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

This research paper evaluates and compares four precipitation datasets—CFSR, MERRA, TRMM3B42, and a 'Combined Scheme' (CoSch)—against ground observations in Bolivia, focusing on the central Andes, Altiplano, southwestern Amazonia, and Chaco across rainy and dry seasons.

• While all four datasets accurately captured spatial rainfall patterns, the reanalysis datasets (CFSR and MERRA) overestimated precipitation on the eastern-facing slopes of the Andes and showed a dry bias in the eastern Amazon. In contrast, TRMM3B42 and the Combined Scheme provided a more realistic rainfall distribution for both the Amazon and the Andes.
• Analysis of precipitation classes revealed that MERRA and CFSR overestimated light to moderate rainfall (1-20 mm/day) and underestimated very heavy rainfall (above 50 mm/day). TRMM3B42 and the Combined Scheme aligned more closely with surface observations, although the Combined Scheme underestimated precipitation in very intense systems exceeding 50 mm/day.
• The Combined Scheme (CoSch) demonstrated the strongest performance among the tested datasets, achieving the highest correlation coefficient for every basin and season, and showing bias and RMSE values that closely represented surface observations.

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} }