Emerging techniques for precipitation assessment and consistency studies

Abstract

Besides traditional sensors used to estimate precipitation amount and distribution, several other Earth-observing sensors can provide valuable insights about precipitation quantity. Here, we show how observation of mass change from GRACE and GRACE-FO satellites can help quantify snowfall accumulation over Antarctica and frozen surfaces in the Northern Hemisphere, two regions that precipitation estimation from typical precipitation measuring sensors are the most uncertain. Similarly, we discuss how snow depth observation from the Operation IceBridge (OIB) can help assess snow accumulation over sea ice, where almost no other reliable in situ data exists. These independent observations can also give us insights into the consistency of variables used in the water budget equation. Furthermore, we discuss how complementary observations from radars can help refine our estimate of precipitation over the ocean and serve as a reference to assess other precipitation products.