Performance of Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture for Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Rainfall over Sao Francisco River Basin, Brazil

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2019

Authors

Souto, J (Author) Other; Beltrao, N (Author) Other; Ana Teodoro (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Geosciences

Vol. 9

Pages: 1-15

ISSN: 2076-3263

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 6 Citations

Scopus - 10 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00Q-EZJ

DOI: 10.3390/geosciences9030144

Abstract (EN): Variability in precipitation patterns in the northeast and southeast regions of Brazil are complex, and the combined effects of the Tropical Atlantic, Pacific Ninos, and local characteristics influence the precipitation rates. This study assesses the performance of multi-satellite precipitation product SM2RAIN-Climate Change Initiative (SM2RAIN-CCI) for the period of 1998-2015 at monthly scale. To accomplish this aim, various statistical analyses and comparison of multi-satellite precipitation analysis products with rain gauge stations are carried out. In addition, we used three values corresponding to extreme events: The total daily precipitation (PRCPTOT) and the number of consecutive dry/wet days (CDD/CWD). Results reveal that monthly rainfall data from SM2RAIN-CCI are compatible with surface observations, showing a seasonal pattern typical of the region. Data correlate well with observations for the selected stations (r >= 0.85) but tend to overestimate high rainfall values (>80 mm/month) in the rainy area. There is a significant decrease in rainfall to the indices, especially in PRCPTOT during the occurrence of tropical ocean-atmosphere interactions, reflecting CWD and CDD values. Moreover, our findings also indicate a relationship, at interannual timescales, between the state of El Nino Southern-Oscillation (ENSO) and Tropical Atlantic (TA) annual precipitation variability from 1998 to 2015. The SM2RAIN-CCI could be a useful alternative for rain-gauge precipitation data in the Sao Francisco River basin.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 15