Comparison of Different Techniques for the Measurement of Precipitation in Tropical Montane Rain Forest Regions

Abstract Characteristics of different precipitation measurements in a tropical mountain valley in southern Ecuador are compared in this study to determine potential errors. The instruments are used for different ecological purposes like erosion studies, through fall measurements, investigation of atmospheric chemistry, and modeling of area rainfall distribution. Five recording devices (two precipitation radars, an electro-optical present weather sensor, and two tipping buckets) and three totaling gauges were operated in parallel at a designated site. Data were taken between 1998 and 2003 with different temporal resolution and different operational periods. The general agreement between the …