Global Millimeter-Wave Precipitation Retrievals Trained With A Cloud-Resolving Numerical Weather-Prediction Model, Part II: Performance Evaluation

This paper evaluates the performance of the global precipitation rate retrieval algorithm for the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) that was described in Part I of this paper. AMSU is in polar orbit on several National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operational weather satellites. Predicted rms retrieval errors based on a 15-km resolution 0.5–1.0-mm/h MM5 truth were 0.88, 0.83, 1.13, and 3.04 for stratiform, warm rain, ice-free rain, and convective rain, respectively, which were averaged over all view angles for land and sea up to 73∘latitude. For MM5 rates of 4–8 mm/h, these rms errors increased to 2.8, 3.4, 3.9, and 4.9 mm/h, respectively. The corresponding rms retrieval accuracies for MM5 hydrometeor water paths between 0.125 and 0.25 mm for rainwater, snow, and graupel were 0.19, 0.10, and 0.22 mm, respectively. The rms retrieval accuracy for the 0.125–0.25-m/s peak vertical wind was 0.08 m/s. Biases are small for cumulative precipitation estimates, although an upward correction factor of 1.37 is derived for convective precipitation rate probability distributions. Differences between these retrievals and those from the conically scanned Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System instrument and an alternate NOAA AMSU algorithm are also characterized.