• Atmosphere
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.345-358
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• 2017

The decadal change in rainfall for Changma period over the South Korea in early-2000s is detected in this study. The Changma rainfall in P1 (1992~2002) decade is remarkably less than in P2 (2003~2013) decade. The much rainfall in P2 decade is associated with the increase of rainy day frequency during Changma period, including the frequent occurrences of rainy day with a intensity of 30 mm/day or more in P2 decade. This decadal change in the Changma rainfall is due to the decadal change of atmospheric circulation around the Korean Peninsula which affects the intensity and location of Changma rainfall. During P2 decade, the anomalous anti-cyclone over the south of the Korean Peninsula, which represents the expansion of the North Pacific high with warm and wet air mass toward East Asia, is stronger than in P1 decade. In addition, the upper level zonal wind and meridional gradient of low-level equivalent potential temperature in P2 decade is relatively strengthened over the northern part of the Korean Peninsula than in P1 decade, which corresponds with the intensification of meridional gradient between air mass related to the East Asian summer monsoon nearby the Korean Peninsula in P2 decade. The enhanced meridional gradient of atir mass during P2 decade is favorable condition for the intensification of Changma rainfall band and more Changma rainfall. The atmospheric conditions related to enhanced Changma rainfall during P2 decade is likely to be influenced by the teleconnection linked to the suppressed convection anomaly over the southern part of China and South China Sea in P2 decade.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2016

In this study, the time series of the number of days with $25^{\circ}C$ or higher temperatures in the Jeju region were analyzed and they showed a strong trend of increase until recently. To determine the existence of a climate regime shift in this time series, the statistical change-point analysis was applied and it was found that the number of days with $25^{\circ}C$ or higher temperatures in the Jeju region increased sharply since 1993. Therefore, in order to examine the cause of the sharp increase of the days with $25^{\circ}C$ or higher temperatures in the Jeju region, the differences between the averages of 1994~2013 and the averages of 1974~1993 were analyzed for the large-scale environment. In the Korean Peninsula including the Jeju region, precipitable water and total cloud cover decreased recently due to the intensification of strong anomalous anticyclones near the Korean Peninsula in the top, middle and bottom layers of the troposphere. As a result of this, the number of days with $25^{\circ}C$ or higher temperatures in the Jeju region could increase sharply in recent years. Furthermore, in the analysis of sensible heat net flux and daily maximum temperatures at 2 m, which is the height that can be felt by people, the Korean Peninsula was included in the positive anomaly region. In addition, the frequency of typhoons affecting the Korean Peninsula decreased recently, which reduced the opportunities for air temperature drops in the Jeju region.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.403-418
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• 2018

This study conducted synoptic and mesoscale analyses to understand the cause of Japan Tsukuba tornado development, which occurred at 0340 UTC 6 May 2012. Prior to the tornado occurrence, there was a circular jet stream over Japan, and the surface was moist due to overnight precipitation. The circular jet stream brought cold and dry air to the upper-level atmosphere which let strong solar radiation heat the ground with clearing of sky cover. A tornadic supercell developed in the area of potentially unstable atmosphere. Sounding data at Tateno showed a capping inversion at 900 hPa at 0000 UTC 6 May. Strong insolation in early morning hours and removal of the inversion instigated vigorous updraft with rotation due to vertical shear in the upper-level atmosphere. This caused multiple tornadoes to occur from 0220 to 0340 UTC 6 May 2012. When comparing Tateno's climatological temperature and dew-point temperature profile on the day of event, the mid-level atmosphere was moister than typical sounding in the region. This study showed that tornado development in Tsukuba was caused by a combination of (a) topography and potential vorticity anomaly, which increased vorticity over the Kanto Plain; (b) vertical shear, which produced horizontal vortex line; and c) thermal instability, which triggered supercell and tilted the vortex line in the vertical.

• Atmosphere
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.149-162
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• 2022

This study investigated the prediction skill of the Asian dust seasonal forecasting model (GloSea5-ADAM) on the Asian dust and meteorological variables related to the dust generation for the period of 1991~2016. Additionally, we evaluated the prediction skill of those variables depending on the combination of the initial dates in the sub-seasonal scale for the dust source region affecting South Korea. The Asian dust and meteorological variables (10 m wind speed, 1.5 m relative humidity, and 1.5 m air temperature) from GloSea5-ADAM were compared to that from Synoptic observation and European Centre for medium range weather forecasts reanalysis v5, respectively, based on Mean Bias Error (MBE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Anomaly Correlation Coefficient (ACC) as evaluation criteria. In general, the Asian dust and meteorological variables in the source region showed high ACC in the prediction scale within one month. For all variables, the use of the initial dates closest to the prediction month led to the best performances based on MBE, RMSE, and ACC, and the performances could be improved by adjusting the number of ensembles considering the combination of the initial date. ACC was as high as 0.4 in Spring when using the closest two initial dates. In particular, the GloSea5-ADAM shows the best performance of Asian dust generation with an ACC of 0.60 in the occurrence frequency of Asian dust in March when using the closest initial dates for initial conditions.

• Atmosphere
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2023

Blocking refers to a class of weather phenomena appearing in the mid and high latitudes, whose characteristics are blocked airflow of persistence. Frequently found over the Pacific and Atlantic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, blocking affects severe weather in the surrounding areas with different mechanisms depending on the type of blocking patterns. Along with lots of studies about persistent weather extremes focusing on the specific types of blocking, a new categorization using Rossby wave breaking has emerged. This study aims to apply this concept to the classification of blockings over the Pacific and examine how different wave breakings specify the associated cold weather in the Korean peninsula. At the same time, we investigate a strongly developing ridge around the Pacific by designing a new detection algorithm, where a reversal method is modified to distinguish ridge-type blocking patterns. As result, Kamchatka blocking (KB) and strong ridge over the Central Pacific are observed the most frequently during 20 years (2001~2020) of the studied period, and anomalous low pressures with cold air over the Korean Peninsula are accompanied by blocking events. When it considers the Rossby wave breaking, cyclonic wave-breaking is dominant in KB, which generates low-pressure anomalies over the Korean Peninsula. However, KB with anticyclone wave breaking appears with the high-pressure anomalies over the Korean Peninsula and it generates the warm temperature anomaly. Lastly, the low-pressure anomalies are also generated by the strong ridge over the Central Pacific, which persists for approximately three days and give a significant impact on cold surge on the Korean Peninsula.

• Atmosphere
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.29-45
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• 2012

An unusual autumn storm developed rapidly in the western part of the East sea on the early morning of 23 October 2006. This storm produced a record-breaking heavy rain and strong wind in the northern and middle part of the Yeong-dong region; 24-h rainfall of 304 mm over Gangneung and wind speed exceeding 63.7 m $s^{-1}$ over Sokcho. In this study, MTSAT-1R (Multi-fuctional Transport Satellite) water vapor and infrared channel imagery are examined to find out some features which are dynamically associated with the development of the storm. These features may be the precursor signals of the rapidly developing storm and can be employed for very short range forecast and nowcasting of severe storm. The satellite features are summarized: 1) MTSAT-1R Water Vapor imagery exhibited that distinct dark region develops over the Yellow sea at about 12 hours before the occurrence of maximum rainfall about 1100 KST on 23 October 2006. After then, it changes gradually into dry intrusion. This dark region in the water vapor image is closely related with the positive anomaly in 500 hPa Potential Vorticity field. 2) In the Infrared imagery, low stratus (brightness temperature: $0{\sim}5^{\circ}C$) develops from near Bo-Hai bay and Shanfung peninsula and then dissipates partially on the western coast of Korean peninsula. These features are found at 10~12 hours before the maximum rainfall occurrence, which are associated with the cold and warm advection in the lower troposphere. 3) The IR imagery reveals that two convective cloud cells (brightness temperature below $-50^{\circ}C$) merge each other and after merging it grows up rapidly over the western part of East sea at about 5 hours before the maximum rainfall occurrence. These features remind that there must be the upward flow in the upper troposphere and the low-layer convergence over the same region of East sea. The time of maximum growth of the convective cloud agrees well with the time of the maximum rainfall.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.278-295
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• 2021

China's shutdown due to COVID-19 in 2020 reduced air pollutant emissions, which is located on the windward side of South Korea. The positive temperature anomaly and negative zonal wind anomaly from northern Mongolia to South Korea through eastern China presented warm and stationary air masses during January and February 2020. Decreased concentrations of PM10, NO₂, and O₃ were measured at Seokmo-ri and Pado-ri, located in the central-western region of South Korea, due to decreased emissions in China from January to March 2020. After China's shutdown from January to March 2020, in Pado-ri, the ratio of monthly average concentrations in that period with those of PM10 and O₃ in the last four years decreased by approximately 0.7-4.7% and 9.2-22.8%, respectively. In January 2020, during the Lunar New Year holidays in China, concentrations of PM10, NO₂, and O₃ at Seokmo-ri and Pado-ri decreased just as much as it did during the same period in the last four years. However, average concentrations in January 2020 decreased before and after the Lunar New Year holidays in China when compared with those in January of the last four years. In Seokmori, ratios of actual and predicted values (${\bar{O}_s$/M) for PM10, NO₂, and O₃ concentrations were calculated as 70.8 to 89.7%, 70.5 to 87.1%, and 72.5 to 97.1%, respectively, during January and March 2020. Moreover, those of Pado-ri were 79.6 to 93.5%, 67.7 to 84.9%, and 83.7 to 94.6%, respectively. In January 2020, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) data showed a higher distribution than that of the last four years due to photochemical reactions in regions from northern Mongolia to eastern China and the Korean Peninsula. However, the decrease in AOD values compared with those of the last four years was attributed to the decrease in emissions of precursors that generate secondary aerosols in China during March 2020.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.881-897
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• 2019

We reconstructed and digitized the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) Serial Oceanographic observations (NSO) and Coastal Oceanographic observations (NCO) data attained prior to 1961 through historical oceanographic observation data rescue projects. Increasing trends of long-term sea surface temperature (SST) were shown from the NSO data of 21 available stations for the past 80 to 92 years. In general agreement with previous research results used in the data of the past 50 years, we calculated the rate of temperature rise. As a result of analyzing the spatial distribution of SST change rate in the Korean of shore region using selected oceanographic data, the West Sea and South Sea showed a higher tendency of temperature rise in the offshore area than in the coastal area. However, unlike the results of previous studies, the East Sea (Gangwon Line and Ulsan Line) showed a lower water temperature rise than the coastal stations. Annual fluctuations of NCO's SST data from 1989 to 1998 for three stations representing the East Sea, South Sea, and West Sea, (Jumunjin, Geomundo and Budo, respectively) revealed that the East Sea showed the highest SST increase for the 10 years. The increases were 1.63 ℃ at Jumunjin, 1.16 ℃ at Geomundo, and 0.79 ℃ at Budo. As a result of the investigation, it can be concluded that SST is repeatedly rising and falling with a period of 3 ~ 6 years. Especially, since the 1980s, most of the stations show positive anomalies of SST. Lastly, to understand ocean_atmosphere interactions, we analyzed the correlations between SST of the NCO stations and air temperature around them and the results were 0.76 for the South Sea (Geomundo), 0.34 for the West Sea (Budo), and 0.32 for the East Sea (Jumunjin) with the highest correlation in the South Sea.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.474-483
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• 2004

This paper analyzed the characteristics of daily ozone variations over Kangreung and Wonju. It was found that the diurnal cycle of ozone over Wonju has a primary ozone peak in the afternoon and a minimum around sunrise, which is a typical diurnal ozone cycle observable in the urban area. However, the cycle over Kangreung shows a primary peak in the afternoon and secondary peak around 3 a.m. The amounts of ozone in the secondary peak is occasionally higher than that in the primary peak. This nocturnal ozone peak is frequently observed year-round, and the highest frequency and extent are observed in spring. The possible cause of this nocturnal ozone increase was investigated using meteorological parameters and the HYSPLIT trajectory model. It was found that the nocturnal ozone peak is highly correlated with strong wind speed, which has led to positive temperature anomaly. The trajectory model revealed that when the secondary peak occurred, the air was originated from the west and a sinking motion subsequently followed. These findings suggested that when the westerly wind is strongest in spring, the polluted airs from urban areas are transported to the upper boundary layer over Kangreung area. In the case of strong wind during the night, nocturnal ozone peaks were produced by active vertical mixing between lower boundary and upper boundary layers.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.354-369
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• 2010

The synoptic and kinematic characteristics of a heavy rainfall that occurred in Gangneung region on 22 to 24 October 2006 were investigated using weather maps, infrared images, AWS observation data and NCEP global final analyses data. The total amount of rainfall observed in the region for the period was 316.5 mm, and the instanteneous maximum wind speed was $63.7m\;s^{-1}$. According to the analysis of weather maps, before the starting of the heavy rainfall, an extratropical low pressure system was developed in the middle region of the Korean Peninsula, and an inverted trough was formed in the northern region of the peninsula. In addition, a jet stream on the upper charts of 300 hPa was located over the Yellow Sea and the southern boundary of the peninsula. A cutoff low in the cyclonic shear side of the upper jet streak, which was linked to an anomaly of isentropic potential vorticity, was developed over the northwestern part of the peninsula. And there are analyzed potential vorticity and wind, time-height cross section of potential vorticity, vertical air motion, maximums of the divergence and convergence and vertical distribution of potential temperature in Gangneung region. The analyzed results of the synoptic conditions and kinematic processes strongly suggest that the tropopause folding made a significant role of initializing the heavy rainfall.