The GPCC provides gridded gauge-analysis products derived from quality controlled station data. Two products are for climate: (a) the Full Data Reanalysis Product (1901-2010) is recommended for global and regional water balance studies, calibration/validation of remote sensing based rainfall estimations and verification of numerical models, and (b) the VASClimO 50-Year Data Set which is for climate variability and trend studies. The products are not bias corrected for systematic gauge measuring errors. However, the GPCC provides estimates for that error as well as the number of gauges used on the grid.
Key Strengths:
- Large number of stations used; gauge network extends beyond GHCN
Key Limitations:
- Variable number of stations per grid over time can be a major inhomogeneity source.
- Monitoring products are frequently updated but climate products are not
Years of Record
Timestep
Data Time Period Extended?
Domain
Spatial Resolution
Ocean or Land
Vertical Levels
Input Data
Data Access: Please Cite data sources, following the data providers' instructions.
- Rudolf, B., A. Becker, U. Schneider, A. Meyer-Christoffer, M. Ziese, 2010: GPCC Status Report December 2010. GPCC, December 2010, 7pp.
- A New Monthly Precipitation Climatology for the Global Land Areas for the Period 1951 to 2000
- U. Schneider, T. Fuchs, A. Meyer-Christoffer and B. Rudolf (2008): Global Precipitation Analysis Products of the GPCC. Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC), DWD, Internet Publikation, 1-12.
- Becher, A et al (2013): 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. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 5, 71-99
- Schneider, U. et al (2011): GPCC Full Data Reanalysis Version 6.0 at 0.5°: Monthly Land-Surface Precipitation from Rain-Gauges built on GTS-based and Historic Data.
- Schneider, U. et al (2013): GPCC's new land surface precipitation climatology based on quality-controlled in situ data and its role in quantifying the global water cycle. Theoretical and Applied Climatology