C/N/126. Water Resource Management Ï measuring precipitation inputs into a drainage basin

This paper discusses a variety of methods to measure precipitation inputs into a drainage basin. These include Rain gauge, Snowfall gauge, Snow Pillow and Radar along with their different variations. The pros and cons of each method are analysed using extensive list of secondary sources. The analysis reveals that different methods may be suitable in different conditions. Although the radar method does seem to be more reliable in most conditions, high cost reduces its practical application in many cases. Further research and advancement especially in the Air-Bourne (satellite based) radars is recommended to cover much larger area with fewer radars to make it more reliable as well as cost effective.