• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.103-111
• /
• 1996

I followed the results of Lee and Min(1996) for classification of the months of cold and warm winter. The winter of 1992 and 1984 recorded extraordinary cold and warm. Study of the Synoptic Climatology on the January's cold and warm winter is below: (1) Climatology's characteristic. Temperature of extremely high temperature month is higher compared with extremely low temperature month. Also precipitation is more than over low temperature month compared with extremely high temperature month. (2) In circulation of 500hPa surface. (1) Extremely high temperature month At 500hPa, negative geopotential height anomalies in high latitude, three trough developed over eastern Canada. In midlatitude, a deep trough persisted in the central North Pacific and conspicuous positive height anomalies showed over northwestern Europe, Where a blocking anticyclone developed. It had been warmer than normal since last year in Korea due mainly to positive height anomalies stretched from central Siberia (2) Extremely low temperature month Appeared the strong meridional circulation and negative height anomalies showed from Far East to the Mid-Pacific and appeared ridge in the west of the North America and Atlantic. Alutien Low shows negative deviation during 1984. In northern hemisphere shows negative deviation. Therefore, we can show that the surface pressure distribution and height distribution of 500hPa level are closely connected with each other as parts of general circulation. (3) The characteristics of the general circulation pattern of the 500hPa (1) Extremely high temperature month is high than extremely low temperature month1984 in Zonal index (2) The majority type is S type in 500hPa level circulation of extremely high temperature month but extremely high temperature month is M type (3) The wave number in 500hPa all shows 3 wave. So can not distinguished by only predominant wave number pattern.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.151-162
• /
• 1999

This study is a comparative analysis of sea level and 500hPa surfaces between dry year and wet year, which are selected by variability of precipitation and standardized anomalies in Korea in early autumn. While the amount of precipitation of early autumn decreases, the variability of precipitation increases rapidly reflecting the strength and weakness of Kaul Changma front and the occurrences of the typhoonic precipitation. The regional distribution of the variability of precipitation shows west-high, east-low pattern in which the east coast and the southeastern coast shows low, but high in the southwestern coast. In the anomalies distribution of sea-level and 500hPa surfaces, during dry year, the northern part of Siberia and the core area of North Pacific high shows negative anomalies, on the contrary, there were positive anomalies in wet year at the same areas. In addition, at the 500hPa level, while the Korean peninsula was located at the west of deep trough with low zonal index in dry year, the peninsula was influenced by weak trough with high zonal index showing strong zonal flow in wet year. During dry year the height of 500hPa surface is low at the north of $40^{\circ}N$, but high in wet year. In consequences, this study identified that the occurrences of dry year and wet year were influenced by the seasonal variations of the strength and the weakness of North Pacific high and Siberian high.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.93-102
• /
• 1996

The Korean Peninsula is located on the east coast of monsoon Asia of the midlatitude, where the Pacific polar front moves. As a result variations of spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation occur. A great variation of precipitation during the summer months created frequent droughts and floods. The purpose of this study is to identify distributional characteristics and to analyze synopic characteristics of summer droughts in Korea. The research methods used are ; (1) to identify droughts based on the anomaly of monthly precipitation during summer of 1994. (2) to analyze correlations between drought and weather systems by using the calender of rain days. (3) to compare a synoptic mechanism of summer droughts with that of typical normal summer. The characteristics of summer droughts of 1994 may be summarized as follows ; 1) While most regions were affected by the droughts some regions displayed specific characteristics. The southern part of the Korean Peninsula was severely affected during the month of June. August droughts severely affected east part of the Sobek Mountains, thus showing that the droughts of June and August are highly localized. 2) In the pressure anomaly of surface field. the positive anomaly appears in June around Korean Peninsula, but in July when all parts of the South Korea were under severe droughts, the anomaly changes and becomes negative. 3) Extracyclones occurred less frequently in the summer of 1994. Those that did occur were located in areas far off the Korean Peninsula having little consequences on the drought patterns. 4) The trough of westerly wave at 500hPa height patterns in June is located far from the eastern sea of Korean Peninsula, but in July and August Korean Peninsula belongs to ridge of westerly wave. 5) In June the positive height anomaly at 500hPa surface appears zonally from Siberia to the western Parts of North Pacific Ocean, and in July and August, the strong positive anomaly appears around Korean Peninsula. As a result the zonal index of westerlies at during each month of summer in Korean sector has a large value, which in turn implies that drought will prevails when zonal flow is strong.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.429-439
• /
• 2005

The propose of this study is to identify distributional characteristics of winter droughts through occurrence frequencies and to analyze synoptic characteristics on the sea level pressure fields and 500hPa levels in Korea. The regional distributions of winter droughts in occurrence frequency vary according to the monthly regional distributions of the variabilities of precipitation in Korea. In January and December, the eastern parts of Korea where the variabilities of precipitation show high, have high rate of drought frequencies, while the western parts have low rate of it. It means that the regional distribution of the drought frequencies in January and December shows the east-high and west-low pattern, In February the frequencies show the north-high and south-low pattern. In the distributions of the sea-level pressure and 500hPa level height anomalies, the positive anomalies appear around Korean Peninsula and Siberian high area, the negative anomalies on the Aleutian low area and the western parts of North Pacific Ocean during the drought period in January and February. The droughts appear when the inflow of warm and humid air from the south eastern parts blocked by the prevailing pressure patterns of the west-high and east-low. Therefore, the zonal wind of the Korean Peninsula is strong. The droughts of December reflect not only low frequencies of cyclone occurrence, also small inflow of warm and humid air from the southern parts stemming from positive anomalies over whole middle latitude of eastern parts of Asia including Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.57-69
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this study is to identify distributional characteristics of autumn droughts in occurrence frequency and to analyze synoptic characteristics on the surface pressure fields and 500hPa levels for autumn droughts in Korea. The regional distributions of autumn droughts in occurrence frequency vary according to the monthly regional distributions of the precipitation variabilities in Korea. In september, the southwestern and the mid western parts of Korean Peninsula have high rate of drought frequency, while the eastern coast regions have low rate of it. It means that the regional distribution of the drought frequency in september indicates west-high and east-low pattern. In October, the regional distribution of the drought frequency shows low variations on regions, but in November the inland areas have low rate of drought frequency, whereas the coastal areas have high rate of it. Negative anomalies appear on the surface and 500hPa level, around Korean Peninsula during the drought period of early autumn. Positive height anomalies areas are extended from the Sea of Okhotsk to the central part of the North Pacific Ocean. It indicates that the occurrence frequencies of blocking high and ridge are high around the Sea of Okhotsk. When the pressure system, such as migratory anticyclone, stays around the Korean Peninsula, a drought occurs. In late autumn drought, the positive anomalies appear in the west and the negative anomalies in the east are generated, respectively and therefore, zonal wind is strong around Korean Peninsula. In consequence, occurrences of droughts in early autumn have a different mechanism from those of late autumn.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.659-666
• /
• 2003

This study is a comparative analysis on the variabilities of spring precipitation and atmospheric circulations of 500hPa surfaces between dry years and wet years over the Korean Peninsula. The distribution of variabilities of precipitation in spring are different from month to month. In March, the pattern is west-high and east-low, in April, north-high and south-low, in May, east-high and west-low respectively. In the distribution of 500hPa geopotential height anomaly, dry years of March show west-high and east-low pattern in that negative anomaly zones are formed around the Korean Peninsula and western coast of the northern Pacific Ocean, and positive anomaly zones are formed in the inland of East Asia centered on Siberia. Consequently, the Korean Peninsula and neighboring regions experience dry season when the zonal flows are strong with the positive anomaly zones of zonal components. On the contrary in the wet years the westerlies are weak since the pattern is east-high and west-low in which the positive anomaly zones are formed over the Korean Peninsula centered on the Aleutian Islands and western coast of the northern Pacific Ocean and the negative anomaly zones are formed in the inland of East Asia centered on Tibet Plateau and Siberia. The dry years of April and May show north-high and south-low patterns in that negative anomaly zones are found from the center of the northern Pacific Ocean to the eastern coast of East Asia, and the positive anomaly zones are found in the center of East Asia extending from Aleutian Islands to Tibet Plateau. On the contrary, in the wet years the patterns show south-high and north-low. This study identified not only that there are contrary atmospheric circulation patterms between dry years and wet years over Korean Peninsua in spring, but also there are different atmosphric circulation patterns between early and late spring.