Articles | Volume 12, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/asr-12-73-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/asr-12-73-2015
29 Apr 2015
 | 29 Apr 2015

Precipitation climate maps of Belgium

M. Journée, C. Delvaux, and C. Bertrand

Abstract. Investigations are conducted to best estimate precipitation climate maps over Belgium from daily observations available for the period 1981–2010. Several mapping approaches are compared in a cross-validation exercise. These approaches differ by several aspects and in particular by the order in which the temporal aggregation (i.e. computation of climate mean values from daily data) and spatial interpolation steps are performed, and by the integration of ancillary information in the spatial interpolation method. The selected approach is used to derive a large panel of climate maps. In particular, the main spatio-temporal features of the annual cycle of rainfall in Belgium are extracted by principal component analysis (PCA).

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Short summary
The paper discusses the derivation of precipitation climate maps over Belgium from daily observations available for the period 1981-2010. Several mapping approaches are compared in a cross-validation exercise. A large panel of climate maps are derived. In particular, the main spatio-temporal features of the annual cycle of rainfall in Belgium are extracted by principal component analysis (PCA).