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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Boise, Idaho » Northwest Watershed Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #84914

Title: ACCURACY OF TRETYAKOV PRECIPITATION GUAGE: RESULT OF WMO INTERCOMPARISON

Author
item YANG, DAQING - ATMOSPHERIC ENV. SVC.
item GOODISON, BARRY - ATMOSPHERIC ENV. SERVICE
item METCALFE, JOHN - ATMOSPHERIC ENV. SERVICE
item GOLUBEV, VALENTIN - STATE HYDROLOGICAL INST.
item ELOMAA, ESKO - FINNISH METEOR. INSTITUTE
item GUNTHER, THILO - GERMAN WEATHER SERVICE
item BATES, ROY - U.S. ARMY CREEL
item PANGBURN, TIMOTHY - U.S. ARMY CREEL
item Hanson, Clayton
item EMERSON, DOUGLAS - USGS WRD

Submitted to: Hydrological Processes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Standard methods of measuring snowfall vary greatly between countries in the northern hemisphere. In order to address hydrological and meteorological problems of concern to most countries, compatible spatial and temporal measurements of precipitation are required. The World Meteorological Organization initiated an international comparison to assess national methods of measuring snow to determine the wind related errors in measurement and to derive standard methods for correcting snow measurements. Relationships between the Intercomparison Reference (DFIR) guage and the Russian Tretyakov non-recording were developed from data that had been obtained from sites located in several countries and Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in Idaho which will help to correct gauge-measured snowfall on a large portion of the northern hemisphere.

Technical Abstract: Correction of the systematic errors of guage-measured precipitation must be conducted in order to obtain a truly unbiased and homogeneous precipitation time-series for monitoring climate change, environmental impact assessment, hydrological modeling of runoff and evaluation of snow cover including amount and spatial extent. Based on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Solid Precipitation Measurement Intercomparison data, procidures have been developed to correct the snow catch by the U.S. National Weather Service 8" gauge to that of the Intercomparison Reference (DFIR) gauge. Data for this study were obtained from sites at the Valdai Hydrological Research Station in Russia, the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in Idaho and the Svaldai Hydrological Research Station in Russia, the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in Idaho and the Sleepers River Research Watershed in Vermont. Results from this and other studies will make it possible to correct gauge-measured precipitation on a large portion of the northern hemisphere since a large number of the national standard were tested in the WMO experiments.