• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.157-170
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• 2021

To investigate the effect of snowfall on the traffic of general roads in Gangwon-do, case analysis was performed in Gangneung, Pyeongchang, and Chuncheon using ASOS (Automated Synoptic Observing System) snowfall data and VDS (Vehicle Detector System) traffic data. First, we analyzed how much the traffic volume and speed decrease in snowfall cases on regional roads compared to non-snow cases, and the characteristics of monthly reduction due to snowfall were investigated. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed to quantitatively grasp the effect of snowfall on traffic volume and speed, and sensitivity tests for snowfall intensity and cumulative snowfall were performed. The results showed that the amount of snowfall caused decrease both in the traffic volume and speed from usual (non-snowfall) condition. However, the trend was different by region: The decrease rate in traffic volume was in the order of Gangneung (17~22%), Chuncheon (14~17%), and Pyeongchang (11~14%). The decrease rate in traffic speed was in the order of Chuncheon (9~10%), Gangneung (8~9%), Pyeongchang (5~6%). No significant results were found in the monthly decrease rate analysis. In all regions, traffic volume and speed showed a negative correlation with snowfall. It was confirmed that the greater the amount of traffic entering the road, the greater the slope of the trend line indicating the change in snowfall due to the traffic volume. As a result of the sensitivity test for snowfall intensity and cumulative snowfall, the snowfall information at intervals of 6-hours was the most significant.

• Atmosphere
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.247-257
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• 2006

The Yeong-dong heavy snowfall forecast supporting system has been developed during the last several years. In order to construct the conceptual model, we have examined the characteristics of heavy snowfalls in the Yeong-dong region classified into three precipitation patterns. This system is divided into two parts: forecast and observation. The main purpose of the forecast part is to produce value-added data and to display the geography based features reprocessing the numerical model results associated with a heavy snowfall. The forecast part consists of four submenus: synoptic fields, regional fields, precipitation and snowfall, and verification. Each offers guidance tips and data related with the prediction of heavy snowfalls, which helps weather forecasters understand better their meteorological conditions. The observation portion shows data of wind profiler and snow monitoring for application to nowcasting. The heavy snowfall forecast supporting system was applied and tested to the heavy snowfall event on 28 February 2006. In the beginning stage, this event showed the characteristics of warm precipitation pattern in the wind and surface pressure fields. However, we expected later on the weak warm precipitation pattern because the center of low pressure passing through the Straits of Korea was becoming weak. It was appeared that Gangwon Short Range Prediction System simulated a small amount of precipitation in the Yeong-dong region and this result generally agrees with the observations.

• KCID journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2011

This study is to estimate the possible damage area of greenhouse by heavy snowfall event using terra MODIS snow cover area (SCA) and the ground measured snowfall data (GMSD). For the 4 heavy snowfall events of January 2001, March 2004, December 2005 and January 2010, the areas exceeding the design criteria of snowfall depth for greenhouse breaking were extracted by coupling the MODIS SCA and GMSD. The main damaged regions were estimated as Gangwon province in 2001, Chungbuk and part of Gyeongbuk province in 2004, Jeonbuk and Jeonnam province in 2005, and Gangwon and part of Gyeonggi province in 2010 respectively. Comparing with the investigated number of greenhouse damaged data, the estimated areas reflected the statistical data except 2001. The 2001 greenhouse damages were caused by the high wind speed (35.7m/sec) together with snowfall. The results of this study can be improved if the design criteria of wind speed is added.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.843-857
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• 2008

This study analyzed distribution of natural disaster and trend of related climatic elements in mountainous region of Gangwon-do. In mountainous region of Gangwon-do, there have been 27 natural disasters of which heavy rainfall have the leading cause for the last 5 years(16 times in 2003-2007). It has been 9 natural disasters in Jinbu-myeon Pyeongchang-gun, the most frequent area. The mountainous region has been larger natural damage than its surrounding regions and there has been more damage at higher altitudes. While the heavy rainfall have caused damage over the northwest of mountains, most typhoons have damaged southern part of mountains. Most mountainous region suffers from strong wind but damage by snow is small. In mountainous region of Gangwon-do, annual precipitation, intensity of precipitation and heavy rainfall days have been increasing since 2000 and this tendency is significant in its intensity. However, annual snowfall, snowfall days and heavy snowfall days have been clearly decreasing since 2000. In case heavy rainfall accompanies strong wind, the damages are larger in mountainous region of Gangwon-do. Therefore it is important to be prepared for heavy rainfall and strong wind.

• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.461-472
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• 2021

Yeongdong has frequently suffered from severe snowstorms, which generally give rise to societal and economic damages to the region in winter. In order to understand its mechanism, there has been a long-term measurement campaign, based on the rawinsonde measurements for every snowfall event at Gangneung since 2014. The previous observations showed that a typical heavy snowfall is generally accompanied with northerly or northeasterly flow below the snow clouds, generated by cold air outbreak over the relatively warmer East Sea. An intensive and multi-institutional measurement campaign has been launched in 2019 mainly in collaboration with Gangwon Regional Office of Meteorology and National Institute of Meteorological Studies of Korean Meteorological Administration, with a special emphasis on winter snowfall and spring windstorm altogether. The experiment spanned largely from February to April with comprehensive measurements of frequent rawinsonde measurements at a super site (Gangneung) with continuous remote sensings of wind profiler, microwave radiometers and weather radar etc. Additional measurements were added to the campaign, such as aircraft dropsonde measurements and shipboard rawinsonde soundings. One of the fruitful outcomes is, so far, to identify a couple of cold air damming occurrences, featuring lowest temperature below 1 km, which hamper the convergence zone and snow clouds from penetrating inland, and eventually make it harder to forecast snowfall in terms of its location and timing. This kind of comprehensive observation campaign with continuous remote sensings and intensive additional measurement platforms should be conducted to understand various orographic precipitation in the complex terrain like Yeongdong.

• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.421-431
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• 2021

The Yeongdong region is frequently vulnerable to heavy snowfall in winter in terms of societal and economical damages. By virtue of a lot of previous efforts, snowfall forecast has been significantly improved, but the performance of light snowfall forecast is still poor since it is very conducive to synoptic and mesoscale interactions, largely attributable to Taeback mountains and East Sea effects. An intensive observation has been made in cooperation with Gangwon Regional Meteorological Office and National Institute of Meteorological Studies in winter seasons since 2019. Two distinctive Cold Air Damming (CAD) events (14 February 2019 and 6 February 2020) were observed for two years when the snowfall forecast was wrong specifically in its location and timing. For two CAD events, lower-level temperature below 2 km ranged to lowest limit in comparisons to those of the previous 6-years (2014~2019) rawinsonde soundings, along with the stronger inversion strength (> 2.0℃) and thicker inversion depth (> 700 m). Further, the northwesterly was predominant within the CAD layer, whereas the weak easterly wind was exhibited above the CAD layer. For the CAD events, strong cold air accumulation along the east side of Taeback Mountains appeared to prevent snow cloud and convergence zone from penetrating into the Yeongdong region. We need to investigate the influence of CAD on snowfall in the Yeongdong region using continuous intensive observation and modeling studies altogether. In addition, the effect of synoptic and mesoscale interactions on snowfall, such as nighttime drainage wind and land breeze, should be also examined.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.97-104
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• 2012

In this paper, the GPS precipitable water vapor was retrieved by estimating of GPS signal delay in the troposphere during the progress of heavy snowfall on the Gangwon Province, 2011. For this period, the time series analysis between GPS precipitable water vapor and fresh snow depth was accomplished. The time series and the comparison with the GPS precipitable water vapor and the fresh snow depth indicates that the temporal change of two variations is closely related to the progress of the heavy snowfall. Also, the periodicity of GPS precipitable water vapor using the wavelet transform method was showed a similar cycle of saturated water vapor pressure as the limitation of this study span. The result shows that the decrement of GPS precipitable water vapor was conflicted with the increment of fresh snow depth at two sites, Gangneung and Uljin. The correlation between the GPS precipitable water vapor and the saturated water vapor pressure for the event was showed a positive correlation, compare with the non-heavy snowfall periods.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.109-123
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• 2017

The effects of recent climate change on hydrological systems could affect the Winter Olympic Games (WOG) because the event is dependent on suitable snow and ice conditions to support elite-level competitions. We investigate the long-term variability and change in winter total precipitation (P), snowfall water equivalent (SFE), and ratios of SFE to P during the period 1973/74~2015/16 in Gangwon province. The climatological percentages of SFE relative to winter total precipitation were 71%, 28%, and 44% in Daegwallyeong, Chuncheon, and Gangneung, respectively. The winter total P, SFE, and SFE/P has decreased (but not significantly), although significant increases of winter maximum and minimum temperature were detected at a 95% confidence level. Notably, a significant negative trend of SFE/P at Daegwallyeong in February, the month of the WOG, was attributable to a larger decrease in SFE related to the increases in maximum and minimum temperature. Winter wet-day minimum temperatures were warmer than climatological minimum temperatures averaged over the study period. The 20-year return values of daily maximum P and SFE decreased in Yongdong area. Since the SFE/P decrease with increasing temperature, the probability of rainfall rather than snowfall can increase if global warming continues.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.214-218
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• 2014

The main objective of this study is to analyse the influence factors of snowfall enhancement by glaciogenic seeding in a mountainous area. Twenty-five seeding experiments have been conducted during the period of February to April 2010. To use two rates seeding experiments (SR1: $1.04g\;min^{-1}$, SR2: $2.08g\;min^{-1}$) have been tested to get an appropriate ratio for snowfall enhancement at Daegwallyeong area. The conditions of seeding are able as followings: surface temperature <$0^{\circ}C$, wind speed <5 m/s, wind direction between 0 and $130^{\circ}$. The experiment results indicated that in the case of SR1 was more effective than SR2. The number of small ice particles below 1.0 mm was increased during seeding period measured by PARSIVEL disdrometer near generator. Most of snowfall enhancement by seeding was observed the inflow of the easterly wind blew in toward Gangwon regions from the East Sea and the supersaturated supercooled liquid water due to orographic effect.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.765-784
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• 2019

The synoptic structural characteristics associated with heavy snowfall (Bukgangneung: 31.3 cm) that occurred in the Yeongdong area on 20 January 2017 was investigated using surface and upper-level weather charts, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis data, radiosonde data, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud product. The cold dome and warm trough of approximately 500 hPa appeared with tropopause folding. As a result, cold and dry air penetrated into the middle and upper levels. At this time, the enhanced cyclonic potential vorticity caused strong baroclinicity, resulting in the sudden development of low pressure at the surface. Under the synoptic structure, localized heavy snowfall occurred in the Yeongdong area within a short time. These results can be confirmed from the vertical analysis of radiosonde data and the characteristics of the MODIS cloud product.