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A study of the 1999 monsoon rainfall in a mountainous region in central Nepal using TRMM products and rain gauge observations
Author(s) -
Barros A. P.,
Joshi M.,
Putkonen J.,
Burbank D. W.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2000gl011827
Subject(s) - rain gauge , hydrometeorology , precipitation , monsoon , altitude (triangle) , plateau (mathematics) , climatology , environmental science , terrain , indian subcontinent , mesoscale meteorology , radar , structural basin , meteorology , geology , geography , mathematical analysis , ancient history , telecommunications , paleontology , geometry , mathematics , cartography , computer science , history
Raingauge data from the 1999 monsoon were compared with precipitation derived from the precipitation radar (PR) and the microwave imager instruments on board the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The raingauges are part of a new hydrometeorological network installed in the Marsyandi river basin, which extends from the edge of the Tibetan Plateau to the Gangetic basin. TRMM‐derived precipitation showed better detection of rain at low altitude stations as compared with high elevation stations, with good scores for the PR product for rain rates >0.5 mm/hr. The 3D PR rain rates suggest strong interaction between mesoscale convective systems and steep terrain at elevations of 1–2 km, which is consistent with the very high rainfall measured at those locations. Analysis of the raingauge data shows that even at altitudes as high as 4,000 m the cumulative monsoon rainfall is comparable to the highest amount recorded in the Indian subcontinent.