Satellite Precipitation Measurements for Water Resource Monitoring

Satellites offer an unrivaled vantage point to observe and measure Earth system processes and parameters. Observations of meteorological phenomena permit a more holistic view of the weather and climate that is not possible through conventional surface observations. Precipitation (rain and snow) in particular, benefit from such observations since precipitation is spatially and temporally highly variable: conventional gauge and radar measurements tend to be land-based with variable coverage. This paper provides an overview of the satellite systems that provide the observations, the techniques used to derive precipitation from the observations, and examples of the precipitation products available for users to access.