ABSTRACT
Precipitation is among the most important forcing data for hydrologic models. It has been arguably nearly impossible for hydrologists to simulate the water cycles over regions with no or sparse precipitation gauge networks, especially over complex terrain or remote areas. Until recently, the satellite precipitation products (such as TMPA [Huffman et al., 2007], CMORPH [Joyce et al., 2004], PERSIANN [Sorooshian et al., 2000], and PERSIANN-CCS [Hong et al., 2004]) are starting to provide alternatives for estimating rainfall data and also pose new challenges for hydrologists in understanding and applying the remotely sensed information.
