GPCC/Level-2 MRMS & Level-2 GPM Products
Comparisons of precipitation from GPCC, Level-2 MRMS, and Level-2 GPM Products
GPCC
The Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) is operated by
Germany's National Meteorological Service, the Deutscher
Wetterdienst(DWD) under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO). GPCC provides global precipitation analyses for monitoring and
research of the earth's climate.
For more information about GPCC, visit https://www.dwd.de/EN/ourservices/gpcc/gpcc.html
This study utilizes the GPCC Full Data Daily Version 2018, Daily
Land-Surface Precipitation from Rain-Gauges built on GTS-based and
Historic Data at 1-deg resolution.
As of this analysis, this product is available from 1988 to 2016.
Level-2 GPM surface precipitation
Following three GPM surface precipitation products are compared with
MRMS and GPCC.
- GMI
GMI surface precipitation products are generated on a pixel by pixel basis from radiometer brightness temperature
data using the Goddard Profiling algorithm GPROF2014.
- DPR
The DPR Level-2A product, 2ADPR, "DPR precipitation", is in a 3-swath structure.
The swaths are normal scans (NS), matched scans (MS), and high sensitivity scans (HS).
- CMB
The Combined Level-2 product, 2BCMB, "Level-2 DPR and GMI Combined", is in a two-swath structure.
The first swath, NS, contains 49 rays that match Ku DPR. The second swath, MS, contains 25 rays that match Ka DPR.
- KU
The Ku Level-2A product, 2AKu, "Ku precipitation", is written as a 1-swath structure (NS).
V05A GMI and V06A DPR, KU, CMB products are used. These are the latest
versions as of this study.
Comparisons with MRMS and GPM Products
The comparisons are conducted over the CONUS (25N-50N, 125W-65W) using
the GPCC, level-2 MRMS and level-2 GPM products during the commonly
available periods from Mar 2014 to Dec 2016 except for some missing
periods.
The MRMS instantaneous precipitation rates are matched with GMI, DPR,
CMB, KU products at the footprint resolution on each overpass, and
then the matched footprint data are averaged to 1-deg grids with following QCs/filters:
- QC2
- Precipitation >=0.0 mm/h
- Set all values < 0.01 mm/h to 0
- QC3
- Precipitation >=0.0 mm/h
- Set all values < 0.01 mm/h to 0
- RQI>=0.9
- Liquid precipitation only
The daily or monthly precipitation rates are estimated from all
available matched 1-deg data.
- Scatter plot for daily and monthly (1o) precipitation
- PDF plot for daily and monthly (1o) precipitation
- Density plot for daily and monthly (1o) precipitation
- Yearly (multi-year) overpass number, rainy overpass number and mean
precipitation over 1o grid
Lastest versions of GPM products are used (GMI V05A; DPR,
CMB, KU V06A).
Plot area: 25N-50N, 125W-66W
- Yearly (multi-year) Level-2 MRMS mean precipitation over 1o grid
- Yearly (multi-year) GPCC mean precipitation over 1o grid
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