Comparison of TAMSAT and CPC rainfall estimates with rainfall for southern Africa

Virginia Thorne; Paul Coakeley; David I. F. Grimes; George Dugdale

doi:10.1117/12.373117

17 December 1999 Comparison of TAMSAT and CPC rainfall estimates with rainfall for southern Africa

Virginia Thorne, Paul Coakeley, David I. F. Grimes, George Dugdale

Proceedings Volume 3868, Remote Sensing for Earth Science, Ocean, and Sea Ice Applications; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.373117
Event: Remote Sensing, 1999, Florence, Italy

Abstract

Two different TAMSAT methods of Rainfall Estimation were developed respectively for northern and southern Africa, based on Meteosat TIR images; northern Africa since 1987 and southern Africa since 1990. These rainfall estimates are used operationally for agricultural purposes and for predicting famines and floods. The two different methods have both been used to make rainfall estimates for the southern rainy season October 1995 to April 1996, and then compared with estimates produced by the CPC method. The latter are made more simply from TIR, but have the addition of GTS rainfall data and orographic rain. All these estimates were then compared with kriged data from over 800 raingauges in southern Africa. The detailed results were then compared for the whole season across the whole SADC region, and then two detailed cross- sections were studied, with different orography. The results show that operational TAMSAT estimates are better over plateau regions, with 59% estimates within 1 Std of the rainfall, but over the whole region the CPC estimates perform best. Over mountainous regions all methods under-estimate and give only 40% within 1Std. The two TAMSAT methods show little difference across a whole season, but when looked at in detail the northern method gives unsatisfactory calibrations. The CPC method does have significant overall improvements by building in real-time raingauge data, but only where sufficient raingauges are available.

Citation Download Citation

Virginia Thorne, Paul Coakeley, David I. F. Grimes, and George Dugdale "Comparison of TAMSAT and CPC rainfall estimates with rainfall for southern Africa", Proc. SPIE 3868, Remote Sensing for Earth Science, Ocean, and Sea Ice Applications, (17 December 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.373117

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