Evaluation of TRMM Muti-satellite precipitation analysis (TMPA) in the Yangtze River basin

Abstract

Abstract. As the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite completes more than a decade of operation, it has provided researchers throughout the world with a large volume of rainfall data. The Yangtze River is the longest river in China, it plays an important role in the regional water cycle, energy balance and ecosystems. In this paper, we use different rainfall accuracy estimation indexes to estimate the precision of precipitation data gained from TRMM satellite in the Yangtze River basin according to the gauge rain data. The results indicate that: 1) 3B42 V7 has a good precision in application to the Yangtze River basin. 3B42 RTV7 can also capture the spatial distribution of annual precipitation. 2) TMPA products have a higher estimate precision in the mid-lower Yangtze reaches compared to the upper Yangtze reaches. 3) Both 3B42 RTV7 and 3B42 V7 apply better in the flood period than the low water period.