Satellite Rainfall Applications for Surface Hydrology
While there are a growing number of high-resolution space-based systems for measuring precipitation, instances of the use of these products for surface hydrology are rare. This book, which covers both scientific and practical matters, aims to change that.
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Mekonnen Gebremichael · Faisal Hossain Editors
Satellite Rainfall Applications for Surface Hydrology
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Editors Dr. Mekonnen Gebremichael University of Connecticut Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept. 261 Glenbrook Road Storrs CT 06269-2037 USA [email protected]
Dr. Faisal Hossain Tennessee Technological University Civil & Environmental Engineering Dept. Cookeville TN 38505-0001 USA [email protected]
ISBN 978-90-481-2914-0 e-ISBN 978-90-481-2915-7 DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-2915-7 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2009937296 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Cover: Background image is a satellite photo of the Ganges River Delta. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
As individual topics, the terms “satellite rainfall” and “surface hydrology” have been much widely studied over the last few decades. Ever since rainfall products begun to be developed using space-borne infrared sensors in geostationary orbit in the seventies, satellite remote sensing of rainfall experienced tremendous progress. Microwave sensors on low earth orbits came along during the eighties to provide more accurate estimates of rainfall at the cost of limited sampling. As the contrasting but complementary properties of microwave and infrared sensors became apparent, merged rainfall products started to appear during the following decade. In 1997, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) with the first space-borne active microwave precipitation radar (TRMM-PR), was launched. The success of TRMM in improving our understanding on Tropical and Sub-tropical rainfall distribution and precipitation structures consequently spurred a larger scale mission aimed at the study of global distribution of precipitation. Today, we now eagerly anticipate the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, which envisions a global constellation of microwave sensors that will provide more accurate global rainfall products at high resolution from 2013 onwards. It is therefore safe to claim three decades of research heritage on satellite remote sensing of rainfall. Similarly, the topic of “surface hydrology” requires no introduction for readers of environmental sciences and geosciences either. But what happens if we connect all the individual terms and name it – “satellite rainfall applications for surface hydrology”? A new topic is created. But little is known about this topic because satellite remote sensing of rainfall and surface hydrology have evolved rather independently of each other. Even though the potential for
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