Evaluation of Multi-Source Precipitation Products in the Hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

High-resolution precipitation products have been crucial for hydrology, meteorology, and environmental ecosystems over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, these products are usually subject to systematic errors, which may vary with time and topographic conditions. The study evaluated the suitability of four satellite-derived products (GPM IMERG, GSMaP, CMORPH, and PERSIANN-CDR) and four fusion precipitation products (ERA5-Land, CHIRPS, CMFD, and TPHiPr) by comparing with 22 rain gauges at a daily scale from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018 over the hinterland of the TP. The main findings are as follows: (1) TPHiPr and CMFD are better than the satellite-derived products, while the performance of CHIRPS is worse; (2) among the satellite-derived products, the quality of GPM IMERG is the highest on different time scales, and PERSIANN-CDR is better in the months of June to October, while GSMaP and CMORPH have poor performance; (3) the eight precipitation products have weaker detection capability for heavy precipitation events, and the quality of each product decreases with the increase in the precipitation threshold, while the rate of descent of fusion precipitation products is slower than that of satellite-derived products. This study demonstrates the performance of eight precipitation products over the hinterland of the TP, which is expected to provide valuable information for hydrometeorology applications.