ABSTRACT

Precipitation is the primary driver of the hydrologic cycle and the main input of hydrometeorological models and climate studies. Therefore, accurate measurement of precipitation at a range of spatial and temporal resolutions is invaluable for a variety of scientific applications. However, accurately measuring rainfall has been a challenge to the research community predominantly because of its high variability in space and time. This chapter provides an overview of satellite remote sensing precipitation estimation sensors, algorithms, and products. It also introduces potential hydrologic applications of the global precipitation datasets. Most of the coverage in satellite precipitation estimates depends on input from two different sets of satellite sensors. The first major data source for satellite precipitation estimates is the window channel, which consists of IR data that are being collected by the international constellation of Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites.