Using clustering algorithms and GPM data to identify spatial precipitation patterns over southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Southeastern Brazil comprises an important geoeconomic and populous region in South America. Consequently, it is essential to analyze and understand the precipitation profiles in this region. Among different data sources and techniques available to perform such study, the use of clustering algorithms and information from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) project rises as a convenient yet few exploited alternative. Precisely, this study employs the K-Means, the Hierarchical Ward, and the Self-Organizing Maps methods to cluster the annual and seasonal precipitation data from GPM project recorded from 2001 to 2019. The adopted methods are compared in terms of quantitative measures and the number of clusters defined through a well-established rule. The results demonstrate that the annual and seasonal periods are organized according to different number of clusters. Moreover, the results allow: identify the presence of a spatially heterogeneous distribution in the study area; to conclude that the K-Means algorithm is a suitable clustering method in the context of this investigation when compared to Ward’s Hierarchical and Self-Organizing Maps methods in terms of the Calinski-Harabasz and Davies-Bouldin measures; and that the spatial precipitation distribution over Southeastern Brazil is represented by 10 clusters in annual and summer periods, 11 clusters in autumn and spring and 9 clusters in winter period.