Optimization of Statistical Metrics for Satellite Precipitation Products: Towards Improved Hydrological Modeling

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2026) | Viewed by 3433

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Guest Editor
Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Marakech, Morocco
Interests: hydrology; hydrogeology; water resources management; hydrological modeling

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Guest Editor
Earth Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cadi Ayyad University | UCAM, Marrakech, Morocco
Interests: environmental impact assessment

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Guest Editor
Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology-Guéliz, Cadi Ayyad University, Abdelkarim Elkhattabi Avenue, P.O. Box 549, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco
Interests: African geology; structural geology; petrology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Elevate hydrological modeling with precisely optimized satellite precipitation data! Refining statistical measures is crucial to enhancing the accuracy and reliability of rainfall information collected from space. By systematically improving metrics such as RMSE and bias, we enhance the accuracy of how satellite products align with ground rainfall measurements.

This crucial optimization leads to more reliable flood predictions, informed climate analysis, and enhanced water resource management. The integration of advanced techniques, including machine learning and multi-sensor fusion, further sharpens these datasets. The outcome is more robust hydrological simulations, empowering better-informed decisions for critical water-related challenges and a deeper understanding of weather extremes

Dr. Nour-Eddine Laftouhi
Prof. Dr. Lahoucine Hanich
Prof. Dr. Hassan Ibouh
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • satellite precipitation products
  • statistical metrics optimization
  • hydrological modeling
  • bias correction
  • error metrics (RMSE, POD, FAR)

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

35 pages, 20315 KB  
Article
Spatial Bias Correction of ERA5_Ag Reanalysis Precipitation Using Machine Learning Models in Semi-Arid Region of Morocco
by Achraf Chakri, Sana Abakarim, João C. Antunes Rodrigues, Nour-Eddine Laftouhi, Hassan Ibouh, Lahcen Zouhri and Elena Zaitseva
Atmosphere 2025, 16(11), 1234; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16111234 - 26 Oct 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2799
Abstract
Accurate precipitation data are essential for effective water resource management. This study aimed to correct precipitation values from the ERA5_Ag reanalysis dataset using observational data from 20 meteorological stations located in the Tensift basin, Morocco. Five machine learning models were evaluated: MLP, XGBoost, [...] Read more.
Accurate precipitation data are essential for effective water resource management. This study aimed to correct precipitation values from the ERA5_Ag reanalysis dataset using observational data from 20 meteorological stations located in the Tensift basin, Morocco. Five machine learning models were evaluated: MLP, XGBoost, CatBoost, LightGBM, and Random Forest. Model performance was assessed using RMSE, MAE, R2, and bias metrics, enabling the selection of the best−performing model to apply the correction. The results showed significant improvements in the accuracy of precipitation estimates, with R2 ranging between 0.80 and 0.90 in most stations. The best model was subsequently used to correct and generate raster maps of corrected precipitation over 42 years, providing a spatially detailed tool of great value for water resource management. This study is particularly important in semi−arid regions such as the Tensift basin, where water scarcity demands more accurate and informed decision−making. Full article
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