Radar Quantitative Precipitation Estimation Based on the Gated Recurrent Unit Neural Network and Echo-Top Data

The Gated Recurrent Unit(GRU) neural network has great potential in estimating and predicting a variable. In addition to radar reflectivity(Z), radar echo-top height(ET) is also a good indicator of rainfall rate(R). In this study, we propose a new method, GRU_Z-ET, by introducing Z and ET as two independent variables into the GRU neural network to conduct the quantitative single-polarization radar precipitation estimation. The performance of GRU_Z-ET is compared with that of the other three methods in three heavy rainfall cases in China during 2018, namely, the traditional Z-R relationship(Z=300R1.4), the optimal Z-R relationship(Z=79R1.68) and the GRU neural network with only Z as the independent input variable(GRU_Z). The results indicate that the GRU_Z-ET performs the best, while the traditional Z-R relationship performs the worst. The performances of the rest two methods are similar.To further evaluate the performance of the GRU_Z-ET, 200 rainfall events with 21882 total samples during May–July of 2018 are used for statistical analysis. Results demonstrate that the spatial correlation coefficients, threat scores and probability of detection between the observed and estimated precipitation are the largest for the GRU_Z-ET and the smallest for the traditional Z-R relationship, and the root mean square error is just the opposite. In addition, these statistics of GRU_Z are similar to those of optimal Z-R relationship. Thus, it can be concluded that the performance of the GRU_ZET is the best in the four methods for the quantitative precipitation estimation.

Application of X-band Polarimetric Phased-array Radars in Quantitative Precipitation Estimation

The performance of different quantitative precipitation estimation(QPE) relationships is examined using the polarimetric variables from the X-band polarimetric phased-array radars in Guangzhou,China.Three QPE approaches,namely,R(ZH),R(ZH,ZDR) and R(KDP),are developed for horizontal reflectivity,differential reflectivity and specific phase shift rate,respectively.The estimation parameters are determined by fitting the relationships to the observed radar variables using the T-matrix method.The QPE relationships were examined using the data of four heavy precipitation events in southern China.The examination shows that the R(ZH) approach performs better for the precipitation rate less than 5 mm h-1, and R(KDP) is better for the rate higher than 5 mm h-1, while R(ZH,ZDR) has the worst performance.An adaptive approach is developed by taking the advantages of both R(ZH) and R(KDP) approaches to improve the QPE accuracy.

Operational Evaluation of the Quantitative Precipitation Estimation by a CINRAD-SA Dual Polarization Radar System

In this paper,a quantitative precipitation estimation based on the hydrometeor classification(HCA-QPE)algorithm was proposed for the first operational S band dual-polarization radar upgraded from the CINRAD/SA radar of China.The HCA-QPE algorithm,localized Colorado State University-Hydrometeor Identification of Rainfall(CSUHIDRO)algorithm,the Joint Polarization Experiment(JPOLE)algorithm,and the dynamic Z-R relationships based on variational correction QPE(DRVC-QPE)algorithm were evaluated with the rainfall events from March 1 to October 30,2017 in Guangdong Province.The results indicated that even though the HCA-QPE algorithm did not use the observed rainfall data for correction,its estimation accuracy was better than that of the DRVC-QPE algorithm when the rainfall rate was greater than 5 mm h-1;and the stronger the rainfall intensity,the greater the QPE improvement.Besides,the HCA-QPE algorithm worked better than the localized CSU-HIDRO and JPOLE algorithms.This study preliminarily evaluated the improved accuracy of QPE by a dual-polarization radar system modified from CINRAD-SA radar.

Study on Quantitative Precipitation Estimation by Polarimetric Radar Using Deep Learning

Accurate radar quantitative precipitation estimation(QPE)plays an essential role in disaster prevention and mitigation.In this paper,two deep learning-based QPE networks including a single-parameter network and a multi-parameter network are designed.Meanwhile,a self-defined loss function(SLF)is proposed during modeling.The dataset includes Shijiazhuang S-band dual polarimetric radar(CINRAD/SAD)data and rain gauge data within the radar’s 100-km detection range during the flood season of 2021 in North China.Considering that the specific propagation phase shift(KDP)has a roughly linear relationship with the precipitation intensity,KDP is set to 0.5°km^(-1 )as a threshold value to divide all the rain data(AR)into a heavy rain(HR)and light rain(LR)dataset.Subsequently,12 deep learning-based QPE models are trained according to the input radar parameters,the precipitation datasets,and whether an SLF was adopted,respectively.The results suggest that the effects of QPE after distinguishing rainfall intensity are better than those without distinguishing,and the effects of using SLF are better than those that used MSE as a loss function.A Z-R relationship and a ZH-KDP-R synthesis method are compared with deep learning-based QPE.The mean relative errors(MRE)of AR models using SLF are improved by 61.90%,51.21%,and 56.34%compared with the Z-R relational method,and by 38.63%,42.55%,and 47.49%compared with the synthesis method.Finally,the models are further evaluated in three precipitation processes,which manifest that the deep learning-based models have significant advantages over the traditional empirical formula methods.

Improving the accuracy of precipitation estimates in a typical inland arid area of China using a dynamic Bayesian model averaging approach

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is a typical inland arid area in China with a sparse and uneven distribution of meteorological stations,limited access to precipitation data,and significant water scarcity.Evaluating and integrating precipitation datasets from different sources to accurately characterize precipitation patterns has become a challenge to provide more accurate and alternative precipitation information for the region,which can even improve the performance of hydrological modelling.This study evaluated the applicability of widely used five satellite-based precipitation products(Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station(CHIRPS),China Meteorological Forcing Dataset(CMFD),Climate Prediction Center morphing method(CMORPH),Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Climate Data Record(PERSIANN-CDR),and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis(TMPA))and a reanalysis precipitation dataset(ECMWF Reanalysis v5-Land Dataset(ERA5-Land))in Xinjiang using ground-based observational precipitation data from a limited number of meteorological stations.Based on this assessment,we proposed a framework that integrated different precipitation datasets with varying spatial resolutions using a dynamic Bayesian model averaging(DBMA)approach,the expectation-maximization method,and the ordinary Kriging interpolation method.The daily precipitation data merged using the DBMA approach exhibited distinct spatiotemporal variability,with an outstanding performance,as indicated by low root mean square error(RMSE=1.40 mm/d)and high Person's correlation coefficient(CC=0.67).Compared with the traditional simple model averaging(SMA)and individual product data,although the DBMA-fused precipitation data were slightly lower than the best precipitation product(CMFD),the overall performance of DBMA was more robust.The error analysis between DBMA-fused precipitation dataset and the more advanced Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement Final(IMERG-F)precipitation product,as well as hydrological simulations in the Ebinur Lake Basin,further demonstrated the superior performance of DBMA-fused precipitation dataset in the entire Xinjiang region.The proposed framework for solving the fusion problem of multi-source precipitation data with different spatial resolutions is feasible for application in inland arid areas,and aids in obtaining more accurate regional hydrological information and improving regional water resources management capabilities and meteorological research in these regions.

QpefBD:A Benchmark Dataset Applied to Machine Learning for Minute-Scale Quantitative Precipitation Estimation and Forecasting

Nowcasts of strong convective precipitation and radar-based quantitative precipitation estimations have always been hot yet challenging issues in meteorological sciences.Data-driven machine learning,especially deep learning,provides a new technical approach for the quantitative estimation and forecasting of precipitation.A high-quality,large-sample,and labeled training dataset is critical for the successful application of machine-learning technology to a specific field.The present study develops a benchmark dataset that can be applied to machine learning for minutescale quantitative precipitation estimation and forecasting(QpefBD),containing 231,978 samples of 3185 heavy precipitation events that occurred in 6 provinces of central and eastern China from April to October 2016-2018.Each individual sample consists of 8 products of weather radars at 6-min intervals within the time window of the corresponding event and products of 27 physical quantities at hourly intervals that describe the atmospheric dynamic and thermodynamic conditions.Two data labels,i.e.,ground precipitation intensity and areal coverage of heavy precipitation at 6-min intervals,are also included.The present study describes the basic components of the dataset and data processing and provides metrics for the evaluation of model performance on precipitation estimation and forecasting.Based on these evaluation metrics,some simple and commonly used methods are applied to evaluate precipitation estimates and forecasts.The results can serve as the benchmark reference for the performance evaluation of machine learning models using this dataset.This paper also gives some suggestions and scenarios of the QpefBD application.We believe that the application of this benchmark dataset will promote interdisciplinary collaboration between meteorological sciences and artificial intelligence sciences,providing a new way for the identification and forecast of heavy precipitation.

A CRPS-Based Spatial Technique for the Verification of Ensemble Precipitation Forecasts

Traditional precipitation skill scores are affected by the well-known"double penalty"problem caused by the slight spatial or temporal mismatches between forecasts and observations.The fuzzy(neighborhood)method has been proposed for deterministic simulations and shown some ability to solve this problem.The increasing resolution of ensemble forecasts of precipitation means that they now have similar problems as deterministic forecasts.We developed an ensemble precipitation verification skill score,i.e.,the Spatial Continuous Ranked Probability Score(SCRPS),and used it to extend spatial verification from deterministic into ensemble forecasts.The SCRPS is a spatial technique based on the Continuous Ranked Probability Score(CRPS)and the fuzzy method.A fast binomial random variation generator was used to obtain random indexes based on the climatological mean observed frequency,which were then used in the reference score to calculate the skill score of the SCRPS.The verification results obtained using daily forecast products from the ECMWF ensemble forecasts and quantitative precipitation estimation products from the OPERA datasets during June-August 2018 shows that the spatial score is not affected by the number of ensemble forecast members and that a consistent assessment can be obtained.The score can reflect the performance of ensemble forecasts in modeling precipitation and thus can be widely used.

Consistency correction of echo intensity data for multiple radar systems and its application in quantitative estimation of typhoon precipitation

Calibration error is one of the primary sources of bias in echo intensity measurements by ground-based radar systems.Calibration errors cause data discontinuity between adjacent radars and reduce the effectiveness of the radar system.The Global Precipitation Measurement Kuband Precipitation Radar(GPM KuPR)has been shown to provide stable long-term observations.In this study,GPM KuPR observations were converted to S-band approximations,which were then matched spatially and temporally with ground-based radar observations.The measurements of stratiform precipitation below the melting layer collected by the KuPR during Typhoon Ampil were compared with those of multiple radar systems in the Yangtze River Delta to determine the deviations in the echo intensity between the KuPR and the ground-based radar systems.The echo intensity data collected by the ground-based radar systems was corrected using the KuPR observations as reference,and the correction results were verified by comparing them with rain gauge observations.It was found that after the correction,the consistency of the echo intensity measurements of the multiple radar systems improved significantly,and the precipitation estimates based on the revised ground-based radar observations were closer to the rain gauge measurements.

Typhoon Hato's precipitation characteristics based on PERSIANN

Heavy precipitation induced by typhoons is the main driver of catastrophic flooding,and studying precipitation patterns is important for flood forecasting and early warning.Studying the space-time characteristics of heavy precipitation induced by typhoons requires a large range of observation data that cannot be obtained by ground-based rain gauge networks.Satellite-based estimation provides large domains of precipitation with high space-time resolution,facilitating the analysis of heavy precipitation patterns induced by typhoons.In this study,Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks(PERSIANN)satellite data were used to study the temporal and spatial features of precipitation induced by Typhoon Hato,which was the strongest typhoon of 2017 to make landfall in China.The results show that rainfall on the land lasted for six days from the typhoon making landfall to disappearing,reaching the maximum when the typhoon made landfall.Hato produced extremely high accumulated rainfall in South China,almost 300 mm in Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and 260 mm in Hainan Province.The rainfall process was separated into three stages and rainfall was the focus in the second stage(5 h before making landfall to 35 h after making landfall).

Variations of Raindrop Size Distribution and Radar Retrieval in Outer Rainbands of Typhoon Mangkhut(2018)

The evolution of the microphysical properties of raindrops from Typhoon Mangkhut’s outer rainbands as the storm made landfall in South China in September 2018 was investigated.The observations by three two-dimensional video disdrometers deployed in central Guangdong Province were analyzed concurrently.It was found that the radial distribution of the median volume diameter(D_(0))and normalized intercept parameter(N_(w))varied in different stages,and that raindrops smaller than 3.0 mm contributed more than 99%of the total precipitation.Considering the characteristics of precipitation in the typhoon outer rainband,a modified stratiform rain(SR)-convective rain(CR)separator line is proposed based on D_(0) and N_(w) scatterplots.Meanwhile,an“S-C likelihood index”is introduced,which was used to classify three rain types(SR,CR,and mixed rain).The CR results were highly consistent with those of the improved typhoon precipitation classification method based on rain rate.By calculating effectively the radar reflectivity factor(Ze)in the Ku and Ka bands,D0-Ze and N_(w)-D_(0) empirical relations were thereby derived for improving the accuracy of rainfall retrieval.Among the four quantitative precipitation estimators using S-band dual-polarimetric radar parameters simulated by the T-matrix method,the estimator that adopted the specific differential phase and differential reflectivity was found to be the most effective for both SR and CR.