Precipitation products from the hydrology SAF

Abstract. The EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H-SAF) was established by the EUMETSAT Council on 3 July 2005, starting activity on 1 September 2005. The Italian Meteorological Service serves as Leading Entity on behalf of twelve European member countries. H-SAF products include precipitation, soil moisture and snow parameters. Some products are based only on satellite observations, while other products are based on the assimilation of satellite measurements/products into numerical models. In addition to product development and generation, H-SAF includes a product validation program and a hydrological validation program that are coordinated, respectively, by the Italian Department of Civil Protection and by the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. The National Center of Aeronautical Meteorology and Climatology (CNMCA) of the Italian Air Force is responsible for operational product generation and dissemination. In this paper we describe the H-SAF precipitation algorithms and products, which have been developed by the Italian Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (in collaboration with the international community) and by CNMCA during the Development Phase (DP, 2005–2010) and the first Continuous Development and Operations Phase (CDOP-1, 2010–2012). The precipitation products are based on passive microwave measurements obtained from radiometers onboard different sun-synchronous low-Earth-orbiting satellites (especially, the SSM/I and SSMIS radiometers onboard DMSP satellites and the AMSU-A + AMSU-B/MHS radiometer suites onboard EPS-MetOp and NOAA-POES satellites), as well as on combined infrared/passive microwave measurements in which the passive microwave precipitation estimates are used in conjunction with SEVIRI images from the geostationary MSG satellite. Moreover, the H-SAF product generation and dissemination chain and independent product validation activities are described. Also, the H-SAF program and its associated activities that currently are being carried out or are planned to be performed within the second CDOP phase (CDOP-2, 2012–2017) are presented in some detail. Insofar as CDOP-2 is concerned, it is emphasized that all algorithms and processing schemes will be improved and enhanced so as to extend them to satellites that will be operational within this decade – particularly the geostationary Meteosat Third Generation satellites and the low-Earth-orbiting Core Observatory of the international Global Precipitation Measurement mission. Finally, the role of H-SAF within the international science and operations community is explained.</p

The validation service of the hydrological SAF geostationary and polar satellite precipitation products

Abstract. The development phase (DP) of the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility for Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H-SAF) led to the design and implementation of several precipitation products, after 5 yr (2005–2010) of activity. Presently, five precipitation estimation algorithms based on data from passive microwave and infrared sensors, on board geostationary and sun-synchronous platforms, function in operational mode at the H-SAF hosting institute to provide near real-time precipitation products at different spatial and temporal resolutions. In order to evaluate the precipitation product accuracy, a validation activity has been established since the beginning of the project. A Precipitation Product Validation Group (PPVG) works in parallel with the development of the estimation algorithms with two aims: to provide the algorithm developers with indications to refine algorithms and products, and to evaluate the error structure to be associated with the operational products. In this paper, the framework of the PPVG is presented: (a) the characteristics of the ground reference data available to H-SAF (i.e. radar and rain gauge networks), (b) the agreed upon validation strategy settled among the eight European countries participating in the PPVG, and (c) the steps of the validation procedures. The quality of the reference data is discussed, and the efforts for its improvement are outlined, with special emphasis on the definition of a ground radar quality map and on the implementation of a suitable rain gauge interpolation algorithm. The work done during the H-SAF development phase has led the PPVG to converge into a common validation procedure among the members, taking advantage of the experience acquired by each one of them in the validation of H-SAF products. The methodology is presented here, indicating the main steps of the validation procedure (ground data quality control, spatial interpolation, up-scaling of radar data vs. satellite grid, statistical score evaluation, case study analysis). Finally, an overview of the results is presented, focusing on the monthly statistical indicators, referred to the satellite product performances over different seasons and areas

Validation of the H-SAF precipitation product H03 over Greece using rain gauge data

This paper presents an extensive validation of the combined infrared/microwave H-SAF (EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management) precipitation product H03, for a 1-year period, using gauge observations from a relatively dense network of 233 stations over Greece. First, the quality of the interpolated data used to validate the precipitation product is assessed and a quality index is constructed based on parameters such as the density of the station network and the orography. Then, a validation analysis is conducted based on comparisons of satellite (H03) with interpolated rain gauge data to produce continuous and multi-categorical statistics at monthly and annual timescales by taking into account the different geophysical characteristics of the terrain (land, coast, sea, elevation). Finally, the impact of the quality of interpolated data on the validation statistics is examined in terms of different configurations of the interpolation model and the rain gauge network characteristics used in the interpolation. The possibility of using a quality index of the interpolated data as a filter in the validation procedure is also investigated. The continuous validation statistics show yearly root mean squared error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) corresponding to the 225 and 105 % of the mean rain rate, respectively. Mean error (ME) indicates a slight overall tendency for underestimation of the rain gauge rates, which takes large values for the high rain rates. In general, the H03 algorithm cannot retrieve very well the light (10 mm/h) precipitation. The poor correlation between satellite and gauge data points to algorithm problems in colocating precipitation patterns. Seasonal comparison shows that retrieval errors are lower for cold months than in the summer months of the year. The multi-categorical statistics indicate that the H03 algorithm is able to discriminate efficiently the rain from the no rain events although a large number of rain events are missed. The most prominent feature is the very high false alarm ratio (FAR) (more than 70 %), the relatively low probability of detection (POD) (less than 40 %), and the overestimation of the rainy pixels. Although the different geophysical features of the terrain (land, coast, sea, elevation) and the quality of the interpolated data have an effect on the validation statistics, this, in general, is not significant and seems to be more distinct in the categorical than in the continuous statistics

Scurvy disease in a young Sicilian man: a case report

BACKGROUND Scurvy disease is a condition due to deficiency of ascorbid acid (vitamin C) and it is characterized by weakness, anemia, appearance of mucocutaneous hemorrhages and induration of muscles in the legs. We report a case of a young man living in the island of Sicily, Italy. CASE REPORT A 17 years old man was admitted to our hospital for the appearance of diffused cutaneous manifestations. Cause the perception of being overweight, he began autonomously a diet and he didn’t take any fruit or vegetables for several months. At admission we observed the presence of severe muscular hypotrophy associated to hematomas subcutaneous of thorax, trunk and legs. Blood examination showed a mild anemia and the reduction of serum proteins. Coagulation patterns and electrocardiography were normal. Tomography showed the presence of pericardial and pelvic effusion. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed the reduction in wall thickness and a moderate anterior and posterior pericardial effusion with normal systolic and diastolic function. The blood level of vitamin C was considerably lower than normal range. Definitive diagnosis was “scurvy disease”. We start treatment with ascorbic acid at maximum dose combined with hypercaloric diet. Cutaneous lesions resolved in two weeks. After five months, with normalization of ascorbic acid level and complete disappearance of cutaneous manifestations, we repeated echocardiography showing a significantly increasing left ventricular wall thickness and the reduction in pericardial effusion. CONCLUSIONS Scurvy disease is extremely rare in Sicily where citrus fruit cultivations are extensive and typical of the island. Scurvy disease is historically linked to the era of great maritime expeditions, but it still occurs in developed countries and re-emerging in Western countries. In this case we observed a combination of cutaneous and cardiac findings probably due to combined malnutrition and vitamin C deficiency

Trojan Horse particle invariance for

In the last decades the Trojan Horse method has played a crucial role for the measurement of several charged particle induced reactions cross sections of astrophysical interest. To better understand its cornerstones and its applications to physical cases many tests were performed to verify all its properties and the possible future perspectives. The Trojan Horse nucleus invariance for the binary d(d,p)t reaction was therefore tested using the quasi free 2H(6Li, pt)4He and 2H(3He,pt)H reactions after 6Li and 3He break-up, respectively. The astrophysical S(E)-factor for the d(d,p)t binary process was then extracted in the framework of the Plane Wave Approximation applied to the two different break-up schemes. The obtained results are compared with direct data as well as with previous indirect investigations. The very good agreement confirms the applicability of the plane wave approximation and suggests the independence of binary indirect cross section on the chosen Trojan Horse nucleus also for the present case

The Trojan-horse Method applied to the reaction 6Li(p,alpha)3He down to atrophysically relevant energies

The Trojan-Horse Method has been applied to the three-body d(6Li,alpha 3He)n breack-up reaction in order to extract the bare nucleus S(E) factor for the 6Li(p,alpha)3He reaction down to astrophysical energies