Insights into rainfall undercatch for differing raingauge rim heights

Abstract

The measurement of rainfall has a long history, but despite its apparent simplicity it is difficult to quantify accurately. The common installation of raingauges with rims above the ground surface results in a difference between the rainfall caught and the amount reaching ground level, termed undercatch. The UK standard installation of raingauges is for their rim to be sited at 0.305 m above the ground; however, the use of weighing gauges installed at a minimum rim height of 1 m has increased in recent years. The installation of these weighing raingauges raises complex questions of homogeneity in rainfall data across space and time. Here, we investigate the impact of these changes using field trials of commonly deployed UK raingauges at a site in south-east England. This paper discusses the results of the trial, exploring the variation in and potential drivers of undercatch with differing gauge sitings. With varying standards for gauge heights around the world and new rainfall measurement technologies coming to the market all the time, improved understanding of undercatch is needed to inform evolving operational practices and explore the possibility of developing catch correction algorithms to remove arising inhomogeneity in precipitation datasets.