Evolving Multisensor Precipitation Estimation Methods: Their Impacts on Flow Prediction Using a Distributed Hydrologic Model

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1414-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kitzmiller ◽  
Suzanne Van Cooten ◽  
Feng Ding ◽  
Kenneth Howard ◽  
Carrie Langston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Freezing Level ◽  
Distributed Hydrologic Model ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Precipitation Estimates

Abstract This study investigates evolving methodologies for radar and merged gauge–radar quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) to determine their influence on the flow predictions of a distributed hydrologic model. These methods include the National Mosaic and QPE algorithm package (NMQ), under development at the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), and the Multisensor Precipitation Estimator (MPE) and High-Resolution Precipitation Estimator (HPE) suites currently operational at National Weather Service (NWS) field offices. The goal of the study is to determine which combination of algorithm features offers the greatest benefit toward operational hydrologic forecasting. These features include automated radar quality control, automated Z–R selection, brightband identification, bias correction, multiple radar data compositing, and gauge–radar merging, which all differ between NMQ and MPE–HPE. To examine the spatial and temporal characteristics of the precipitation fields produced by each of the QPE methodologies, high-resolution (4 km and hourly) gridded precipitation estimates were derived by each algorithm suite for three major precipitation events between 2003 and 2006 over subcatchments within the Tar–Pamlico River basin of North Carolina. The results indicate that the NMQ radar-only algorithm suite consistently yielded closer agreement with reference rain gauge reports than the corresponding HPE radar-only estimates did. Similarly, the NMQ radar-only QPE input generally yielded hydrologic simulations that were closer to observations at multiple stream gauging points. These findings indicate that the combination of Z–R selection and freezing-level identification algorithms within NMQ, but not incorporated within MPE and HPE, would have an appreciable positive impact on hydrologic simulations. There were relatively small differences between NMQ and HPE gauge–radar estimates in terms of accuracy and impacts on hydrologic simulations, most likely due to the large influence of the input rain gauge information.

scholarly journals Precipitation Estimation Methods in Continuous, Distributed Urban Hydrologic Modeling

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1340
Author(s):  
Woodson ◽  
Adams ◽  
Dymond
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Modeling ◽  
Mean Squared Error ◽  
Uniform Estimate ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Urban Watersheds ◽  
Precipitation Estimation

Quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) remains a key area of uncertainty in hydrological modeling and prediction, particularly in small, urban watersheds, which respond rapidly to precipitation and can experience significant spatial variability in rainfall fields. Few studies have compared QPE methods in small, urban watersheds, and studies that have examined this topic only compared model results on an event basis using a small number of storms. This study sought to compare the efficacy of multiple QPE methods when simulating discharge in a small, urban watershed on a continuous basis using an operational hydrologic model and QPE forcings. The research distributed hydrologic model (RDHM) was used to model a basin in Roanoke, Virginia, USA, forced with QPEs from four methods: mean field bias (MFB) correction of radar data, kriging of rain gauge data, uncorrected radar data, and a basin-uniform estimate from a single gauge inside the watershed. Based on comparisons between simulated and observed discharge at the basin outlet for a six-month period in 2018, simulations forced with the uncorrected radar QPE had the highest accuracy, as measured by root mean squared error (RMSE) and peak flow relative error, despite systematic underprediction of the mean areal precipitation (MAP). Simulations forced with MFB-corrected radar data consistently and significantly overpredicted discharge, but had the highest accuracy in predicting the timing of peak flows.

scholarly journals Intercomparison of Rain Gauge, Radar, and Satellite-Based Precipitation Estimates with Emphasis on Hydrologic Forecasting

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koray K. Yilmaz ◽  
Terri S. Hogue ◽  
Kuo-lin Hsu ◽  
Soroosh Sorooshian ◽  
Hoshin V. Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Model Performance ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Soil Moisture Accounting ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Precipitation Estimates ◽  
System Maps ◽  
Accounting Model ◽  
Rain Gauge Network

Abstract This study compares mean areal precipitation (MAP) estimates derived from three sources: an operational rain gauge network (MAPG), a radar/gauge multisensor product (MAPX), and the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN) satellite-based system (MAPS) for the time period from March 2000 to November 2003. The study area includes seven operational basins of varying size and location in the southeastern United States. The analysis indicates that agreements between the datasets vary considerably from basin to basin and also temporally within the basins. The analysis also includes evaluation of MAPS in comparison with MAPG for use in flow forecasting with a lumped hydrologic model [Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting Model (SAC-SMA)]. The latter evaluation investigates two different parameter sets, the first obtained using manual calibration on historical MAPG, and the second obtained using automatic calibration on both MAPS and MAPG, but over a shorter time period (23 months). Results indicate that the overall performance of the model simulations using MAPS depends on both the bias in the precipitation estimates and the size of the basins, with poorer performance in basins of smaller size (large bias between MAPG and MAPS) and better performance in larger basins (less bias between MAPG and MAPS). When using MAPS, calibration of the parameters significantly improved the model performance.

scholarly journals The New French Operational Radar Rainfall Product. Part II: Validation

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Tabary ◽  
J. Desplats ◽  
K. Do Khac ◽  
F. Eideliman ◽  
C. Gueguen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radar Data ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Radiosonde Data ◽  
Radar Rainfall ◽  
Freezing Level ◽  
Ground Clutter ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Quality Indexes ◽  
Precipitation Events

Abstract A new operational radar-based rainfall product has been developed at Météo-France and is currently being deployed within the French operational network. The new quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) product is based entirely on radar data and includes a series of modules aimed at correcting for ground clutter, partial beam blocking, and vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) effects, as well as the nonsimultaneity of radar measurements. The surface rainfall estimation is computed as a weighted mean of the corrected tilts. In addition to the final QPE, a map of quality indexes is systematically generated. This paper is devoted to the validation of the new radar QPE. The VPR identification module has been specifically validated by analyzing 489 precipitation events observed over 1 yr by a representative eight-radar subset of the network. The conceptual model of VPR used in the QPE processing chain is shown to be relevant. A climatology of the three shape parameters of the conceptual VPR (brightband peak, brightband thickness, and upper-level decreasing rate) is established and the radar-derived freezing-level heights are shown to be in good agreement with radiosonde data. A total of 27 precipitation events observed by three S-band radars of the network during the winter of 2005 and the autumns of 2002 and 2003 are used to compare the new radar QPE to the old one. Results are stratified according to the distance to the radar and according to the height of the freezing level. The Nash criterion is increased from 0.23 to 0.62 at close range (below 50 km) and from 0.35 to 0.42 at long range (between 100 and 150 km). The relevance of the proposed quality indexes is assessed by examining their statistical relationship with long-term radar–rain gauge statistics. Mosaics of QPE and quality indexes are also illustrated.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the use of radar-derived precipitation in water balance simulations: A case study in small-medium catchments in Saxony, Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh Thi Luong ◽  
Ivan Vorobevskii ◽  
Judith Pöschmann ◽  
Rico Kronenberg
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Water Balance Components ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Radar Imagery

<p>Water balance estimation/modeling is highly dependent on good-quality precipitation data and often lacks enough spatial information about it. Quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) using radar data is recognized to have a good potential to significantly enhance the spatial depiction of precipitation compared to conventional rain gauge-based methods. However, precipitation measurements are often underestimated by wind drift or funnel evaporation, so that a correction such as Richter’s method is required before the data can be applied in the model. In this study, the Richter correction is applied for the first time to a radar-based QPE, namely RADKLIM-RW, to model water balance in ten selected catchments in Saxony, Germany. The modelled water balance components for the period 2001-2017 were evaluated by means of comparison of radar- and gauge-based precipitation inputs. The results showed that RADKLIM-RW was able to produce reliable simulations of discharge and water balance (KGE = 0.56 and 0.71 on the daily and monthly scales respectively). Application of the Richter correction improved the model performance by 5.5% and 8.9 % (for rain gauge-based and RADKLIM precipitation respectively). The study concluded that radar data as precipitation input to (pseudo)distributed hydrologic model shows immense potential to improve water balance simulations.</p><p><strong>Hightlights</strong>:</p><ul><li>Comparison of precipitation derived from sensor networks and radar imagery for small catchments</li> <li>Evaluation of potential application of radar precipitation in water balance simulation at regional scale</li> <li>Effect of wind correction (“Richter” correction) on radar precipitation products</li> <li>Evaluating corrected precipitation on water balance processes</li> </ul><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: HRU, radar climatology, RADKLIM RW (RADOLAN), Richter correction, Open sensor network, water balance simulation, BROOK90</p>

Effects of Retrospective Gauge-Based Readjustment of Multisensor Precipitation Estimates on Hydrologic Simulations

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Seann Reed ◽  
David Kitzmiller
Keyword(s):  
Time Scale ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Distributed Hydrologic Model ◽  
Middle Atlantic ◽  
Precipitation Estimates ◽  
Daily Scale ◽  
Quantitative Precipitation Estimates

Abstract This paper presents methodologies for mitigating temporally inconsistent biases in National Weather Service (NWS) real-time multisensor quantitative precipitation estimates (MQPEs) through rain gauge–based readjustments, and examines their effects on streamflow simulations. In this study, archived MQPEs over 1997–2006 for the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center (MARFC) area of responsibility were readjusted at monthly and daily scales using two gridded gauge products. The original and readjusted MQPEs were applied as forcing to the NWS Distributed Hydrologic Model for 12 catchments in the domain of MARFC. The resultant hourly streamflow simulations were compared for two subperiods divided along November 2003, when a software error that gave rise to a low bias in MQPEs was fixed. It was found that readjustment at either time scale improved the consistency in the bias in streamflow simulations. For the earlier period, independent monthly and daily readjustments considerably improved the streamflow simulations for most basins as judged by bias and correlation. By contrast, for the later period the effects were mixed across basins. It was also found that 1) readjustments tended to be more effective in the cool rather than warm season, 2) refining the readjustment resolution to daily had mixed effects on streamflow simulations, and 3) at the daily scale, redistributing gauge rainfall is beneficial for periods with substantial missing MQPEs.

The recommended location of rain gauge stations based on radar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taeyong Kwon ◽  
Sanghoo Yoon
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Conditional Entropy ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Entropy Theory ◽  
High Entropy ◽  
Quantitative Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Precipitation Estimates

<p>The characteristics of the watershed are important to reduce hydrologic disasters, such as the risk of dam flooding. In other words, quantitative precipitation estimation(QPE) is important to manage water resources in large regions. Both radar and rain gauged data are used to improve QPE. This study is dealt with suggesting the best location of additional rain gauged stations to be installed in order to improve QPE as entropy theory. Conditional entropy is used to quantitatively evaluate the location of additional gauged stations to be installed given the existing rainfall network. Because radar produces high-resolution precipitation estimates, it can be used to identify the high entropy points to reduce rainfall uncertainty. The data were collected from May 2018 to August 2019 in the Bukhan river dam basin. Road networks were also considered for the establishment for a practical approach.</p><p> </p><p>This work was supported by KOREA HYDRO & NUCLEAR POWER CO., LTD</p><p>(No. 2018-Tech-20)</p>

scholarly journals Improving Multisensor Precipitation Estimation via Adaptive Conditional Bias–Penalized Merging of Rain Gauge Data and Remotely Sensed Quantitative Precipitation Estimates

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 2347-2365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Jozaghi ◽  
Mohammad Nabatian ◽  
Seongjin Noh ◽  
Dong-Jun Seo ◽  
Lin Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Cost ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Rain Gauge Data ◽  
Gauge Data ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Precipitation Estimates ◽  
Radar Satellite ◽  
Quantitative Precipitation Estimates

Abstract We describe and evaluate adaptive conditional bias–penalized cokriging (CBPCK) for improved multisensor precipitation estimation using rain gauge data and remotely sensed quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE). The remotely sensed QPEs used are radar-only and radar–satellite-fused estimates. For comparative evaluation, true validation is carried out over the continental United States (CONUS) for 13–30 September 2015 and 7–9 October 2016. The hourly gauge data, radar-only QPE, and satellite QPE used are from the Hydrometeorological Automated Data System, Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor System, and Self-Calibrating Multivariate Precipitation Retrieval (SCaMPR), respectively. For radar–satellite fusion, conditional bias–penalized Fisher estimation is used. The reference merging technique compared is ordinary cokriging (OCK) used in the National Weather Service Multisensor Precipitation Estimator. It is shown that, beyond the reduction due to mean field bias (MFB) correction, both OCK and adaptive CBPCK additionally reduce the unconditional root-mean-square error (RMSE) of radar-only QPE by 9%–16% over the CONUS for the two periods, and that adaptive CBPCK is superior to OCK for estimation of hourly amounts exceeding 1 mm. When fused with the MFB-corrected radar QPE, the MFB-corrected SCaMPR QPE for September 2015 reduces the unconditional RMSE of the MFB-corrected radar by 4% and 6% over the entire and western half of the CONUS, respectively, but is inferior to the MFB-corrected radar for estimation of hourly amounts exceeding 7 mm. Adaptive CBPCK should hence be favored over OCK for estimation of significant amounts of precipitation despite larger computational cost, and the SCaMPR QPE should be used selectively in multisensor QPE.

scholarly journals Extreme runoff response to short-duration convective rainfall in South-West Germany

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 10739-10780
Author(s):  
V. Ruiz-Villanueva ◽  
M. Borga ◽  
D. Zoccatelli ◽  
L. Marchi ◽  
E. Gaume ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Flash Flood ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Structure Evolution ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Distributed Hydrological Model ◽  
Precipitation Frequency ◽  
South West

Abstract. The 2 June 2008 flood-producing storm on the Starzel river basin in South-West Germany is examined as a prototype for organized convective systems that dominate the upper tail of the precipitation frequency distribution and are likely responsible for the flash flood peaks in this region. The availability of high-resolution rainfall estimates from radar observations and a rain gauge network, together with indirect peak discharge estimates from a detailed post-event survey, provides the opportunity to study the hydrometeorological and hydrological mechanisms associated with this extreme storm and the ensuing flood. Radar-derived rainfall, streamgauge data and indirect estimates of peak discharges are used along with a distributed hydrologic model to reconstruct hydrographs at multiple locations. The influence of storm structure, evolution and motion on the modeled flood hydrograph is examined by using the "spatial moments of catchment rainfall" (Zoccatelli et al., 2011). It is shown that downbasin storm motion had a noticeable impact on flood peak magnitude. Small runoff ratios (less than 20%) characterized the runoff response. The flood response can be reasonably well reproduced with the distributed hydrological model, using high resolution rainfall observations and model parameters calibrated at a river section which includes most of the area impacted by the storm.

scholarly journals A Comparison Between Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation Data and High-Resolution Radar Data – A Case Study of Localized Torrential Rainfall over Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 786-793
Author(s):  
Yoshiaki Hayashi ◽  
Taichi Tebakari ◽  
Akihiro Hashimoto ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Daily Rainfall ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Hourly Rainfall ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Microwave Imager ◽  
Satellite Mapping

This paper presents a case study comparing the latest algorithm version of Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP) data with C-band and X-band Multi-Parameter (MP) radar as high-resolution rainfall data in terms of localized heavy rainfall events. The study also obliged us to clarify the spatial and temporal resolution of GSMaP data using high-accuracy ground-based radar, and evaluate the performance and reporting frequency of GSMaP satellites. The GSMaP_Gauge_RNL data with less than 70 mm/day of daily rainfall was similar to the data of both radars, but the GSMaP_Gauge_RNL data with over 70 mm/day of daily rainfall was not, and the calibration by rain-gauge data was poor. Furthermore, both direct/indirect observations by the Global Precipitation Measurement/Microwave Imager (GPM/GMI) and the frequency thereof (once or twice) significantly affected the difference between GPM/GMI data and C-band radar data when the daily rainfall was less than 70 mm/day and the hourly rainfall was less than 20 mm/h. Therefore, it is difficult for GSMaP_Gauge to accurately estimate localized heavy rainfall with high-density particle precipitation.

scholarly journals Impact of the Altitudinal Gradients of Precipitation on the Radar QPE Bias in the French Alps

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Faure ◽  
Guy Delrieu ◽  
Nicolas Gaussiat
Keyword(s):  
Ground Level ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Altitudinal Gradients ◽  
French Alps ◽  
Rain Gauges ◽  
Quantitative Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Precipitation Estimation ◽  
Radar Data Processing

In the French Alps the quality of the radar Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) is limited by the topography and the vertical structure of precipitation. A previous study realized in all the French Alps, has shown a general bias between values of the national radar QPE composite and the rain gauge measurements: a radar QPE over-estimation at low altitude (+20% at 200 m a.s.l.), and an increasing underestimation at high altitudes (until −40% at 2100 m a.s.l.). This trend has been linked to altitudinal gradients of precipitation observed at ground level. This paper analyzes relative altitudinal gradients of precipitation estimated with rain gauges measurements in 2016 for three massifs around Grenoble, and for different temporal accumulations (yearly, seasonal, monthly, daily). Comparisons of radar and rain gauge accumulations confirm the bias previously observed. The parts of the current radar data processing affecting the bias value are pointed out. The analysis shows a coherency between the relative gradient values estimated at the different temporal accumulations. Vertical profiles of precipitation detected by a research radar installed at the bottom of the valley also show how the wide horizontal variability of precipitation inside the valley can affect the gradient estimation.

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