Niu et al. (2026) Multi-Scale Validation of Satellite-Based Precipitation Products and Their Impacts on Hydrological Simulation in a Humid Mountainous Basin

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Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-16
• Authors: Helong Wang, Dingtao Shen, Shenjun Lu, Shizong Zheng
• DOI: 10.3390/rs18183190

Research Groups

• Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Environment
• Department of Hydrology and Water Resources

Short Summary

This study evaluates the accuracy of four satellite-based precipitation products (GSMaP, PERSIANN, GPM IMERG, and CLDAS) in a humid mountainous region and their impact on hydrological simulation. The results show that CLDAS achieves the best agreement with gauge observations and improves runoff simulations.

Objective

• Investigate the reliability of satellite-based precipitation products across different spatial and temporal scales
• Evaluate the effect of these products on hydrological simulation in a humid mountainous basin

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Oujiang River Basin, southeastern China (approximately 10,000 km²)
• Temporal Scale: Daily precipitation estimates from 2015 to 2020

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Semi-distributed Xin’anjiang model
• Data sources: Gauge observations, satellite-based precipitation products (GSMaP, PERSIANN, GPM IMERG, and CLDAS)

Main Results

• CLDAS achieved the best overall agreement with gauge observations, with lower systematic bias and higher capability in detecting precipitation variability.
• Satellite-only products exhibited larger uncertainties during extreme rainfall events and in areas with complex terrain.
• Runoff simulations driven by CLDAS showed the highest accuracy (R2 = 0.706, NSE = 0.681, KGE = 0.815).

Contributions

• This study provides a multi-scale validation of satellite-based precipitation products and their impact on hydrological simulation in a humid mountainous region.
• The results highlight the importance of selecting an accurate precipitation product for improving runoff simulations.

Funding

• National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41922011)
• Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. QYZDY-SSW-DQC010)

Citation

@article{Niu2026MultiScale,
  author = {Niu, Zhuang and Wang, Helong and Shen, Dingtao and Lu, Shenjun and Zheng, Shizong},
  title = {Multi-Scale Validation of Satellite-Based Precipitation Products and Their Impacts on Hydrological Simulation in a Humid Mountainous Basin},
  journal = {Remote Sensing},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/rs18183190},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18183190}
}