SATELLITE RAINFALL ESTIMATES : A LOOK BACK AND A PERSPECTIVE

Quantitative satellite rainfall estimates have always suffered from substantial limitations due to their VIS/IR brightness temperature mapping confined only to cloud top. MW data, though more responsive to cloud microphysics, are confined to polar orbits and suffer from spatial resolution drawbacks. A new chapter has started with the launch of the new generation of geostationary satellites (GOES and future MSG), their new spectral channels and shorter image repetition time, the very successful development of TRMM, and the concept of the proposed Global Precipitation Missions (GPM). It is thus worthwhile re-examining the overall satellite rainfall estimation strategies. A review of the existing scenario is briefly conducted as a baseline for the application of the new methodologies. The new methods have several aspects worth mentioning: 1) the exploitation of the new channels of instruments like SEVIRI at the geostationary orbit and MODIS at polar altitude deserves special attention for the increasing amount of physical information on cloud top microphysics and structural features; 2) the multi-instrument approach is considered as the ultimate strategy for more accurate instantaneous rainfall estimations at all latitudes via the synergy of a wide range of passive and active instruments (SEVIRI, SSM/I, TMI, PR, VIRS, MODIS and others); 3) very promising operational developments are foreseen from rapid-update IR/MW estimation cycles; 4) applications of satellite rainfall products to NWP model assimilation represent a way to significantly contribute to the future of mesoscale and large scale meteorology.

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