Validation and Intercomparison of SSM/I Rain-Rate Retrieval Methods over the Continental United States

Abstract An important source of error or ambiguity in the satellite passive microwave detection and estimation of precipitation rate over land is variable background emission, reflecting differences in surface temperature and moisture, soil type, and vegetation cover. Three experimental algorithms for the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) are described that attempt to improve the precipitation signal-to-noise ratio by selectively responding to transient brightness temperature perturbations relative to maps of seven-channel monthly mean radiances. These algorithms are validated and intercompared along with two quasi-standard SSM/I algorithms developed by Grody and Ferraro and by Adler and Huffman. For ground truth, nine months of 10-cm radar data taken at six sites and of hourly rain gauge reports from approximately 2700 locations in the United States were used. The radar data were carefully quality controlled and calibrated against coincident gauge reports. The required calibration adjustment of the...

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