Precipitation comparison for the CFSR, MERRA, TRMM3B42 and Combined Scheme datasets in Bolivia

The study evaluates four precipitation datasets in Bolivia, finding that the Combined Scheme (CoSch) provides the highest correlation and most accurate representation of surface observations. While CFSR and MERRA overestimated light to moderate rainfall and underestimated heavy precipitation, TRMM3B42 and CoSch showed more realistic distributions over the Amazon and Andes.

• The Combined Scheme (CoSch) demonstrated the best performance among the tested datasets, achieving the highest correlation coefficient across all seasons and basins, and showing bias and RMSE values that closely represent surface observations.
• CFSR and MERRA reanalysis datasets showed spatial inaccuracies, overestimating precipitation on the eastern-facing slopes of the Andes and exhibiting a dry bias over the eastern Amazon.
• In terms of precipitation intensity, MERRA and CFSR overestimated light to moderate rainfall (1-20 mm/day) and underestimated very heavy rainfall (> 50 mm/day), whereas TRMM3B42 and CoSch were more similar to surface observations, though CoSch underestimated very intense systems (> 50 mm/day).

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Precipitation comparison for the CFSR, MERRA, TRMM3B42 and Combined Scheme datasets in Bolivia. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/precipitation-comparison-for-the-cfsr-merra-trmm3b42-and-combined-scheme-datasets-in-bolivia/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Precipitation comparison for the CFSR, MERRA, TRMM3B42 and Combined Scheme datasets in Bolivia. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/precipitation-comparison-for-the-cfsr-merra-trmm3b42-and-combined-scheme-datasets-in-bolivia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Precipitation comparison for the CFSR, MERRA, TRMM3B42 and Combined Scheme datasets in Bolivia |date=15 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/precipitation-comparison-for-the-cfsr-merra-trmm3b42-and-combined-scheme-datasets-in-bolivia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025precipitation, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Precipitation comparison for the CFSR, MERRA, TRMM3B42 and Combined Scheme datasets in Bolivia}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/precipitation-comparison-for-the-cfsr-merra-trmm3b42-and-combined-scheme-datasets-in-bolivia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }