Constructing a Long-Term Daily Gridded Precipitation Dataset for Asia
Based on a Dense Network of Rain Gauges
Akiyo Yatagai, Kenji Kamiguchi, Osamu Arakawa, Atsushi Hamada, Natsuko Yasutomi, and Akio Kitoh
An international cooperative program collected and analyzed rain gauge observations from thousands of Asian stations in addition to those reporting to the WMO Global Telecommunications System, creating a 57-year daily precipitation dataset.
Precipitation is one of the most basic meteorological elements and it directly and indirectly affects human life. It is thus crucial to be able to forecast local precipitation variability according to our changing climate. Recent computer resources and techniques have been used in simulating hydrological changes, such as changes in river runoff and extreme events resulting from changes in precipitation. For such purposes, a gridded precipitation dataset is necessary. In addition, water resources in mountains are important, especially for arid regions in the Middle East, the western part of the Himalayas, and central Asia. In such areas, representation of orographic precipitation on a submonthly time scale is important for use in hydrological models and for verification/modification of simulated precipitation by high-resolution climate models.
National hydrological and meteorological services (NHMs) exchange real-time data, including precipitation under a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) contract. Real-time data, such as radiosonde records, reported via the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) are important in making forecasts. Recently, satellite mapping patterns have been used to forecast weather and issue disaster warnings. The combined products of the GTS and satellites are used for research and as near-real-time data. Popular monthly and pentad precipitation products—the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (Xie and Arkin 1997) and Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP)—are based on precipitation data recorded at 6,000 stations worldwide and transmitted via the GTS and satellite-derived estimates.
Affiliations:
Yatagai*—Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; Kamiguchi,
Arakawa, and Kitoh—Meteorological Research Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency, Tsukuba, Japan; Hamada—Atmosphere
and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;
Yasutomi—Research Institute for Humanity and Nature,
Kyoto, Japan
*current affiliation: Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
CORRES PONDIN G AUT HOR : Akiyo Yatagai, Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji,
Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
E-mail:
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The abstract for this article can be found in this issue, following the
table of contents.
DOI:10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00122.1
In final form 1 February 2012
©2012 American Meteorological Society
AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY september 2012
