Improved modeling and retrieval of convective precipitation from spaceborne passive microwave measurements

Abstract

This manuscript focuses on recent efforts for the development and validation of passive microwave precipitation retrieval algorithms for the NPOESS (National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System) satellite program. Emphasis will be placed on the following three critical components: a methodology for simulating passive microwave observations, a technique for validating the methodology with aircraft measurements, and a statistics-based algorithm for estimating precipitation rate.