Effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events

Remotely sensed precipitation products, due to their large areal coverage and high resolution, have been widely used to provide information on the spatiotemporal structure of rainfall. However, it is well known that these precipitation products also suffer from large uncertainties that originate fro...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mandapaka, Pradeep V., Villarini, Gabriele., Seo, Bong‐Chul., Krajewski, Witold F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/94037
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/8180
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
id sg-ntu-dr.10356-94037
record_format dspace
spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-940372020-09-26T21:25:21Z Effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events Mandapaka, Pradeep V. Villarini, Gabriele. Seo, Bong‐Chul. Krajewski, Witold F. DRNTU::Science::Physics::Meteorology and climatology Remotely sensed precipitation products, due to their large areal coverage and high resolution, have been widely used to provide information on the spatiotemporal structure of rainfall. However, it is well known that these precipitation products also suffer from large uncertainties that originate from various sources. In this study, we selected radar-rainfall (RR) data corresponding to 10 warm season events over a 256 × 256 km2 domain with a data resolution of 4 × 4 km2 in space and 1 h in time. We characterized their spatial structure using correlation function, power spectrum, and moment scaling function. We then employed a recently developed RR error model and rainfall generator to obtain an ensemble of probable rainfall fields that are consistent with the RR estimation error structure. We parameterized the spatial correlation functions with a two-parameter power exponential function, the Fourier spectra with a power law function, and the moment scaling functions with the universal multifractal model. The parameters estimated from the ensemble were compared with those obtained from the RR products to quantify the impact of radar-rainfall estimation errors on the spatial characterization of rainfall events. From the spatial correlation and power spectrum analyses, we observed that RR estimation uncertainties introduce spurious correlations with greater impact for the smaller scales. The RR errors also significantly bias the estimation of the moment scaling functions. Published version 2012-05-29T09:04:46Z 2019-12-06T18:49:40Z 2012-05-29T09:04:46Z 2019-12-06T18:49:40Z 2010 2010 Journal Article Mandapaka, P. V., Villarini, G., Seo, B. C., & Krajewski , W. F. (2010). Effect of Radar-Rainfall Uncertainties on the Spatial Characterization of Rainfall Events. Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 115. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/94037 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/8180 10.1029/2009JD013366 en Journal of geophysical research-atmospheres © 2010 by the American Geophysical Union. This paper was published in Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres and is made available as an electronic reprint (preprint) with permission of American Geophysical Union. The paper can be found at DOI: [http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2009JD013366]. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper is prohibited and is subject to penalties under law. 16 p. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
country Singapore
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic DRNTU::Science::Physics::Meteorology and climatology
spellingShingle DRNTU::Science::Physics::Meteorology and climatology
Mandapaka, Pradeep V.
Villarini, Gabriele.
Seo, Bong‐Chul.
Krajewski, Witold F.
Effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events
description Remotely sensed precipitation products, due to their large areal coverage and high resolution, have been widely used to provide information on the spatiotemporal structure of rainfall. However, it is well known that these precipitation products also suffer from large uncertainties that originate from various sources. In this study, we selected radar-rainfall (RR) data corresponding to 10 warm season events over a 256 × 256 km2 domain with a data resolution of 4 × 4 km2 in space and 1 h in time. We characterized their spatial structure using correlation function, power spectrum, and moment scaling function. We then employed a recently developed RR error model and rainfall generator to obtain an ensemble of probable rainfall fields that are consistent with the RR estimation error structure. We parameterized the spatial correlation functions with a two-parameter power exponential function, the Fourier spectra with a power law function, and the moment scaling functions with the universal multifractal model. The parameters estimated from the ensemble were compared with those obtained from the RR products to quantify the impact of radar-rainfall estimation errors on the spatial characterization of rainfall events. From the spatial correlation and power spectrum analyses, we observed that RR estimation uncertainties introduce spurious correlations with greater impact for the smaller scales. The RR errors also significantly bias the estimation of the moment scaling functions.
format Article
author Mandapaka, Pradeep V.
Villarini, Gabriele.
Seo, Bong‐Chul.
Krajewski, Witold F.
author_facet Mandapaka, Pradeep V.
Villarini, Gabriele.
Seo, Bong‐Chul.
Krajewski, Witold F.
author_sort Mandapaka, Pradeep V.
title Effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events
title_short Effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events
title_full Effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events
title_fullStr Effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events
title_full_unstemmed Effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events
title_sort effect of radar-rainfall uncertainties on the spatial characterization of rainfall events
publishDate 2012
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/94037
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/8180
_version_ 1681056340293713920