Errors and uncertainties associated with quasiglobal satellite precipitation products

Abstract Measuring precipitation on a global scale is only possible from satellite platforms. Satellite precipitation estimates are based on geosynchronous infrared sensors on geostationary satellites, characterized by high sampling frequency, and polar-orbiting microwave sensors on low-Earth-orbiting satellites with less-frequent sampling. Assessing satellite product performance is fundamental to infer the reliability of such estimates and effectively use them in water resources management, extreme event characterization, disease control, or weather forecasting. Nevertheless, errors and uncertainties associated with satellite precipitation products are often masked due to temporal and spatial sampling, as well as bias corrections against a reference dataset. Moreover, the verification of satellite precipitation products is easier over land areas, where rain gauges and ground radars are available as benchmark but extremely limited over the oceans. Substantial work still remains to better quantify relative and absolute errors and uncertainties within satellite-based precipitation products over land and oceans.