Peter May and Beth Ebert CAWCR Bureau of Meteorology Australia Water issues Peter May and Beth Ebert CAWCR Bureau of Meteorology Australia

Precipitation measurement (1) Rain gauges still the "gold standard" Snow measurements an issue Radar the "next best" National networks going polarimetric Emerging international standards for QC & formats to facilitate best practice and data exchange Satellite – quasi-global coverage Require bias correction Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) Research satellites (CloudSat, EarthCARE, etc.) for process studies

Precipitation measurement (2) Merged gauge+radar+satellite products needed Finer space/time scales? Challenging regions High latitudes, tropics, oceans, developing nations Special observation datasets TOMACS, HyMeX, SCRMEX, etc. Can we get even more value from existing datasets, e.g., COPS?

Precipitation modelling Convection parameterization in large-scale models Is large-scale rain adequately modelled? High resolution ensemble modelling Representation of microphysical processes How important is coupled atm-ocean-land for short & medium range forecasts of rain? More coordinated precipitation modelling experiments (beyond intercomparisons)

Precipitation nowcasting Can we do any better with radar nowcasts or have we extracted most/all information? Ditto with satellite? Assimilation of radar & satellite into rapid update NWP closing the nowcast-forecast gap RDPs/FDPs have accelerated progress – need for more?

Precipitation forecasting & warning Interpretation of high resolution NWP, esp. from ensembles How to handle uncertainty – edge between determinism and probability, big impacts from small errors Slow progress in key parameterisations in global models Communication of heavy rain warnings & forecasts in most meaningful way Working with users – emergency managers, dam operators, agriculture sector, etc.

Impact prediction Who is responsible? How best to input precipitation to downstream predictions? Hazard impacts – flooding, debris flows, road icing, damage to infrastructure Water balance and water resources Need for two-way coupling via land surface model?

Verification and value assessment Obs issues impact on verification User-focused verification methods How to estimate economic value of precipitation forecasts? Hazard mitigation, resource estimation How to obtain and use relevant economic information in commercially sensitive world?