Leicester precipitation scientists Daniel Watters and Alessandro Battaglia outline how a NASA-JAXA mission addresses the challenge of global measurement of precipitation.
Two precipitation scientists from Leicester’s Earth Observation Science Group have written a paper aimed at describing the NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission to a general audience (https://doi.org/10.1002/wea.3865).
The Leicester scientists use the space-borne precipitation observations from this GPM mission in their research. Their research involves investigating the ability of GPM to accurately measure surface rainfall over Great Britain and Ireland. Other research includes using GPM measurements to understand the daily cycle of precipitation across the globe, and identifying the limitations of climate models in representing this daily cycle.
In their article, the GPM mission is described from first principles, and introduces the reader to the world of spaceborne precipitation science. The scientists explain the importance of measuring precipitation for the benefit of society, and the limitations of observing global precipitation from the ground.
As well as the need for precipitation measurements from space, the type of instruments required to produce spaceborne measurements are explored, including their strengths and weaknesses.
Finally, the GPM satellite constellation is described, including its current and future status and how it addresses the challenges of providing frequent precipitation measurements.
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