A description of the global land-surface precipitation data products of the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre with sample applications including centennial (trend) analysis from 1901–present

Abstract

Abstract. The availability of highly accessible and reliable monthly gridded data sets of the global land-surface precipitation is a need that has already been identified in the mid-80s when there was a complete lack of a globally homogeneous gauge based precipitation analysis. Since 1989 the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) has built up a unique capacity to assemble, quality assure, and analyse rain gauge data gathered from all over the world. The resulting data base has exceeded 200 yr in temporal coverage and has acquired data from more than 85 000 stations world-wide. This paper provides the reference publication for the four globally gridded monthly precipitation products of the GPCC covering a 111-yr analysis period from 1901–present, processed from this data base. As required for a reference publication, the content of the product portfolio, as well as the underlying methodologies to process and interpolate are detailed. Moreover, we provide information on the systematic and statistical errors associated with the data products. Finally, sample applications provide potential users of GPCC data products with suitable advice on capabilities and constraints of the gridded data sets. In doing so, the capabilities to access ENSO and NAO sensitive precipitation regions and to perform trend analysis across the past 110 yr are demonstrated. The four gridded products, i.e. the Climatology V2011 (CLIM), the Full Data Reanalysis (FD) V6, the Monitoring Product (MP) V4, and the First Guess Product (FG) are public available on easy accessible latitude longitude grids encoded in zipped clear text ASCII files for subsequent visualization and download through the GPCC download gate hosted on ftp://ftp.dwd.de/pub/data/gpcc/html/download_gate.html by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Offenbach, Germany. Depending on the product four (0.25°, 0.5°, 1.0°, 2.5° for CLIM), three (0.5°, 1.0°, 2.5°, for FD), two (1.0°, 2.5° for MP) or one (1.0° for FG) resolutions are provided, and for each product a DOI reference is provided allowing for public user access to the products. A preliminary description of the scope of a fifth product – the Homogenized Precipitation Analysis (HOMPRA) – is also provided. Its comprehensive description will be handed later in an extra paper upon completion of this data product. DOIs of the gridded datasets examined: doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/CLIM_M_V2011_025, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/CLIM_M_V2011_050, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/CLIM_M_V2011_100, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/CLIM_M_V2011_250, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/FD_M_V6_050, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/FD_M_V6_100, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/FD_M_V6_250, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/MP_M_V4_100, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/MP_M_V4_250, doi:10.5676/DWD_GPCC/FG_M_100