Status of satellite precipitation retrievals

Abstract. Satellites offer an unrivalled vantage point to observe and measure Earth system processes and parameters. Precipitation (rain and snow) in particular, benefit from such observations since precipitation is spatially and temporally highly variable and overcomes some of the deficiencies of conventional gauge and radar measurements. This paper provides an overall review of quantitative precipitation estimation, covering the basis of the satellite systems used in the observation of precipitation and the dissemination of this data, the processing of these measurements to generate the rainfall estimates and the availability, verification and validation of these precipitation estimates.