Satellite estimation of precipitation over land

The availability of satellite-derived rainfall products to hydrologists and other natural scientists has increased enormously in the last five years. The purpose of this paper is to review concisely the current state-of-the-art of satellite precipitation estimation over land and the availability of standard products, and to highlight some of the strengths and limitations of satellite-derived rainfall data for hydrological applications. Methods based on infrared, visible and passive microwave radiation measurements are discussed. Results of several international activities aimed at evaluating the performance of the estimation algorithms are briefly summarized.