• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.84-92
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• 2019

The deterioration of the urban heat environment due to climate change and the occurrence of heat-related diseases have emerged as one of the major social problems. This has led to more research on climate change, including heat waves, but it is mainly focused on climate factors. However, the urban heat island phenomenon accelerates the summer heat wave, and the increasing trend of heat-related patients in urban areas suggests the impact of the city's environment. Thus, this study analyzed the effects of physical and social characteristics of urban areas on heat-related patients in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The analysis showed that the ratio of the total area of residential, commercial and industrial facilities, the main source of heat energy locality, among the land use statuses, was not statistically significant, but the road area and the green area were found to have a positive and negative The population density and the percentage of people aged 65 or older, the percentage of people living alone and the proportion of people receiving basic living were all shown to be significant, with only the ratio of elderly living alone and the ratio of population density having negative effects. The results of the study can be used to develop urban policy alternatives related to local warming patients.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to select and predict optimal heatwave indices for describing and predicting heat-related illnesses. Regression analysis was conducted using Heat-related illness surveillance system data for a number of heat-related illnesses and meteorological data from the Korea Meteorological Administration's Automatic Weather Station (AWS) for the period from 2021 to 2023. Daily average temperature, daily maximum temperature, daily average Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), and daily maximum WBGT values were calculated and analyzed. The results indicated that among the four indicators, the daily maximum WBGT showed the highest suitability with an R² value of 0.81 and RMSE of 0.98, with a threshold of 29.94 Celsius. During the entire analysis period, there were a total of 91 days exceeding this threshold, resulting in 339 cases of heat-related illnesses. Predictions of heat-related illness cases from 2021 to 2023 using the regression equation for daily maximum WBGT showed an accuracy with less than 10 cases of error annually, demonstrating a high level of precision. Through continuous research and refinement of data and analysis methods, it is anticipated that this approach could contribute to predicting and mitigating the impact of heatwaves.

• Atmosphere
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.195-207
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• 2020

This study aims to introduce the structure of the impact-based heat health warning system on 165 counties in South Korea developed by the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences. This system was developed using the daily maximum perceived temperature (PTmax), which is a human physiology-based thermal comfort index, and the Local ENSemble prediction system for the probability forecasts. Also, A risk matrix proposed by the World Meteorological Organization was employed for the impact-based forecasts of this system. The threshold value of the risk matrix was separately set depending on regions. In this system, the risk level was issued as four levels (GREEN, YELLOW, ORANGE, RED) for first, second, and third forecast lead-day (LD1, LD2, and LD3). The daily risk level issued by the system was evaluated using emergency heat-related patients obtained at six cities, including Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu, and Busan, for LD1 to LD3. The high-risks level occurred more consistently in the shorter lead time (LD3 → LD1) and the performance (r_s) was increased from 0.42 (LD3) to 0.45 (LD1) in all cities. Especially, it showed good performance (r_s = 0.51) in July and August, when heat stress is highest in South Korea. From an impact-based forecasting perspective, PTmax is one of the most suitable temperature indicators for issuing the health risk warnings by heat in South Korea.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1-12
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• 2018

Heat waves during summer cause a qualitative degradation in urban environments and increases the number of patients who suffer from heat-related illnesses, and the urbanization deepens these problems. It is a prerequisite to analyze the current status accurately in order to assess the urban heat island phenomenon. Thus, this study aims to collect weather measurements information at the occurrence of a severe heat wave in Seoul, thereby allowing analysis of information, which will also consider the land use type. The weather measurement information used in the analysis had an advantage, as the gap between measured locations is considerably shorter than before due to the miniaturization of the automatic weather systems (AWS), which are connected through the communication network. Based on the above collected information, a temporal change in the data due to land use type was analyzed. As a result, the difference in temperature change in response to the land use type could be compared, as could the occurrence pattern of the tropical night phenomenon, and the effect on temperature reduction in green belt areas could be identified through the comparison of the intensity of heat island by time and land use. The methods and results derived in this study through the comparative analysis in terms of time and land use, weather information measurements, and mapping can be utilized as foundational data that can be referred to in urban planning to reduce the heat island phenomenon in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.89-113
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• 2023

This study aimed to identify heat wave vulnerable areas and discuss spatial typology and policy directions through spatial coincidence analysis of heat wave damage. By utilizing the climate change vulnerability assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Spatial Statistics Comparison Analysis, this study examined cities, counties, and districts in South Korea for five years (2015-2019), including 2018, when the heat wave was most extreme. It was determined that the number of heat wave days (exposure) was the most impactful among various factors for heat wave vulnerability. Sensitivity and adaptive capacity to heat waves were found to vary according to regional characteristics. The relationship between heat wave vulnerability and damage was categorized into four types through spatial coherence. Hot to Hot and Cold to Cold types have a positive relationship between vulnerability and damage, while Hot to Cold and Cold to Hot types have a negative relationship. The findings suggest that since different types of regions have distinct characteristics and conditions, policies and research for improvement should be directed to address each region separately. This study may be used as basic data for establishing heat-related policies in the future, as it categorizes regions by considering both heat vulnerability and damage and examines the direction of response by type.