Validation of NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement mission with a high-resolution ground radar network

Abstract

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory satellite was launched on February 27, 2014. As an indispensable part of any satellite mission, ground validation has been conducted from the pre-launch era to post-launch era of GPM. This paper presents a GPM validation methodology using the high-resolution radar network over Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Texas, which is the first urban remote sensing testbed deployed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA). The cross-comparison between GPM satellite measurements and ground radar observations will be presented in details. The space rainfall rate product is also evaluated based on the high-performance rainfall products derived from the ground radar network. The quantitative evaluation results show good agreement between space borne and ground radars.