The Potential of Weather Watch Radar to Predict the Spatial Distribution of Rainfall Patterns in the Kimberley Region and Applications for Natural Resource Management

Abstract

This study sought to evaluate the utility of radar derived rainfall data as a unique resource for analysing the interplay between rainfall and ecosystem dynamics in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The Bureau of Meteorology's Weather Watch radar network was investigated as a potential source of spatially explicit radar data that could be processed to create estimates of accumulated rainfall over the rainy season. Data recorded at the Halls Creek station and covering an area of radius 256 km correlated positively with daily rainfall records from 42 ground based recording stations. However the degree of scatter in the radar accumulated rainfall was substantial, with a large proportion of the noise in the data attributed to the minimum height of the radar beam above the terrain. Radar derived rainfall data is unique in its spatial extent and temporal frequency, and it has the potential to be a valuable tool in understanding the complex interactions between rainfall, fire and ecosystem function in the Kimberley, and similar savanna ecosystems across Australian monsoonal tropics. Given the remoteness of the study area and the large distances between rainfall recording stations, radar derived rainfall estimates have the potential to assist in prioritising areas for pre-emptive fire and vegetation management.