Validation of TRMM data in the geographical regions of Brazil

ABSTRACT The low density of precipitation gauges, the areas of difficult access and the high number of missing values hinder a rapid and effective hydrological monitoring. Thus, the present study aims to statistically validate the precipitation estimates by the data Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) in relation to the data observed in the Conventional Meteorological Stations (CMSs) in the geographic regions of Brazil. The statistical indicators used were: Correlation Coefficient (r), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Percentage of Bias (Pbias), T-Test and Mann-Witiney Test. It is concluded that the precipitation data estimated via TRMM are effective and reliable alternatives for hydrological studies in areas that do not have in-situ gauges and/or need to fill missing values in the five regions of the country, especially in the driest months and in larger time scales.