Developments within the TAMSAT Group for long-term rainfall monitoring and agricultural early warning across Africa

Access to reliable historic and near-real time rainfall data is crucial in many applications, particularly in supporting drought and flood monitoring across the continent and also analysis of long-term changes in rainfall. Since gauge records alone are too sparse and inconsistent over time across many parts of Africa, satellite-based records are the only viable alternative. The longevity of the Meteosat programme, commencing in the late 1970s and running to the present day, thus provides over 35 years of continually updated satellite records for monitoring the current climate and assessing long-term changes in rainfall.

The TAMSAT Group, based in the UK, have pioneered the use of EUMETSAT Meteosat thermal infra-red imagery in satellite rainfall estimation since the 1980s, by providing operational rainfall estimates, and are continually developing new methods for improving the skill and usability of the rainfall products they create. In this talk, we will present an overview of the TAMSAT rainfall estimation system, along with developments in improving estimates through merging rain gauge measurements with satellite estimates. We will also present developments aimed at assessing drought-related risk on agriculture known as the TAMSAT-AgriculturaLEaRly warning system (ALERT). These developments in TAMSAT are essential for improving climate services across Africa, thereby increasing resilience to hydrological related disasters.

Access to reliable historic and near-real time rainfall data is crucial in many applications, particularly in supporting drought and flood monitoring across the continent and also analysis of long-term changes in rainfall. Since gauge records alone are too sparse and inconsistent over time across many parts of Africa, satellite-based records are the only viable alternative. The longevity of the Meteosat programme, commencing in the late 1970s and running to the present day, thus provides over 35 years of continually updated satellite records for monitoring the current climate and assessing long-term changes in rainfall.

The TAMSAT Group, based in the UK, have pioneered the use of EUMETSAT Meteosat thermal infra-red imagery in satellite rainfall estimation since the 1980s, by providing operational rainfall estimates, and are continually developing new methods for improving the skill and usability of the rainfall products they create. In this talk, we will present an overview of the TAMSAT rainfall estimation system, along with developments in improving estimates through merging rain gauge measurements with satellite estimates. We will also present developments aimed at assessing drought-related risk on agriculture known as the TAMSAT-AgriculturaLEaRly warning system (ALERT). These developments in TAMSAT are essential for improving climate services across Africa, thereby increasing resilience to hydrological related disasters.