Date of Completion
Spring 4-24-2024
Thesis Advisor(s)
Malaquias Peña
Honors Major
Environmental Engineering
Disciplines
Environmental Engineering
Abstract
The main goal of the following thesis is to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of satellite-based precipitation measurements during a winter storm event by comparing them with ground-based observations. This study is divided into several key sections, each addressing a specific aspect of the analysis. The introduction provides background information and establishes the scope of the study, highlighting the importance of accurately measuring winter precipitation for forecasting and climate studies. The subsequent literature review explores the historical context, modern uses, and future trends in winter storm detection and precipitation modeling. Then, this study explores conceptual framework utilized throughout the research project, detailing the data sources and methodology used, with an emphasis on comparing satellite-derived data from NASA's IMERG product with ground-based measurements obtained from three of UConn’s instruments, Parsivel, Pluvio, and PIP. The results of this study reveal a considerable skill difference between satellite-derived and ground-based measurements, as well as amongst the ground-based instruments themselves, indicating that satellite data often underestimates localized precipitation events. Ground-based instruments, with the capability of high precision and direct measurement, consistently captured higher precipitation intensities, whereas satellite data showed broader discrepancies and occasional data gaps. The discussion then further explores these results, addressing the implications for weather forecasting and climate research. This analysis emphasizes the need for more extensive ground-based validation to improve satellite-derived precipitation measurements for future research. Ultimately, this study supports the need for a more comprehensive understanding of winter precipitation.
Recommended Citation
Alber, Zoe, "Winter Precipitation Analysis: Comparing Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) from Satellites with Ground Instrumentation Observation" (2024). Honors Scholar Theses. 1018.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/1018