Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges in Hydrological Research: Summary on Measurement Uncertainties, Calibration, and Error Reduction Strategies
Tipping bucket rain gauges (TBRs) continue to be one of the most widely used pieces of equipment for rainfall monitoring; they are frequently used for the calibration, validation, and downscaling of radar and remote sensing data, due to their major advantages—low cost, simplicity and low-energy cons...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/12/5385 |
| _version_ | 1827735645104111616 |
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| author | Daniel A. Segovia-Cardozo Carlota Bernal-Basurco Leonor Rodríguez-Sinobas |
| author_facet | Daniel A. Segovia-Cardozo Carlota Bernal-Basurco Leonor Rodríguez-Sinobas |
| author_sort | Daniel A. Segovia-Cardozo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tipping bucket rain gauges (TBRs) continue to be one of the most widely used pieces of equipment for rainfall monitoring; they are frequently used for the calibration, validation, and downscaling of radar and remote sensing data, due to their major advantages—low cost, simplicity and low-energy consumption. Thus, many works have focused and continue to focus on their main disadvantage—measurement biases (mainly in wind and mechanical underestimations). However, despite arduous scientific effort, calibration methodologies are not frequently implemented by monitoring networks’ operators or data users, propagating bias in databases and in the different applications of such data, causing uncertainty in the modeling, management, and forecasting in hydrological research, mainly due to a lack of knowledge. Within this context, this work presents a review of the scientific advances in TBR measurement uncertainties, calibration, and error reduction strategies from a hydrological point of view, by describing different rainfall monitoring techniques, summarizing TBR measurement uncertainties, focusing on calibration and error reduction strategies, discussing the state of the art and providing future perspectives of the technology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:57:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-21277b1cef204812802e3ea89f953c90 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:57:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-21277b1cef204812802e3ea89f953c902023-11-18T12:30:16ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202023-06-012312538510.3390/s23125385Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges in Hydrological Research: Summary on Measurement Uncertainties, Calibration, and Error Reduction StrategiesDaniel A. Segovia-Cardozo0Carlota Bernal-Basurco1Leonor Rodríguez-Sinobas2Research Group Hydraulics for Irrigation, Departmento de Ingeniería Agroforestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainResearch Group Hydraulics for Irrigation, Departmento de Ingeniería Agroforestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainResearch Group Hydraulics for Irrigation, Departmento de Ingeniería Agroforestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainTipping bucket rain gauges (TBRs) continue to be one of the most widely used pieces of equipment for rainfall monitoring; they are frequently used for the calibration, validation, and downscaling of radar and remote sensing data, due to their major advantages—low cost, simplicity and low-energy consumption. Thus, many works have focused and continue to focus on their main disadvantage—measurement biases (mainly in wind and mechanical underestimations). However, despite arduous scientific effort, calibration methodologies are not frequently implemented by monitoring networks’ operators or data users, propagating bias in databases and in the different applications of such data, causing uncertainty in the modeling, management, and forecasting in hydrological research, mainly due to a lack of knowledge. Within this context, this work presents a review of the scientific advances in TBR measurement uncertainties, calibration, and error reduction strategies from a hydrological point of view, by describing different rainfall monitoring techniques, summarizing TBR measurement uncertainties, focusing on calibration and error reduction strategies, discussing the state of the art and providing future perspectives of the technology.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/12/5385precipitation monitoringrainfall measurement biasesrain gaugemeasurement errorhydrological forecast |
| spellingShingle | Daniel A. Segovia-Cardozo Carlota Bernal-Basurco Leonor Rodríguez-Sinobas Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges in Hydrological Research: Summary on Measurement Uncertainties, Calibration, and Error Reduction Strategies Sensors precipitation monitoring rainfall measurement biases rain gauge measurement error hydrological forecast |
| title | Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges in Hydrological Research: Summary on Measurement Uncertainties, Calibration, and Error Reduction Strategies |
| title_full | Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges in Hydrological Research: Summary on Measurement Uncertainties, Calibration, and Error Reduction Strategies |
| title_fullStr | Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges in Hydrological Research: Summary on Measurement Uncertainties, Calibration, and Error Reduction Strategies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges in Hydrological Research: Summary on Measurement Uncertainties, Calibration, and Error Reduction Strategies |
| title_short | Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges in Hydrological Research: Summary on Measurement Uncertainties, Calibration, and Error Reduction Strategies |
| title_sort | tipping bucket rain gauges in hydrological research summary on measurement uncertainties calibration and error reduction strategies |
| topic | precipitation monitoring rainfall measurement biases rain gauge measurement error hydrological forecast |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/12/5385 |
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