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........ published in NEWSLETTER # 54

GLOBAL PRECIPITATIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
by Dr. M. Desbois and Dr. F. Desalmand, Lab. de Meteorologie Dynamique, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau (France)

Global precipitation is scarcely considered a key component of climate change compared to global temperature. However, many changes in precipitation in the past have been identified. The first objective of the book (NATO ASI SERIES I26) is to review the past and present evolution of the precipitations on a global scale, related to climate evolution at different time scales. Paleoclimatological data with historical data are discussed in correlation with temperature changes. Various conventional climatological data are presented and their accuracy is discussed. Global assessment of precipitations includes discussions on the actual global mean (around 1000 mm/year) and recent trends (slight increase in the Northern hemisphere high latitudes and decreases over Sahelian Africa).

A special section is dedicated to satellite data and different methods of estimating rainfall from IR and microwave measurements are presented. The modelling section addresses problems to forecast and climated models, and the use of real time precipitation data in the model initialization as well as information on microphysical parameters are discussed for improvement. Current global programmes are described: GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project) is planning to provide the gridded monthly precipitation with the aim of future studies and interaction with models and TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) will use the first rain measuring radar in space and lightning imaging receivers based on the ground for the study of tropical storms. Discussions were organized at the end of the workshop to encourage international data exchange, and the different communities concluded on specific recommendations; for example paying special attention to tropical precipitation processes, enhancing the repetition rate of microwave measurements from space.
Reference books: B240, C282, I26

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