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Precipitation observed from space
Satellite instruments provide valuable precipitation information that is complementary to rain-gauge and radar data.
High-resolution precipitation datasets derived from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) which is on-board the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) are developed as part of EURO4M. Precipitation occurrence and intensity are retrived in a two-step approach on the basis of cloud physical parameters, such as cloud-top temperature, cloud condensed water path and particle effective radius. Initial validation has shown good agreement with weather radar measurements over the Netherlands and rain-gauge measurements from the European Climate Assessment & Dataset (ECA&D) project. The availability of a homogeneous time series of precipitation products from a single instrument covering European land and ocean, with a spatial resolution of about 5x5 km² and a temporal resolution of 15 minutes, is invaluable to the climate community. This time series will extend back to 2004 when MSG data first became available.
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The percentage of time in which precipitation occurred as derived from SEVIRI for the period May to August 2006. Western Europe and mountainous regions stand out with a relatively high percentage of wet days. (source: KNMI) |
