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Precipitation and Latent Heating Distributions from Satellite Passive Microwave RadiometryA revised Bayesian algorithm for estimating surface rain rate, convective rain proportion, and latent heating/drying profiles from satellite-borne passive microwave radiometer observations over ocean backgrounds is described. The algorithm searches a large database of cloud-radiative model simulations to find cloud profiles that are radiatively consistent with a given set of microwave radiance measurements. The properties of these radiatively consistent profiles are then composited to obtain best estimates of the observed properties. The revised algorithm is supported by an expanded and more physically consistent database of cloud-radiative model simulations. The algorithm also features a better quantification of the convective and non-convective contributions to total rainfall, a new geographic database, and an improved representation of background radiances in rain-free regions. Bias and random error estimates are derived from applications of the algorithm to synthetic radiance data, based upon a subset of cloud resolving model simulations, and from the Bayesian formulation itself. Synthetic rain rate and latent heating estimates exhibit a trend of high (low) bias for low (high) retrieved values. The Bayesian estimates of random error are propagated to represent errors at coarser time and space resolutions, based upon applications of the algorithm to TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) data. Errors in instantaneous rain rate estimates at 0.5 deg resolution range from approximately 50% at 1 mm/h to 20% at 14 mm/h. These errors represent about 70-90% of the mean random deviation between collocated passive microwave and spaceborne radar rain rate estimates. The cumulative algorithm error in TMI estimates at monthly, 2.5 deg resolution is relatively small (less than 6% at 5 mm/day) compared to the random error due to infrequent satellite temporal sampling (8-35% at the same rain rate).
Document ID
20050139729
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Olson, William S. (Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD, United States)
Kummerow, Christian D. (Colorado State Univ. Fort Collins, CO, United States)
Yang, Song (George Mason Univ. Fairfax, VA, United States)
Petty, Grant W. (Wisconsin Univ. Madison, WI, United States)
Tao, Wei-Kuo (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Bell, Thomas L. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Braun, Scott A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Wang, Yansen (Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD, United States)
Lang, Stephen E. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Lanham, MD, United States)
Johnson, Daniel E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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