NOAA's ROLE IN SPACE-BASED GLOBAL PRECIPITATION ESTIMATION AND APPLICATION
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
Support for this project was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under Contract No. DG133R04CQ0009. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-10298-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-10298-7
Cover image: Artist’s rendition of the NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement mission core satellite.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
COMMITTEE ON THE FUTURE OF RAINFALL MEASURING MISSIONS
EUGENE M. RASMUSSON (Chair),
University of Maryland (retired), College Park
NANCY L. BAKER,
Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California
V. CHANDRASEKAR,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
CAROL ANNE CLAYSON,
Florida State University, Tallahassee
JEFFREY D. HAWKINS,
Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California
KRISTINA B. KATSAROS,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (retired), Freeland, Washington
M. PATRICK MCCORMICK,
Hampton University, Virginia
MATTHIAS STEINER,
Princeton University, New Jersey
GRAEME L. STEPHENS,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
CHRISTOPHER S. VELDEN,
University of Wisconsin, Madison
RAY A. WILLIAMSON,
George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
NRC Staff
LEAH PROBST, Study Director
PAUL CUTLER, Senior Program Officer
ROB GREENWAY, Senior Program Assistant
FLORENCE POILLON, Editor
BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE
ROBERT J. SERAFIN (Chair),
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
M. JOAN ALEXANDER,
NorthWest Research Associates/CORA, Boulder, Colorado
FREDERICK R. ANDERSON,
McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, Washington, D.C.
MICHAEL L. BENDER,
Princeton University, New Jersey
ROSINA M. BIERBAUM,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
MARY ANNE CARROLL,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
CAROL ANNE CLAYSON,
Florida State University, Tallahassee
WALTER F. DABBERDT,
Vaisala Inc., Boulder, Colorado
KERRY A. EMANUEL,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
DENNIS L. HARTMANN,
University of Washington, Seattle
PETER R. LEAVITT,
Weather Information Inc., Newton, Massachusetts
JENNIFER A. LOGAN,
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
VERNON R. MORRIS,
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
F. SHERWOOD ROWLAND,
University of California, Irvine
THOMAS H. VONDER HAAR,
Colorado State University/CIRA, Fort Collins
ROGER M. WAKIMOTO,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
Ex Officio Members
ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR.,
University of Maryland, College Park
ERIC F. WOOD,
Princeton University, New Jersey
NRC Staff
CHRIS ELFRING, Director
PAUL CUTLER, Senior Program Officer
AMANDA STAUDT, Senior Program Officer
IAN KRAUCUNAS, Program Officer
CURTIS MARSHALL, Program Officer
CLAUDIA MENGELT, Program Officer
ELIZABETH GALINIS, Research Associate
LEAH PROBST, Research Associate
ROB GREENWAY, Senior Program Assistant
KATIE WELLER, Senior Program Assistant
DIANE GUSTAFSON, Administrative Coordinator
ANDREAS SOHRE, Financial Associate
Acknowledgments
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Jeffrey Anderson, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO
Phillip Arkin, University of Maryland, College Park
Peter Bauer, European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts, Reading, UK
Christian Kummerow, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Grant Petty, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Soroosh Sorooshian, University of California, Irvine
Sandra Yuter, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Edward Zipser, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Although the reviewers listed above have provided constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Robert Dickinson, Georgia Institute of
Technology, Atlanta. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
