Abstract
Ground weather observations are scarce in many parts of the globe,
hampering effective climate monitoring and disaster management. In the
Amazon basin, this occurs due to its remoteness and the challenging
measurement of rainfall within the forest. Innovative rainfall
estimation methods are thus requested to fill this gap. Here we present
an approach to estimate rainfall based on sound measurements. We
identified the best frequency range to estimate rainfall occurrence and
intensity, trained classification and regression models with sound and
rain gauge data collected in the Central Amazon during nine months. By
training a random forest classifier/regression model based on power
spectrum values it was possible to identify and satisfactorily estimate
hourly rainfall rates in two vegetation environments distinct from the
training site, located 30 km from it. The proposed method is a promising
approach for future weather monitoring in remote tropical areas.