Using new observations to improve high latitude and high altitude precipitation estimates in support of water and energy budget calculations and prediction of future changes

High-latitude and cold mountainous regions respond more strongly to anthropogenic climate change than other regions. Uncertainties in quantitative precipitation estimates over these regions are also recognized to be very large. These need to be reduced to improve water and energy budget analyses, advance understanding of physical processes, and allow better assessment of climate models used to predict climate changes and consequences. In the present work we assess commonly used precipitation products (e.g., GPCP) used in global water and energy balance calculations, and utilize new satellite observations (which are not used in the production of such products) to gain additional insights on their performance. We use a combination of recent spaceborne observations from the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and the global precipitation measurement (GPM) missions to help calculate the amount, phase, and distribution of precipitation. Our study includes all ocean and land poleward of 50-degree latitude and the Tibetan Plateau. We highlight major areas for future improvements in support of NEWS and GEWEX science objectives. We will use the improved precipitation estimates to assess climate models (e.g., CMIP5), select a model subset that best represents the current climate, and use that subset to project future changes in high latitudes.