• Atmosphere
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.261-270
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• 2015

Characteristics of snowfall and snow crystal habits have been investigated in the campaign of Experiment on Snow Storms At Yeongdong (ESSAY) using radiosonde soundings, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and a digital camera with a magnifier for taking a photograph of snowfall crystals. The analysis period is 6 to 14 February 2014, when the accumulated snowfall amount is 192.8 cm with the longest snowfall duration of 9 days. The synoptic situations are similar to those of the previous studies such as the Low pressure system passing by the far South of the Korean peninsula along with the Siberian High extending to northern Japan, which eventually results in the northeasterly or easterly flows and the long-lasting snowfall episodes in the Yeongdong region. In general, the ice clouds tended to exist below around 2~3 km with the consistent easterly flows, and the winds shifted to northerly~northwesterly above the clouds layer. The snow crystal habits observed in the ESSAY campaign were mainly dendrite, consisting of 70% of the entire habits. The rimed habits were frequently captured when two-layered clouds were observed, probably through the process of freezing of super-cooled droplets on the ice particles. The homogeneous habit such as dendrite was shown in case of shallow clouds with its thickness of below 500 m whereas various habits were captured such as dendrites, rimed dendrites, aggregates of dendrites, plates, rimed plates, etc in the thick cloud with its thickness greater than 1.5 km. The dendrites appeared to be dominant in the condition of cloud top temperature specifically ranging $-12{\sim}-16^{\circ}C$. However, the association of snow crystal habits with temperature and super-saturation in the cloud could not be examined in the current study. Better understandings of characteristics of snow crystal habits would contribute to preventing breakdown accidents such as a greenhouse destruction and collapse of a temporary building due to heavy snowfall, and traffic accidents due to snow-slippery road condition, providing a higher-level weather information of snow quality for skiers participating in the winter sports, and estimating more accurate snowfall amount, location, and duration with the fallspeed of solid precipitation.

• Atmosphere
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

We need water equivalent unit data of snowfall for the purpose of forecast and hydrology related research area. This study developed new method of automatic recording snowfall as weight unit with circle type plate using stain-gauge loadcell. Field test of instrument carried out at Daegwallyeong Obs. Station from 20 to 23 Jan. 2008 during heavy snowfall. There is 74.2cm snow depth and 54.6mm precipitation by Daegwallyeong Obs. Station. But the instrument of this study recorded 71.0mm of precipitation amount. Because of different observation method can cause more 15.4mm than Daegwallyeong Obs. Station. But this study gives the possibility of observation of new snow fall measurement under freezing conditions of snow. From the observation data the density of snowfall calculated from 0.09 to $1015g/cm_3$ from the observation period. And have a good relations between manual observation and automatic observation data from this study instrument with slope of 1.35 to 1.39.

• Atmosphere
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.367-386
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• 2008

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was designed to identify the role of the Taebaek Mountains in the occurrence of heavy snowfall in Yeongdong area with a strong northeast wind on January 20-21, 2008. To this end, in addition to the control simulation with the realistic distribution of the Taebaek Mountains, a sensitivity experiment that removed the orography over the Taebaek Mountains was performed. The control simulation results showed that the resulting wind field and precipitation distribution were similar to what were observed. Results from the sensitivity experiment clearly demonstrates the presence of orographic lifting on the windward slope of the mountains. It is concluded that the altitude of the Taebaek Mountains is the main controlling factor in determining the distribution and amount of precipitation in the Yeongdong area for the case of heavy snowfall in January 2008.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1271-1281
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• 2009

The heavy snowfall event over the eastern part of Seoul, Korea on Mar. 04, 2008 has been abruptly occurred after the frontal system with the heavy snowfall event had been past over the Korean peninsula on Mar. 03, 2008. Therefore, this heavy snowfall event couldn't be predicted well by any means of theoretical knowledges and models. After the cold front passed by, the cold air mass was flown over the peninsula immediately and became clear expectedly except the eastern part and southwestern part of peninsula with some large amount of snowfall. Even though the wide and intense massive cold anticyclone was expanded and enhanced by the lowest tropospheric baroclinicity over the Yellow Sea, but the intrusion and eastward movement of cold air to Seoul was too slow than normally predicted. Using the data of numerical model, satellite and radar images, three dimensional analysis Products(KLAPS : Korea Local Analysis and Prediction System) of the environmental conditions of this event such as temperature, equivalent potential temperature, wind, vertical circulation, divergence, moisture flux divergence and relative vorticity could be analyzed precisely. Through the analysis of this event, the formation and westward advection of lower cyclonic circulation with continuously horizontal movement of air into the eastern part of Seoul by the analyses of KLAPS fields have been affected by occurring the heavy snowfall event. As the predictability of abrupt snowfall event was very hard and dependent on not only the synoptic atmospheric circulation but also for mesoscale atmospheric circulation, the forecaster can be predicted well this event which may be occurred and developed within the very short time period using sequential satellite images and KLAPS products.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.199-212
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• 2017

Rapid roadway snow removal is significantly important due to difficult occurrence estimation of heavy snowfall disasters by global warming and climate change. Local governments of S. Korea have snow removal equipments and vehicles based on past experiences without considering snowfall and roadway characteristics. The objective of this research is to develop the demand estimation procedure for snow removal equipments and vehicles based on regional snowfall and roadway characteristics. This research first classifies regional snowfall characteristics using KMO's ten-year snowfall data. Second, roadway snow removal length is computed for local governments. Real possession data is compared with demand estimation of snow removal equipments & vehicles for each local government with roadway snow removal scenarios. Finally, required demands of snow removal equipments & vehicles are predicted by concerning regional snowfall amount and required snow removal hours. Results from this research are used for developing heavy snowfall disaster management policies for optimal demands and snow removal routes of 229 local governments.

• Atmosphere
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.209-219
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• 2012

Extreme heavy snowfall episodes have been investigated in case of accumulated snowfall amount larger than 50 cm during the past ten years, in order to understand the association of low-level stability with heavy snowfall in the Yeongdong region. In general, the selected 4 events have similar synoptic setting such as the Siberian High extended to East Sea along with the Low passing by the southern Korean Peninsula, eventually inducing easterly in the Yeongdong region. Specifically moist-adiabatically neutral layer has been observed during the heavy snowfall period, which was easily identified using vertical profiles of equivalent potential temperature observed at Sokcho, whereas convective unstable layer has been formed over the East sea due to relatively warm sea surface temperature (SST) about $8{\sim}10^{\circ}C$ and lower temperature around 1~2 km above the surface, obtained from RDAPS. Difference of equivalent potential temperature between 850 hPa and surface as well as difference between air and sea temperatures altogether gradually increased before the snowfall period. Instability-induced moisture supply to the atmosphere from the East sea, being cooled and saturated by the upper cold surge, would make low-level ice cloud, and eventually move inland by the easterly flow. Heavy snowfall will be enhanced in association with low-level convergence by surface friction and upslope wind against Taebaek mountains. This study emphasizes the importance of low level stability in the Yeongdong region using the radiosonde sounding and RDAPS data, which should quantitatively be examined through numerical model as well as heat and moisture supply from the ocean.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2015

This Study analyzed heavy snow properties according to the area that was based by winter weather properties and the damage data by the heavy snow among each local government of Chungcheongbuk-do. The result of analysis, Jecheon-si and Boeun-gun are represented the highest dangerous regions by potential degree of risk by average amount of snowfall for 35 years. But, the potential degree of risk by maximum amount of snowfall for 35 years is different with it. Cheongju-si and Youngdong-gun, Goesan-gun, Boeun-gun are represented the highest dangerous regions. Examining the frequency of regions with potential danger factors according to the characteristics of heavy snowfall, Boeun-gun and Jecheon-si, Goesan-gun, Youngdong-gun, Cheongju-si is derived the highest dangerous regions in Chungcheongbuk-do.

• Atmosphere
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.19-33
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• 2016

Water vapor in the atmosphere is an important element that generates various meteorological phenomena and modifies a hydrological cycle. In general, the Yeongdong region has a lot of snow compared to the other regions in winter due to the complex topography and an adjacent East Sea. However, the phase change from water vapor to ice cloud and further snowfall has little been examined in detail. Therefore, in this study, we investigated phase change of liquid water in terms of a quantitative budget as well as time lag of water vapor conversion to snowfall in the ESSAY (Experiment on Snow Storms At Yeongdong) campaign that had been carried out from 2012 to 2015. First, we classified 3 distinctive synoptic patterns such as Low Crossing, Low Passing, and Stagnation. In general, the amount of water vapor of Low Crossing is highest, and Low Passing, Stagnation in order. The snowfall intensity of Stagnation is highest, whereas that of Low Crossing is the lowest, when a sharp increase in water vapor and accordingly a following increase in precipitation are shown with the remarkable time lag. Interestingly, the conversion rate of water vapor to snowfall seems to be higher (about 10%) in case of the Stagnation type in comparison with the other types at Bukgangneung, which appears to be attributable to significant cooling caused by cold surge in the lower atmosphere. Although the snowfall is generally preceded by an increase in water vapor, its amount converted into the snowfall is also controlled by the atmosphere condition such as temperature, super-saturation, etc. These results would be a fundamental resource for an improvement of snowfall forecast in the Yeongdong region and the successful experiment of weather modification in the near future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.95-97
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• 2010

This study revealed unusual weather phenomena by comparing and analyzing monthly average temperature and amount of snowfall for the past 10 years, and, based on the weather phenomena, analyzed damage cases of concrete structures in winter. As a result, the temperature for the recent one year became greatly low compared with the monthly average for the past 10 years, and the snowfall increased by 4-5 times compared with the past, so that the frost damage of concrete structures also greatly occurred. Accordingly, in case of concrete construction, because there may occur various variables owing to abnormal weather conditions, it is required that thorough quality control should be performed even from the stage of construction plan, execution and maintenance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.89-97
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• 2013

Recently, economic and social damages are globally increased due to the heavy snowfall caused by global warming. To reduce the damages of sudden regional heavy snow in roads, suitable countermeasures should be established based on the accurate detection of snowfall intensity for each roadway segment. In this paper, we deal with snowfall intensity detecting algorithm in the road area from CCD Imagery. First, we determine the MLZ (MotionLess Zone), which does not contain lane markings and moving cars, in the image space. Next, snow streaks trespassing the MLZ are extracted with Canny operator and proposed algorithm. Also, the concept of SII (Snow Intensity Index), which is the number of snow streaks during one minute in the MLZ, is defined. Finally, the effectiveness of proposed algorithm is proved by visually comparing the imagery and SII value obtained during 69 minutes. In consequence, we figured out that the integration of SII is significantly related to an actual amount of snowfall.