Evaluation of Monthly Satellite-Derived Precipitation Products over East Africa

East Africa experienced in the 2001-11 time period some of the worst drought events to date, culminating in the high-impact drought of 2010/11. Long-term monitoring of precipitation is thus essential, and satellite-based precipitation products can help in coping with the relatively sparse rain gauge ground networks of this area of the world. However, the complex topography and the marked geographic variability of precipitation in the region make precipitation retrieval from satellites problematic and product validation and intercomparison necessary. Six state-of-the-art monthly satellite precipitation products over East Africa during the 2001-09 time frame are evaluated. Eight areas (clusters) are identified by investigating the precipitation seasonality through the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) climatological gauge data. Seasonality was fully reproduced by satellite data in each of the GPCC-identified clusters. Not surprisingly, complex terrain (mountain regions in particular) represents a challenge for satellite precipitation estimates, as demonstrated by the standard deviations of the six-product ensemble. A further confirmation comes from the comparison between satellite estimates and rain gauge measurements as a function of terrain elevation. The 3B42 product performs best, although the satellite gauge comparative analysis was not completely independent since a few of the products include a rain gauge bias correction.