Global Evaluation of Gridded Satellite Precipitation Products from the NOAA Climate Data Record Program

Three satellite gridded daily precipitation datasets-PERSIANN-CDR, GPCP, and CMORPH-that are part of the NOAA/Climate Data Record (CDR) program are evaluated in this work. The three satellite precipitation products (SPPs) are analyzed over their entire period of record, ranging from over 20 years to over 35 years. The products intercomparisons are performed at various temporal (daily to annual) resolutions and for different spatial domains in order to provide a detailed assessment of each SPP strengths and weaknesses. This evaluation includes comparison with in situ datasets from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN-Daily) and the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN). While the three SPPs exhibited comparable annual average precipitation, significant differences were found with respect to the occurrence and the distribution of daily rainfall events, particularly in the low and high rainfall rate ranges. Using USCRN stations over CONUS, results indicated that CMORPH performed consistently better than GPCP and PERSIANN-CDR for the usualmetrics used for SPP evaluation (bias, correlation, accuracy, probability of detection, and false alarm ratio, among others). All SPPs were found to underestimate extreme rainfall (i.e., above the 90th percentile) from about 220% for CMORPH to 250% for PERSIANN-CDR. Those differences in performance indicate that the use of each SPP has to be considered with respect to the application envisioned, from the long-term qualitative analysis of hydroclimatological properties to the quantification of daily extreme events, for example. In that regard, the three satellite precipitation CDRs constitute a unique portfolio that can be used for various long-term climatological and hydrological applications.