Reshaping global rainfall erosivity rates: A study on precipitation phase correction from 2015 to 2022

Precipitation kinetic energy (PKE) is a driving factor of precipitation erosivity, quantifying the capacity for rainfall to dislodge soil particles. Traditional methods often overlook phase distinctions, mistakenly attributing precipitation energy to liquid phase alone, particularly evident in misclassifying snowfall as rainfall. This study develops gridded, multiphase (i.e., rainfall and snowfall) kinetic energy per unit area per unit time-precipitation intensity (KE-I) datasets, enabling refined estimations of global multiphase precipitation kinetic energy (PKE) and rainfall erosivity factor (R) from 2015 to 2022. Results indicate that traditional methods tend to overestimate snowfall energy, whereas the gridded multiphase KE-I datasets demonstrate a better fit, enhancing the accuracy of PKE estimations. This refinement corrects the previously inflated estimates of snowfall energy, reducing it by tenfold from 62.7 MJ·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹ to 5.0 MJ·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹, and reduces the average annual error in R by 21.1%, with particularly notable improvements in regions where snow-phase contributions dominate. This study provides a comprehensive and accurate framework for multiphase PKE calculation, addressing critical gaps in traditional methodologies and establishing a more reliable foundation for future precipitation-related erosivity research.