Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin

In the Upper Blue Nile (UBN) basin, there is very sparse and uneven distribution of ground-based meteorological stations which constrain assessments on rainfall distributions and representation. To assess the diurnal cycle of rainfall across the UBN basin, satellite observations from Tropical Rainfa...

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Main Authors: Fenta, A.A., Rientjes, T.H.M., Haile, Alemseged Tamiru, Reggiani, P.
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/71175
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author Fenta, A.A.
Rientjes, T.H.M.
Haile, Alemseged Tamiru
Reggiani, P.
author_browse Fenta, A.A.
Haile, Alemseged Tamiru
Reggiani, P.
Rientjes, T.H.M.
author_facet Fenta, A.A.
Rientjes, T.H.M.
Haile, Alemseged Tamiru
Reggiani, P.
author_sort Fenta, A.A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In the Upper Blue Nile (UBN) basin, there is very sparse and uneven distribution of ground-based meteorological stations which constrain assessments on rainfall distributions and representation. To assess the diurnal cycle of rainfall across the UBN basin, satellite observations from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) were used in this study. Data of 7 years (2002–2008) of Precipitation Radar (PR) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) were processed, with analyses based on geographic information system (GIS) operations, statistical techniques, and harmonic analysis. Diurnal cycle patterns of rainfall occurrence and rain rate from three in-situ weather stations are well represented by the satellite observations. Harmonic analysis depicts large differences in the mean of the diurnal cycle, amplitude, and time of the amplitude across the study area. Diurnal cycle of rainfall occurrence has a single peak in Lake Tana, Gilgel Abbay, and Jemma subbasins and double peaks in Belles, Dabus, and Muger subbasins. Maximum rain rate occurs in the morning (Gilgel Abbay, Dabus, and Jemma), afternoon (Belles, Beshilo, and Muger), and evening (Lake Tana and along the river gorges). Results of this study indicate that satellite observations provide an alternative source of data to characterize diurnal cycle of rainfall in data-scarce regions. We noticed, however, that there are a number of constraints to the use of satellite observations. For more accurate assessments, satellite products require validation by a network of well-distributed ground stations. Also, we advocate bias correction.
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spelling CGSpace711752025-03-11T09:50:20Z Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin Fenta, A.A. Rientjes, T.H.M. Haile, Alemseged Tamiru Reggiani, P. satellite observation radar satellite satellite imagery meteorological stations river basins rain measurement remote sensing gis precipitation case studies In the Upper Blue Nile (UBN) basin, there is very sparse and uneven distribution of ground-based meteorological stations which constrain assessments on rainfall distributions and representation. To assess the diurnal cycle of rainfall across the UBN basin, satellite observations from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) were used in this study. Data of 7 years (2002–2008) of Precipitation Radar (PR) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) were processed, with analyses based on geographic information system (GIS) operations, statistical techniques, and harmonic analysis. Diurnal cycle patterns of rainfall occurrence and rain rate from three in-situ weather stations are well represented by the satellite observations. Harmonic analysis depicts large differences in the mean of the diurnal cycle, amplitude, and time of the amplitude across the study area. Diurnal cycle of rainfall occurrence has a single peak in Lake Tana, Gilgel Abbay, and Jemma subbasins and double peaks in Belles, Dabus, and Muger subbasins. Maximum rain rate occurs in the morning (Gilgel Abbay, Dabus, and Jemma), afternoon (Belles, Beshilo, and Muger), and evening (Lake Tana and along the river gorges). Results of this study indicate that satellite observations provide an alternative source of data to characterize diurnal cycle of rainfall in data-scarce regions. We noticed, however, that there are a number of constraints to the use of satellite observations. For more accurate assessments, satellite products require validation by a network of well-distributed ground stations. Also, we advocate bias correction. 2014 2016-02-26T05:51:57Z 2016-02-26T05:51:57Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/71175 en Limited Access Fenta, A. A.; Rientjes, T.; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru; Reggiani, P. 2014. Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin. In Melesse, A. M.; Abtew, W.; Setegn, S. G. (Eds.). Nile river basin: ecohydrological challenges, climate change and hydropolitics. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. pp.51-67.
spellingShingle satellite observation
radar satellite
satellite imagery
meteorological stations
river basins
rain
measurement
remote sensing
gis
precipitation
case studies
Fenta, A.A.
Rientjes, T.H.M.
Haile, Alemseged Tamiru
Reggiani, P.
Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin
title Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin
title_full Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin
title_fullStr Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin
title_full_unstemmed Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin
title_short Satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the Blue Nile Basin
title_sort satellite rainfall products and their reliability in the blue nile basin
topic satellite observation
radar satellite
satellite imagery
meteorological stations
river basins
rain
measurement
remote sensing
gis
precipitation
case studies
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/71175
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