The advantages and pitfalls of using indices to study extreme precipitation on sub-daily and daily timescales — Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
  1. Schedule
  2. 34(i). Rainfall processes, prediction and extremes
  3. The advantages and pitfalls of using indices to study extreme precipitation on sub-daily and daily timescales

The advantages and pitfalls of using indices to study extreme precipitation on sub-daily and daily timescales (#226)

Lisa Alexander 1 , Margot Bador 1
  1. UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia

  1. While there are obstacles to the exchange of long-term high temporal resolution precipitation data, there have been fewer barriers to the exchange of so-called ‘indices’. These are derived from daily and sub-daily data and measure aspects of precipitation frequency, duration and intensity that could be used for the study of extremes. This talk outlines the history of the rationale and use of these indices, the types of indices that are frequently used and the advantages and pitfalls in analysing them. Moving forward, satellite precipitation products are now showing the potential to provide global climate indices to supplement existing products using longer-term in situ gauge records. We highlight some challenges by presenting results from a range of in situ, satellite and reanalysis products from the Frequent Rainfall Observations on Grids (FROGS) database. We suggest that to advance this area differences between data products, limitations in satellite-based estimation processes, and the inherent challenges of scale need to be better understood.

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