Generation of Combined Daily Satellite-Based Precipitation Products over Bolivia

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

July 31, 2022

Manuscript: Generation of combined daily satellite-based precipitation products over Bolivia

The authors generated a combined daily precipitation data set for Bolivia in this article. The satellite-based precipitation (SBP) products selected are the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation Gauge (GSMaP) and the Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitations with Stations (CHIRPS). Finally, the obtained products (i.e., GS and CH) are evaluated against the SBP products and in situ precipitation data. They argue that their methodology is feasible to generate new precipitation data with an acceptable spatial resolution for hydrological applications. It is a relevant topic that is within the scope of the MDPI remote sensing journal. The article is well organized and well written with enough scientific content. However, similar work has been published in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences (Evaluation of Satellite Based Precipitation Products at Key Basins in Bolivia; DOI: 10.1007/s13143-020-00184-4; available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13143-020-00184-4). For this manuscript to be considered an original topic, it must adopt different methods and examine other SBP products. Therefore, a major revision is required for publication.

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Title: it reflects the content of the article. 

Abstract: it provides a complete picture of the manuscript content. It is concise. The keywords are appropriately reflective of the manuscript content.

Introduction: provides sufficient background and includes relevant references on the GSMaP and CHIRPS products and the Gridded Meteorological Ensemble Tool (GMET) product. The main limitations of the GMET have also been mentioned. Scope and purpose are presented. Nevertheless, the article 'Assessment of satellite-based precipitation products in key watersheds in Bolivia by Ureña and Saavedra' has not been cited. The authors must indicate what the core contribution of this work is.

Materials and Methods: the study area, data sources, and methodology are clearly described.

Line 124, Figure 1: for clarity, identify each basin and its main river in Figure 1a (i.e., Altiplano, Amazon, and La Plata). By the way, the elevation profiles of the river show several errors that are particularly prevalent along the valley (i.e., sudden change in elevation). Fix it by applying an appropriate filter to elevation data.

Line 143: '…temporal resolutions (daily, fortnightly and monthly) …' replace 'fortnightly' with 'pentadal.'  

Line 225: the statistical indicators listed in Table 1 (i.e., the determination coefficient, correlation coefficient, accumulate bias, MAE, RMSE, and NSE) must be defined with their formulation, perfect scores, range, and interpretation.

Results: the narrative of this section is clear and concise.

Line 258, Table 1 and Line 307, Table 2: for bias assessment, the relative bias (in mm/month) is more appropriate than 'Accumulate bias. So, consider replacing it.

Discussion: the narrative of this section is clear and harmonized with the previous section. However, comparing the results with other similar works in Bolivia where these or other SBP products have been used is necessary.

Conclusions: it is clear, concise, and in line with results and discussion.

Data Availability Statement: lines 372-373, 'GS and CH daily data can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15dAdYhgRSvLLJHetyf_vu9_gECp8GRwF?usp=sharing' To replicate, create a Zenodo account and then move these files to the Zenodo platform (https://zenodo.org/).

Author Response

We appreciate the suggestions of reviewer # 1. Not only we adjusted the manuscript following reviewers’ comments but also, we added an application section with generated daily product showing its capabilities and potential. We came up with an 18 pages manuscript.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Please see the attachment

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

We appreciate the suggestions of reviewer # 2. Not only we adjusted the manuscript following reviewers’ comments but also, we added an application section with generated daily product showing its capabilities and potential. We came up with an 18 pages manuscript.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

August 15, 2022

Dear Editor,

The authors have revised the manuscript based on most of my comments, so I support this revised version for publication on Remote Sensing.