Capability of IMERG V6 Early, Late, and Final Precipitation Products for Monitoring Extreme Precipitation Events

Abstract

The monitoring of extreme precipitation events is an important task in environmental research, but the ability of the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) precipitation products to monitor extreme precipitation events remains poorly understood. In this study, three precipitation products for IMERG version 6, early-, late-, and final-run products (IMERG-E, IMERG-L, and IMERG-F, respectively), were used to capture extreme precipitation, and their applicability to monitor extreme precipitation events over Hubei province in China was evaluated. We found that the accuracy of the three IMERG precipitation products is inconsistent in areas of complex and less complex topography. Compared with gauge-based precipitation data, the results reveal the following: (1) All products can accurately capture the spatiotemporal variation patterns in precipitation during extreme precipitation events. (2) The ability of IMERG-F was good in areas of complex topography, followed by IMERG-E and IMERG-L. In areas of less complex topography, IMERG-E and IMERG-L produced outcomes that were consistent with those of IMERG-F. (3) The three IMERG precipitation products can capture the actual hourly precipitation tendencies of extreme precipitation events. (4) In areas of complex topography, the rainfall intensity estimation ability of IMERG-F is better than those of IMERG-E and IMERG-L.

Keywords

• extreme precipitation
• precipitation monitoring
• GPM
• precipitation products evaluation