A Global Evaluation of IMERG Precipitation Occurrence Using SMAP Detected Soil Moisture Change

Abstract

A globally consistent ground validation method for remotely sensed precipitation products is crucial for building confidence in these products. This study develops a new methodology to validate the IMERG precipitation products through the use of SMAP soil moisture changes as a proxy for precipitation occurrence. Using a standard 2 × 2 contingency table method, preliminary results provide confidence in SMAP’s ability to be utilized as a validation tool for IMERG as results are comparable to previous validation studies. However, the method allows for an overestimate of false alarm frequency due to light precipitation events that can evaporate before the subsequent SMAP overpass and changes in overpass-to-overpass SMAP soil moisture that are within the range of SMAP uncertainty. To counter these issues, a 3 × 3 contingency table is used to reduce noise and extract more signal from the detection method. Through the use of this novel approach, the validation method produces a global mean POD of 0.64 and global mean FAR of 0.40, the first global-scale ground validation skill scores for the IMERG products. Advancing the method to validate precipitation quantity and the development of a real-time validation for the IMERG Early product are the crucial next developments.