Water Management Applications for Satellite Precipitation Products: Synthesis and Recommendations

• Published in: Journal of the American Water Resources Association Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 509 - 525
• Main Authors: Serrat-Capdevila, Aleix, Valdes, Juan B., Stakhiv, Eugene Z.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Middleburg, VA Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2014; American Water Resources Association
• Subjects: Chemical synthesis; Climatology; Decision making; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Geography; hydrologic prediction; Hydrology; Hydrology. Hydrogeology; monitoring; Natural resource management; Precipitation; satellite precipitation products; Satellites; Synthesis; Topography; Water management; water management recommendations; Water resources; Water supply; Weather; atmospheric precipitation; reliability; topography; satellite measurements; accuracy; monitoring; water management recommendations; satellite precipitation products; water resources; hydrologic prediction; geography; water resource management; prediction
• ISSN: 1093-474X; 1752-1688
• DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12140

This article is an assessment of the current state of the art and relative utility of satellite precipitation products (SPPs) for hydrologic applications to support water management decisions. We present a review of SPPs, their accuracy in diverse settings including the influence of geography, topography, and weather systems, as well as the pros and cons of their use for different water management applications. At the end of this broad synthesizing effort, recommendations are proposed for: (1) SPP developers to improve the quality, usability, and relevance of precipitation products; and (2) SPP users to improve the reliability of their predictions and hydrologic applications to better support water management.