Abstract
AbstractPrecipitation data are useful for the management of water resources as well as flood and drought events. However, precipitation monitoring is sparse and often unreliable in regions with complicated geomorphology. Subsequently, the spatial variability of the precipitation distribution is frequently represented incorrectly. Satellite precipitation data provide an attractive supplement to ground observations. However, satellite data involve errors due to the complexity of the retrieval algorithms and/or the presence of obstacles that affect the infrared observation capability. This work presents a methodology that combines satellite and ground observations leading to improved spatiotemporal mapping and analysis of precipitation. The applied methodology is based on space–time regression kriging. The case study refers to the island of Crete, Greece, for the time period of 2010–2018. Precipitation data from 53 stations are used in combination with satellite images for the reference period. This work introduces an improved spatiotemporal approach for precipitation mapping.
Highlights
Climate change is expected to have severe consequences for humans and ecosystems
Due to the geomorphology of Crete, there is a significant correlation between precipitation and elevation denoting a significant spatial trend. This means that the precipitation model is spatially non-stationary
To account for the space–time non-stationarity, a spatiotemporal trend function, which was based on the satellite precipitation data and elevation, was removed from the ground-based precipitation data
Summary
Climate change is expected to have severe consequences for humans and ecosystems. The impact of climate change will be exacerbated by population growth and economic development. The spatiotemporal modeling and analysis of precipitation and the accurate and reliable estimation of its spatial and temporal variability at ungauged locations can provide useful information The latter can help to identify spatial patterns and areas with significant shortage of water availability and to assist in water resources balance analysis and recharge under different climate change scenarios. Two recent studies have assessed the temporal rainfall variability in Crete for the last 40 years (Varouchakis et al ; Agou et al ) Both studies have concluded that for the entire island, annual rainfall rates have, on average, remained almost stable with no significant decreasing trend. The accurate and detailed estimation of spatiotemporal variability of precipitation on the island of Crete can provide reliable and accurate maps that will be useful for hydrological and climate change studies in the region
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