Global rainfall interception loss derived from multi-source satellite earth observations

Abstract

Global rainfall interception loss information is essential to understand the dynamics of the water cycle. And it remains large uncertainty in its global variation, since its ground observation are scattered. The development of satellite earth observation provides good opportunity for global rainfall interception loss estimation to reveal its spatiotemporal variation. In current study, an analytical model, Gash model, was revised and applied for global rainfall interception estimation based mainly on satellite based remote sensing products, e.g. precipitation, leaf area index, canopy height. The ratio of interception loss to precipitation showed good agreement with in situ observations, with correlation factor and RMSE of 0.65 and 6.17%. Large spatial variation of rainfall interception loss were found with high value in tropical rainfall forest region and high latitude forest regions. However, the temporal variation was much less.