Precipitation Spectra Analysis Over China With High-Resolution Measurements From Optimally Merged Satellite/Gauge Observations—Part I: Spatial and Seasonal Analysis

Precipitation amount (PA), frequency (PF), and intensity (PI) over China are characterized and quantified using a high-resolution merged satellite-gauge precipitation product for 6 years (January 2008 through December 2013). The precipitation product synthesizes both state-of-the-art multisatellite precipitation algorithms and the latest, densest gauge observations to provide high-quality precipitation information at a very fine temporal and spatial resolution (0.1°/hourly) that encompasses all of China. The geographical and seasonal variations in precipitation are systematically documented over seven subregions, each corresponding to a unique climate regime. PA, PF, and PI have large seasonal and geographical variations across China. It is found that 1) although heavy precipitation events (>10 mm/h) represent only 0.8% of total precipitation occurrence over China, they contribute 12.1% of the total precipitation volume. Light precipitation events (<;1 mm/h) dominate the precipitation occurrence (74.3%) and contribute 23.1% of the total precipitation volume; 2) over the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau (TP), the land-locked Xinjiang (XJ) province, and northwestern China (NW), light precipitation events (<;1 mm/h) occur very frequently (74.7%, 82.1%, and 64.1% of all precipitation events) and contribute 29.8%, 35.5%, and 27.4% of the total precipitation volume. This initial continental-scale study provides new insights on precipitation characteristics that can benefit meteorological and hydrological modeling and applications, especially in areas with sparse rain-gauge coverage.