Enhancing Precipitation Monitoring Using GPM Products: Integration with Ground-Based Radars

To enhance precipitation monitoring, this study attempts integration among Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) products such as the Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) and the merged satellite precipitation product, and ground-based radars. Here, radar reflectivity and rainfall composites are produced using three ground-based radars in Fiji. Calibration correction factors of the ground-based radars are calculated with reference to the GPM/DPR in the radar reflectivity composite. In the rainfall composite, two types of correction factors are calculated. One is a factor of the ground radars with the GPM/DPR, and the other is a factor of the merged satellite precipitation product with the ground-based radars. For making the composite, a weighting function is implemented with consideration of a beam height in the ground-based radar. These techniques can be helpful for the precipitation monitoring, because it allows seamless monitoring from the ground-based radar's observation range to satellite observation areas.