Evaluation of the TRMM Product for Spatio-temporal Characteristics of Precipitation over Nepal (1998-2018)

Abstract

Precipitation is a fundamental component of the water cycle and integral to the society and the ecosystem. Further, continuous monitoring of precipitation is essential for predicting severe weather, monitoring droughts, and high-intensity related extremes. The present study evaluated the spatio-temporal distribution of precipitation and trends between 1998– 2018 using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) (3B43-V7) with reference to 142-gauge observations over Nepal. TRMM moderately captured precipitation patterns' overall characteristics, although underestimated the mean annual precipitation during the study period. TRMM precipitation product well captured the seasonal variation of the observed precipitation with the highest correlation in the winter season. The decreasing seasonal and annual trend was found in both observed and TRMM products, with the highest (lowest) decreasing trend observed during the monsoon (winter) season. It was also noted that the TRMM product showed a smaller bias before 2007, while a large error was found after 2007, especially in the monsoon months. In general, the TRMM product is a good alternative to observe rain gauge measurement in Nepal. However, there is still space for further improvement in rainfall retrieval algorithms, especially in high-elevation areas during the winter season.