Validation of TRMM precipitation radar monthly rainfall estimates over Brazil

In an attempt to validate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) over Brazil, TRMM PR estimates are compared with rain gauge station data from Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL). The analysis is conducted on a seasonal basis and considers five geographic re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 2009-01, Vol.114 (D2), p.n/a
Main Authors: Franchito, Sergio H., Rao, V. Brahmananda, Vasques, Ana C., Santo, Clovis M. E., Conforte, Jorge C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1997-1998 El Niño
1998-1999 La Niña
Brazil
Confidence intervals
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Estimates
Exact sciences and technology
Gages
Geophysics
Precipitation
Radar
Rainfall
rainfall over South America
validation of TRMM PR
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Summary:In an attempt to validate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) over Brazil, TRMM PR estimates are compared with rain gauge station data from Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL). The analysis is conducted on a seasonal basis and considers five geographic regions with different precipitation regimes. The results showed that TRMM PR seasonal rainfall is well correlated with ANEEL rainfall (correlation coefficients are significant at the 99% confidence level) over most of Brazil. The random and systematic errors of TRMM PR are sensitive to seasonal and regional differences. During December to February and March to May, TRMM PR rainfall is reliable over Brazil. In June to August (September to November) TRMM PR estimates are only reliable in the Amazonian and southern (Amazonian and southeastern) regions. In the other regions the relative RMS errors are larger than 50%, indicating that the random errors are high.
ISSN:0148-0227
2169-897X
2156-2202
2169-8996
DOI:10.1029/2007JD009580