Hydrologic evaluation of the global precipitation measurement mission over the U.S.: Flood peak discharge and duration Journal of Hydrology

In recent years, a great amount of research has been done towards evaluating precipitation data generated by satellites, but less has focused on how these estimates and their uncertainties manifest further into the water cycle. In this study, ten years of satellite-based and ground-based radar data are used as forcings for a distributed hydrologic model across the Continental United States. They are compared using a methodology designed to assess the flood signals and characteristics generated by the model. By focusing on how well the model reproduces flood characteristics rather than fits traditional bulk statistics, this research provides robust insights into satellite precipitation deficiencies. It is found that satellite data has greater success at resolving lower magnitude flood events while tending to generate floods of longer durations. Additionally, flood managers should note that satellites tend to generate floods that characteristically both begin earlier and end later than the ground radar reference. Subsequent research is recommended into other satellite data products in order to better understand these discrepancies and mitigate or plan for them in the future. Grant no. NA20OAR4590354