Microwave monitoring of rainfall: Intercomparisons of data from the Chilbolton radar and the DMSP-SSM/I

Ground-based multi-parameter radar is used to validate and evaluate satellite passive microwave parameters related to rainfall over land. Light precipitation over the southern part of England is considered. The issues of diverse resolutions of radar and satellite data in space and time are investigated, as well as the satellite beam-filling problem, in relation to present passive microwave satellite algorithms related to rainfall over land, and their perceived behaviour. Several statistical analyses are applied and their sensitivities to data integration problems are quantified. Passive microwave parameters are evaluated and compared with each other. It is concluded that for radar passive microwave satellite data intercomparisons, calibrations and validations the time resolution seems to be more important than the spatial resolution, and high-resolution radar can be used operationally to tackle the satellite beam-filling problem. It is found that several passive microwave algorithms have performances very similar to each other. Copyright © 1997 Royal Meteorological Society

[1]  P. Bauer,et al.  Algorithms for the retrieval of rainfall from passive microwave measurements , 1994 .

[2]  M. Kitchen,et al.  Weather Radar Performance at Long RangeSimulated and Observed , 1993 .

[3]  H. Michael Goodman,et al.  Precipitation retrieval over land and ocean with the SSM/I - Identification and characteristics of the scattering signal , 1989 .

[4]  Norman C. Grody,et al.  Effects of surface conditions on rain identification using the DMSP‐SSM/I , 1994 .

[5]  Thomas T. Wilheit,et al.  Some comments on passive microwave measurement of rain , 1986 .

[6]  E. C. Barrett,et al.  Satellite rainfall monitoring: An overview , 1994 .

[7]  A. R. Jameson.  A comparison of microwave techniques for measuring rainfall , 1991 .

[8]  Eric A. Smith,et al.  Foundations for statistical-physical precipitation retrieval from passive microwave satellite measurements. II: Emission-source and generalized weighting-function properties of a time-dependent cloud-radiation model , 1993 .

[9]  G. A. Poe,et al.  Optimum interpolation of imaging microwave radiometer data , 1990 .

[10]  M. Todd,et al.  Estimates of Rainfall over the United Kingdom and Surrounding Seas from the SSM/I Using the Polarization Corrected Temperature Algorithm , 1995 .

[11]  Eric A. Smith,et al.  Foundations for statistical-physical precipitation retrieval from passive microwave satellite measurements. I: Brightness-temperature properties of a time-dependent cloud-radiation model , 1992 .

[12]  Eric A. Smith,et al.  Spatial resolution enhancement of terrestrial features using deconvolved SSM/I microwave brightness temperatures , 1992, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[13]  R. Ferraro,et al.  Classification of Geophysical Parameters Using Passive Microwave Satellite Measurements , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[14]  D. C. Hogg.  Rain, radiometry, and radar , 1989 .

[15]  Eric A. Smith,et al.  The Impact of Spatial Resolution Enhancement of SSM/I Microwave Brightness Temperatures on Rainfall Retrieval Algorithms , 1994 .