• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.175-183
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• 2011

The climate of the $21^{st}$ century is likely to be significantly different from that of the 20th century because of human-induced climate change. An extreme weather event is defined as a climate phenomenon that has not been observed for the past 30 years and that may have occurred by climate change and climate variability. The abnormal climate change can induce natural disasters such as floods, droughts, typhoons, heavy snow, etc. How will the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events be affected by the global warming change in the $21^{st}$ century? This could be a quite interesting matter of concern to the hydrologists who will forecast the extreme weather events for preventing future natural disasters. In this study, we establish the extreme indices and analyze the trend of extreme weather events using extreme indices estimated from the observed data of 66 stations controlled by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) in Korea. These analyses showed that spatially coherent and statistically significant changes in the extreme events of temperature and rainfall have occurred. Under the global climate change, Korea, unlike in the past, is now being affected by extreme weather events such as heavy rain and abnormal temperatures in addition to changes in climate phenomena.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2023.05a
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• pp.314-314
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• 2023

Extreme climate events can have a large impact on human life by hampering social, environmental, and economic development. Global circulation models (GCMs) are the widely used numerical models to understand the anticipated future climate change. However, different GCMs can project different future climates due to structural differences, varying initial boundary conditions and assumptions about the physical phenomena. The multi-model ensemble (MME) approach can improve the uncertainties associated with the different GCM outcomes. In this study, a comprehensive rating metric was used to select the best-performing GCMs out of 11 CMIP5 and 13 CMIP6 GCMs, according to their skills in terms of four temporal and five spatial performance indices, in replicating the 21 extreme climate indices during the baseline (1975-2017) in South Korea. The MME data were derived by averaging the simulations from all selected GCMs and three top-ranked GCMs. The random forest (RF) algorithm was also used to derive the MME data from the three top-ranked GCMs. The RF-derived MME data of the three top-ranked GCMs showed the highest performance in simulating the baseline extreme climate which was subsequently used to project the future extreme climate indices under both the representative concentration pathway (RCP) and the socioeconomic concentration pathway scenarios (SSP). The extreme cold and warming indices had declining and increasing trends, respectively, and most extreme precipitation indices had increasing trends over the period 2031-2100. Compared to all scenarios, RCP8.5 showed drastic changes in future extreme climate indices. The coasts in the east, south and west had stronger warming than the rest of the country, while mountain areas in the north experienced more extreme cold. While extreme cold climatology gradually declined from north to south, extreme warming climatology continuously grew from coastal to inland and northern mountainous regions. The results showed that the socially, environmentally and agriculturally important regions of South Korea were at increased risk of facing the detrimental impacts of extreme climatology.

• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.607-623
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• 2021

This study presents projections of future extreme climate over the Korean Peninsula (KP), using bias-corrected data from multiple regional climate model (RCM) simulations in CORDEX-EA Phase 2 project. In order to confirm difference according to degree of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, high GHG path of SSP5-8.5 and low GHG path of SSP1-2.6 scenario are used. Under SSP5-8.5 scenario, mean temperature and precipitation over KP are projected to increase by 6.38℃ and 20.56%, respectively, in 2081~2100 years compared to 1995~2014 years. Projected changes in extreme climate suggest that intensity indices of extreme temperatures would increase by 6.41℃ to 8.18℃ and precipitation by 24.75% to 33.74%, being bigger increase than their mean values. Both of frequency indices of the extreme climate and consecutive indices of extreme precipitation are also projected to increase. But the projected changes in extreme indices vary regionally. Under SSP1-2.6 scenario, the extreme climate indices would increase less than SSP5-8.5 scenario. In other words, temperature (precipitation) intensity indices would increase 2.63℃ to 3.12℃ (14.09% to 16.07%). And there is expected to be relationship between mean precipitation and warming, which mean precipitation would increase as warming with bigger relationship in northern KP (4.08% ℃^-1) than southern KP (3.53% ℃^-1) under SSP5-8.5 scenario. The projected relationship, however, is not significant for extreme precipitation. It seems because of complex characteristics of extreme precipitation from summer monsoon and typhoon over KP.

• Atmosphere
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.205-219
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• 2015

In this study, the simulation results of temperature by regional climate model (Reg- CM4) over South Korea were corrected by Hempel et al. (2013)'s method (Hempel method), and evaluated with the observation data of 50 stations from Korea Meteorological Administration. Among the 30 years (1981~2010) of simulation data, 20 years (1981~2000) of simulation data were used as a training data, and the remnant 10 years (2001~2010) data were used for the evaluation of correction. In general, the Hempel method and parametric quantile mapping show a reasonable correction both in mean and extreme climate of temperature. As the results, the systematic underestimation of mean temperature was greatly reduced after bias correction by Hempel method. And the overestimation of extreme climate, such as the number of TN5% and freezing day, was significantly recovered. In addition to that, the Hempel method better preserved the temporal trend of simulated temperature than other bias correction methods, such as the quantile mapping. However, the overcorrection of the extreme climate related to the upper quantile, such as TX5% and hot days, resulted in the exaggeration of the simulation errors. In general, the Hempel method can reduce the systematic biases embedded in the simulation results preserving the temporal trend but it tends to overcorrect the non-linear biases, in particular, extreme climate related to the upper percentile.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.394-410
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• 2015

This study aims to classify climate zones for extreme climate indices over the Republic of Korea. First, frequencies and magitudes of extreme high temperature, spatial distributions for extreme low temperature, and extreme precipitation are analysed. Frequencies of summer days in inland region show more than coastal region. In frequencies of frost days, the characteristics of altitude and longitude are appeared. Heavy precipitation days show many frequencies in the southern coastal region and Jeju island, but little in Gyeongsangbuk-do region. The classification of climate zone for extreme climate indices by principal component analysis and cluster analysis is conducted for the first half, second half of study period, and climatology period for 1981-2010. Summer days are classified according to latitude. In case of frost days, the eastern and the southern coastal region and Jeju island are classified as same region. Heavy precipitation days are classified according to longitude in south region of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do. This study will help to prepare adaptation and mitigation system for climate change in wide range of fields.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.459-470
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• 2012

This study attempts to estimate the economic effects of extreme climate events on agriculture with the case of Gangwon-do, drawing upon the Ricardian approach based upon the panel data on extreme climate events, soil and geography, farmland prices, and economic and social variables for the 11 municipal units of Gangwon-do during the period of 1993-2010. Our empirical analysis shows that the heavy rainfall-related extreme climate variable negatively affects the prices of rice paddy and dry farm field. The summer-related extreme temperature variables have negative economic impacts on the land values of both farmlands, while the winter-related ones positively affect them except for the extreme cold wave variable.

• Atmosphere
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.221-231
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• 2012

Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) are the latest emission scenarios recommended to use for the fifth assessment report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This study investigates the projection of extreme precipitation in South Korea during the forthcoming 21st Century using the generalized extreme value (GEV) analysis based on two different RCP conditions i.e., RCP 4.5 and 8.5. Maximum daily precipitation required for GEV analysis for RCP 4.5 and 8.5 are obtained from a high-resolution regional climate model forced by the corresponding global climate projections, which are produced within the CMIP5 framework. We found overall increase in frequency of extreme precipitation over South Korea in association with climate change. Particularly, daily extreme precipitation that has been occurred every 20 years in current climate (1980~2005) is likely to happen about every 4.3 and 3.4 years by the end of 21st Century (2070~2099) under the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 conditions, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.327-341
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• 2018

Extreme temperatures and precipitations are expected to be more frequently occurring due to the ongoing global warming over the Korean Peninsula. However, few studies have analyzed the synoptic weather patterns associated with extreme events in a warming world. Here, the atmospheric patterns related to future extreme events are first analyzed using the HadGEM3-RA regional climate model. Simulations showed that the variability of temperature and precipitation will increase in the future (2051-2100) compared to the present (1981-2005), accompanying the more frequent occurrence of extreme events. Warm advection from East China and lower latitudes, a stagnant anticyclone, and local foehn wind are responsible for the extreme temperature (daily T>$38^{\circ}C$) episodes in Korea. The extreme precipitation cases (>$500mm\;day^{-1}$) were mainly caused by mid-latitude cyclones approaching the Korean Peninsula, along with the enhanced Changma front by supplying water vapor into the East China Sea. These future synoptic-scale features are similar to those of present extreme events. Therefore, our results suggest that, in order to accurately understand future extreme events, we should consider not only the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gases or aerosol increases, but also small-scale topographic conditions and the internal variations of climate systems.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2015

To compare changes in winter temperature over South Korea, 30-year average climate data and climate data of recent 10 years (2014~2014) such as mean temperature, daily maximum temperature and daily minimum temperature were analyzed. Also, we set analysis extreme cold waves frequency related to winter such as freezing days, snow days, days with temperature of below -5, and days with temperature of below -10. This process enabled the comparative analysis of winter temperature changes and extreme cold waves frequency related to winter. This study estimated that winter temperature has gradually increased throughout the last five decades, however, the frequency of extreme weather, such as cold waves has also increased.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2021.06a
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• pp.143-143
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• 2021

Climate change indicators, mainly frequent drought which has happened since the drought of 1994, 1995, and 2012 causing the devastating effect to the agricultural sector, and could be more disruptive given the context of climate change indicators by increasing the temperature and more variable and extreme precipitation. Changes in frequency, duration, and severity of droughts will have enormous impacts on agriculture production and water management. Since both the possibility of drought manifestation and substantial yield losses, we are propositioning an integrated method for evaluating past and future agriculture drought hazards that depend on models' simulations in the Hung-up watershed. to discuss the question of how climate change might influence the impact of extreme agriculture drought by assessing the potential changes in temporal trends of agriculture drought. we will calculate the temporal trends of future drought through drought indices Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, Standardized Precipitation Index, and Palmer drought severity index by using observed data of (1991-2020) from Wonju meteorological station and projected climate change scenarios (2021-2100) of the Representative Concentration Pathways models (RCPs). expected results confirmed the frequency of extreme agricultural drought in the future projected to increase under all studied RCPs. at present 100 years drought is anticipated to happen since the result showing under RCP2.6 will occur every 24 years, RCP4.5 every 17 years, and RCPs8.5 every 7 years, and it would be double in the largest warming scenarios. On another side, the result shows unsupportable water management, could cause devastating consequences in both food production and water supply in extreme events. Because significant increases in the drought magnitude and severity like to be initiate at different time scales for each drought indicator. Based on the expected result that the evaluating the impacts of extreme agricultural droughts and recession could be used for the development of proactive drought risk management, policies for future water balance, prioritize sustainable strengthening and mitigation strategies.