title: The climate hazards infrared precipitation with stations--a new environmental record for monitoring extremes.
abstract: The Climate Hazards group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) dataset builds on previous approaches to 'smart' interpolation techniques and high resolution, long period of record precipitation estimates based on infrared Cold Cloud Duration (CCD) observations. The algorithm i) is built around a 0.05° climatology that incorporates satellite information to represent sparsely gauged locations, ii) incorporates daily, pentadal, and monthly 1981-present 0.05° CCD-based precipitation estimates, iii) blends station data to produce a preliminary information product with a latency of about 2 days and a final product with an average latency of about 3 weeks, and iv) uses a novel blending procedure incorporating the spatial correlation structure of CCD-estimates to assign interpolation weights. We present the CHIRPS algorithm, global and regional validation results, and show how CHIRPS can be used to quantify the hydrologic impacts of decreasing precipitation and rising air temperatures in the Greater Horn of Africa. Using the Variable Infiltration Capacity model, we show that CHIRPS can support effective hydrologic forecasts and trend analyses in southeastern Ethiopia.
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science, 47914 252nd St., Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198, USA.|UC Santa Barbara Climate Hazards Group, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Funk
authors.affiliation: UC Santa Barbara Climate Hazards Group, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Pete
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: UC Santa Barbara Climate Hazards Group, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landsfeld
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science, 47914 252nd St., Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198, USA.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pedreros
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science, 47914 252nd St., Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verdin
authors.affiliation: UC Santa Barbara Climate Hazards Group, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Shraddhanand
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.affiliation: UC Santa Barbara Climate Hazards Group, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Husak
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science, 47914 252nd St., Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rowland
authors.affiliation: UC Santa Barbara Climate Hazards Group, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colarodo 80305, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoell
authors.affiliation: UC Santa Barbara Climate Hazards Group, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michaelsen