Received: 6 August 2017 Accepted: 10 October 2017 DOI: 10.1002/hyp.11381 RESEARCH ARTICLE The importance of choosing precipitation datasets Micheal J. Simpson1 | Adam Hirsch2 | Kevin Grempler2 | Anthony Lupo2,3 1 Water Resources Program, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 203‐T Abstract ABNR Building, Columbia, MO 65211, USA Precipitation data are important for hydrometeorological analyses, yet there are many ways to 2 Soil, Environmental, and Atmospheric Science measure precipitation. The impact of station density analysed by the current study by comparing Department, School of Natural Resources, measurements from the Missouri Mesonet available via the Missouri Climate Center and Commu- University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, nity Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) measurements archived at the program USA website. The CoCoRaHS data utilize citizen scientists to report precipitation data providing for 3 Department of Natural Resources Management and Land Cadastre, Belgorod much denser data resolution than available through the Mesonet. Although previous research State National Research University, Belgorod, has shown the reliability of CoCoRaHS data, the results here demonstrate important differences 308015, Russia in details of the spatial and temporal distribution of annual precipitation across the state of Correspondence Missouri using the two data sets. Furthermore, differences in the warm and cold season Micheal J. Simpson, University of Missouri, Water Resources Program, School of Natural distributions are presented, some of which may be related to interannual variability such as that Resources, 203‐T ABNR Building, Columbia associated with the El Niño and Southern Oscillation. The contradictory results from two 65211, MO, USA. widely‐used datasets display the importance in properly choosing precipitation data that have Email:
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