Measuring Precipitation from Space

Measuring hydrometeors (rain, snow, hail, graupel, etc.) from space is important for environmental studies as ground estimates do not provide the adequate temporal and spatial coverage nor provide information about the precipitation in 3D, an aspect which is critical to understanding the thermodynamics of latent heat release in the atmosphere (Tao et al., 2001). This topic, at its turn, is central to an improved understanding of the Earth System and to global warming research (Tao et al., 2006, 2016). In terms of economic activities, measuring precipitation from space is fundamental for activities such as hydropower planning, operations at dams, and fresh water availability management; not to mention to agriculture, forestry, or natural resources management. Why do we need remote sensing estimates of precipitation if we haveNumericalWeather Prediction (NWP)models that can not only estimate but also forecast the occurrence of hydrometeors? One reason is that below the basic-scale level, models still struggle to provide precise estimates of precipitation for hydrological applications. While the forecasts are improving fast, there are still many situations with a low degree of predictability, and that affects the overall consistency of the estimates for hydrological