Chapter 8 - Monitoring precipitation from space: progress, challenges, and opportunities

Abstract

This chapter assesses the current and emerging satellite-based precipitation estimates (SPEs) from space, and their advantages and limitations from hydrometeorological and agricultural perspectives. Precipitation is one of the main climate variables that greatly benefits from satellite observations. Therefore, having knowledge about the characteristics of precipitation events in space, time, duration, and frequency is essential for a better understanding of the water cycle and climate. The current satellite-based precipitation missions offer opportunities to be used in various hydrometeorological and water management applications. While there are immense opportunities, there are major challenges in terms of accuracy and uncertainty, spatial resolution, data length and continuity, and community acceptability. Therefore the methodologies on how to improve these products in terms of accuracy, spatial resolution, and to generate long-term climate data records, are needed before being used as inputs to the hydrometeorological and water management applications. Lastly, we argue and identify the current major gaps of SPE and the opportunities to be used in flood, weather, and drought applications.