Composable multi-satellite precipitation estimation for evolving observing systems

Abstract

Rapid and spatially continuous precipitation monitoring is critical for flood, landslide, and other hydrometeorological hazard warnings, particularly in regions where rain-gauge and weather-radar networks are sparse. The coordinated use of heterogeneous satellite observations, including geostationary infrared, passive microwave, and spaceborne radar measurements, is therefore a key pathway toward more accurate and spatially refined precipitation monitoring. Recent deep-learning methods have substantially improved multi-source satellite precipitation estimation, but most remain tied to predefined combinations of satellite inputs. As satellite observing systems evolve, incorporating new instruments often requires substantial model retraining and maintenance. We propose PRISMA, a generative framework for precipitation retrieval from multi-source observations. The framework separates the training of the precipitation prior from sensor-specific observational constraints, enabling sensor branches to be flexibly composed or extended without retraining the precipitation generative backbone. We successively integrate FY-4B/AGRI, GPM/GMI, F16-F18 SSMIS, and GPM/DPR-Ka observations within the PRISMA framework, achieving consistent improvements in precipitation-estimation accuracy. Matched-footprint experiments further confirm the effective use of complementary information from coincident sensors. Independent station validation shows that PRISMA outperforms IMERG Final in both CRPS and RMSE while providing positive fair Brier skill across all precipitation thresholds. PRISMA enables flexible composition of heterogeneous satellite observations and rapid generation of accurate ensemble precipitation estimates, strengthening satellite-based precipitation monitoring.