Verification of Operational Analyses Using an Extremely High-Density Surface Station Network

Kann, Alexander; Haiden, Thomas; Emde, Klaus von der; Gruber, Christine; Kabas, Thomas; Leuprecht, Armin; Kirchengast, Gottfried

doi:10.1175/waf-d-11-00031.1

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The WEGN is a high-resolution network for weather and climate study and monitoring purposes, located in the Feldbach region, southeastern Austria (Kann et al, 2011;Kirchengast et al, 2014;Scheidl, 2014;Szeberényi, 2014;Kann et al, 2015). The region is part of the southeastern Alpine foreland, characterized by the river Raab valley and a moderate hilly landscape, with altitudes ranging from 260 to 600 m. The network comprises 153 weather stations in an area of about 300 km 2 (i.e., about one station per 2 km 2 ), collecting rainfall measurement data every 5 min (Fig.…”

Section: Wegn Gridded Rain Gauge Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of GPM IMERG Early, Late, and Final rainfall estimates using WegenerNet gauge data in southeastern Austria

Sungmin

Foelsche

Kirchengast

et al. 2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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178

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Abstract. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) products provide quasi-global (60 • N-60 • S) precipitation estimates, beginning March 2014, from the combined use of passive microwave (PMW) and infrared (IR) satellites comprising the GPM constellation. The IMERG products are available in the form of near-real-time data, i.e., IMERG Early and Late, and in the form of post-real-time research data, i.e., IMERG Final, after monthly rain gauge analysis is received and taken into account. In this study, IMERG version 3 Early, Late, and Final (IMERG-E,IMERG-L, and IMERG-F) half-hourly rainfall estimates are compared with gauge-based gridded rainfall data from the WegenerNet Feldbach region (WEGN) high-density climate station network in southeastern Austria. The comparison is conducted over two IMERG 0.1 • × 0.1 • grid cells, entirely covered by 40 and 39 WEGN stations each, using data from the extended summer season (April-October) for the first two years of the GPM mission. The entire data are divided into two rainfall intensity ranges (low and high) and two seasons (warm and hot), and we evaluate the performance of IMERG, using both statistical and graphical methods. Results show that IMERG-F rainfall estimates are in the best overall agreement with the WEGN data, followed by IMERG-L and IMERG-E estimates, particularly for the hot season. We also illustrate, through rainfall event cases, how insufficient PMW sources and errors in motion vectors can lead to wide discrepancies in the IMERG estimates. Finally, by applying the method of Villarini and Krajewski (2007), we find that IMERG-F halfhourly rainfall estimates can be regarded as a 25 min gauge accumulation, with an offset of +40 min relative to its nominal time.

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Section: Wegn Gridded Rain Gauge Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of GPM IMERG Early, Late, and Final rainfall estimates using WegenerNet gauge data in southeastern Austria

Sungmin

Foelsche

Kirchengast

et al. 2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

Self Cite

178

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“…This is, for instance, useful for statistical testing of the diurnal cycle performance of weather and climate models at local-scale resolution. Kann et al (2011), who used four years of WegenerNet temperature, humidity, and wind data for statistical validation of Austrian high-resolution empirical analyses constructed from data at >10-km resolution scale , found high value also for such analysis validation. As Figs.…”

Section: E X a M Pl E R E S U Lt S -U Ti Lit Y Fo R Weather And Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the density of common meteorological networks corresponds to average station distances larger than 10 km [e.g., about 18 km for the network of the Austrian national meteorological service Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG; Kann et al 2011)], and while dedicated mesonets such as the Oklahoma Mesonet (McPherson et al 2007) and the Helsinki Testbed (Koskinen et al 2011) as well focus on the 10-km scale, there have already been experiments including dense networks down to the 1-km scale (e.g., Wulfmeyer et al 2008). These experiments have been carried out as part of time-limited campaign studies, however, so that the WegenerNet is the first long-term station grid at these 1-km scales.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

WegenerNet: A Pioneering High-Resolution Network for Monitoring Weather and Climate

Kirchengast

Kabas

Leuprecht

et al. 2014

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

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The Feldbach region in southeast Austria, characteristic for experiencing a rich variety of weather and climate patterns, has been selected as the focus area for a pioneering weather and climate observation network at very high resolution: The WegenerNet comprises 151 meteorological stations measuring temperature, precipitation, and other parameters, in a tightly spaced grid within an area of about 20 km × 15 km centered near the city of Feldbach (46.93°N, 15.90°E). With its stations about every 2 km2, each with 5-min time sampling, the network provides regular measurements since January 2007, after a pilot phase, until 2010, meanwhile in an operational manner. Quality-controlled station time series and gridded field data (spacing 200 m × 200 m) are available in near–real time (data latency less than 1–2 h) for visualization and download via a data portal (www.wegenernet.org; detailed information is available via www.wegcenter.at/wegenernet). This paper introduces the WegenerNet from its design and setup via its processing system and data products to showing example results. The latter include extreme weather event examples, climate variability over the 5-yr period from 2007 to 2011, and an example of calibration support to coupled climate–hydrology modeling. The network is set to serve as a long-term monitoring and validation facility for weather and climate research and applications. Uses include validation of nonhydrostatic models operated at 1-km-scale resolution and of statistical downscaling techniques (in particular for precipitation), validation of weather radar and satellite data, study of orography–climate relationships, and many others.

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“…1). The WegenerNet dataset has already been successfully applied to validate temperature, humidity, and wind speed analyses in an operational context (Kann et al, 2011). Furthermore, the dense station network allows for a thorough evaluation of INCA precipitation for small-scale, convective precipitation patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the skill of high frequency precipitation analyses

Kann¹,

Meirold-Mautner²,

Schmid³

et al. 2014

Preprint

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Abstract. The ability of radar-rain gauge merging algorithms to precisely analyse convective precipitation patterns is of high interest for many applications, e.g. hydrological modelling. However, due to drawbacks of methods like cross-validation and due to the limited availability of reference datasets on high temporal and spatial scale, an adequate validation is usually hardly possible, especially on an operational basis. The present study evaluates the skill of very high resolution and frequently updated precipitation analyses (rapid-INCA) by means of a very dense station network (WegenerNet), operated in a limited domain of the south-eastern parts of Austria (Styria). Based on case studies and a longer term validation over the convective season 2011, a general underestimation of the rapid-INCA precipitation amounts is shown, although the temporal and spatial variability of the errors is – by convective nature – high. The contribution of the rain gauge measurements to the analysis skill is crucial. However, the capability of the analyses to precisely assess the convective precipitation distribution predominantly depends on the representativeness of the stations under the prevalent convective condition.

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Verification of Operational Analyses Using an Extremely High-Density Surface Station Network

Cited by 13 publications

References 6 publications

Evaluation of GPM IMERG Early, Late, and Final rainfall estimates using WegenerNet gauge data in southeastern Austria

Evaluation of GPM IMERG Early, Late, and Final rainfall estimates using WegenerNet gauge data in southeastern Austria

WegenerNet: A Pioneering High-Resolution Network for Monitoring Weather and Climate

On the skill of high frequency precipitation analyses

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