Program and Mission: An Overview......Page 626 49. Snowfall Measurements by Proposed European GPM Mission......Page 669 50. Observing Rain by Millimetre–Submillimetre Wave Sounding from Geostationary Orbit......Page 689 51. The CGMS/WMO Virtual Laboratory for Education and Training in Satellite Matters......Page 707 52. The International Precipitation Working Group: A Bridge Towards Operational Applications......Page 719 List of Acronyms......Page 727 List of Symbols and Functions......Page 735 More than 20 years after the last book on the subject the worldwide precipitation community has produced a comprehensive overview of its activities, achievements, ongoing research and future plans. Measuring Precipitation from Space presents state-of-the-art rainfall estimation algorithms, validation strategies, precipitation modelling, and assimilation in numerical weather prediction models. Clouds and precipitation observations and modelling are addressed for the improvement of the rainfall product quality. Special attention is given to the applications to monitoring and forecasting weather events and to climate monitoring in a frame of growing public interest. No other book can offer to scientists, Ph. D. or equivalent students, professionals in environmental disciplines, and decision makers such a powerful tool to understand the basics of remote sensing for precipitation, to make use of existing products and to have a glimpse of the near future missions and instruments. Other categories of readers will find in the book reference material for their questions on weather and climate applications. The essays are written by the most qualified experts in the field of passive and active remote sensing, cloud and mesoscale modelling, validation and space mission planning. Top academic and research institutions and space agencies have concurred to the first joint effort ever One of the participants in the International Precipitation Working Group (WCRP)No other book can offer such a powerful tool to understand the basics of remote sensing for precipitation, to make use of existing products and to have a glimpse of the near future missions and instruments. This book features state-of-the-art rainfall estimation algorithms, validation strategies, and precipitation modeling. More than 20 years after the last book on the subject the worldwide precipitation community has produced a comprehensive overview of its activities, achievements, ongoing research and future plans.