Developing a high-resolution gridded rainfall product for Bangladesh during 1901-2018

Abstract

A high-resolution (1 km × 1 km) monthly gridded rainfall data product during 1901–2018, named Bangladesh Gridded Rainfall (BDGR), was developed in this study. In-situ rainfall observations retrieved from a number of sources, including national organizations and undigitized data from the colonial era, were used. Leave-one-out cross-validation was used to assess product’s ability to capture spatial and temporal variability. The results revealed spatial variability of the percentage bias (PBIAS) in the range of −2 to 2%, normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) <20%, and correlation coefficient (R2) >0.88 at most of the locations. The temporal variability in mean PBIAS for 1901–2018 was in the range of −4.5 to 4.3%, NRMSE between 9 and 19% and R2 in the range of 0.87 to 0.95. The BDGR also showed its capability in replicating temporal patterns and trends of observed rainfall with greater accuracy. The product can provide reliable insights regarding various hydrometeorological issues, including historical floods, droughts, and groundwater recharge for a well-recognized global climate hotspot, Bangladesh.