• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.237-251
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• 2011

This study presents a review on the recent climate change over the Korean peninsula, which has experienced a significant change due to the human-induced global warming more strongly than other regions. The recent measurement of carbon dioxide concentrations over the Korean peninsula shows a faster rise than the global average, and the increasing trend in surface temperature over this region is much larger than the global mean trend. Recent observational studies reporting the weakened cold extremes and intensified warm extremes over the region support consistently the increase of mean temperature. Surface vegetation greenness in spring has also progressed relatively more quickly. Summer precipitation over the Korean peninsula has increased by about 15% since 1990 compared to the previous period. This was mainly due to an increase in August. On the other hand, a slight decrease in the precipitation (about 5%) during Changma period (rainy season of the East Asian summer monsoon), was observed. The heavy rainfall amounts exhibit an increasing trend particularly since the late 1970s, and a consecutive dry-day has also increased primarily over the southern area. This indicates that the duration of precipitation events has shortened, while their intensity became stronger. During the past decades, there have been more stronger typhoons affecting the Korean peninsula with landing more preferentially over the southeastern area. Meanwhile, the urbanization effect is likely to contribute to the rapid warming, explaining about 28% of total temperature increase during the past 55 years. The impact of El Nino on seasonal climate over the Korean peninsula has been well established - winter [summer] temperatures was generally higher [lower] than normal, and summer rainfall tends to increase during El-Nino years. It is suggested that more frequent occurrence of the 'central-Pacific El-Nino' during recent decades may have induced warmer summer and fall over the Korean peninsula. In short, detection and attribution studies provided fundamental information that needed to construct more reliable projections of future climate changes, and therefore more comprehensive researches are required for better understanding of past climate variations.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.5B
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• pp.409-417
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• 2009

In this study it was assessed the accuracy of the Chukwooki rainfall data in Seoul by comparing with tree-ring width index data, sunspot numbers, southern oscillation index (SOI) and global temperature anomaly. And it was investigated the correlations of climatic change and change characteristics in past north-east asia by comparisons of tree-ring width index data in near Korea. The results of this study shows that Chukwooki rainfall data has the strong reliance since the trends and depths of change are very well matched with other comparative data. And with the results by compared with tree-ring width index data in six sites of near Korea, climates of north-east asia are changed with strong correlations as being temporal and spatial and longterm periodic possibility of reproducing are exist on those changes. However characteristics of climate change post 1960 A.D. are investigated as represented differently to past although statistical moving characteristics or changing criterion are within the limitations of reproducing phase in the past since they represent the different trends and irregularity and their frequencies are increase. The results of this study are widely used on long-term forecasting for climate change in north-east asia.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.280-293
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• 2002

In this study, we analyzed the long-term distribution patterns of $CH_4$ determined from the Moo-Ahn (MAN) observatory in relation with those derived from the world major background monitoring sites. Comparison of the data were made using those data sets collected for the period between Aug. 1995 to Dec. 1991. The mean $CH_4$ concentration of MAN observatory was measured to be 1898${\pm}$85.3 ppb, recording the highest concentration of all the monitoring sites. When the concentration of $CH_4$ for different stations was compared over latitudinal scale, its concentration appeared to increase systematically as a function of latitude with an exception of MAN (and the other Korean monitoring site at Tae Ahn). Moreover, such phenomenon was more distinctive in Northern than Southern Hemisphere. According to the analysis of the monthly distribution patterns of $CH_4$ at MAN observatory, its concentration level began to increase from the months of February/March and peaked during August. In addition, when the level of oscillation in monthly concentrations (between the maximum and minimum values) was checked, differences were significant between MAN and other monitoring stations. If the rate of concentration change was checked using the data sets collected for this limited time period in terms of linear regression analysis, results for MAN showed the highest annual increasing rate of 16.5 ppb. It is hence suggested that the largest variability in the $CH_4$ distribution patterns at MAN observatory may be reflected by the high irregularity in its source/sink processes.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.137-158
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• 2000

The correlation and Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analyses over the globe have been applied to intercompare lower-stratospheric (${\sim}$70hPa) temperature obtained from satellite data and two model reanalyses. The data is the19 years (1980-98) Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) channel 4 (Ch4) brightness temperature, and the reanalyses are GCM (NCEP, 1980-97; GEOS, 1981-94) outputs. In MSU monthly climatological anomaly, the temperature substantially decreases by ${\sim}$21k in winter over southern polar regions, and its annual cycle over tropics is weak. In October the temperature and total ozone over the area south of Australia remarkably increase together. High correlations (r${\ge}$0.95) between MSU and reanalyses occur in most global areas, but they are lower (r${\sim}$O.75) over the 20-3ON latitudes, northern America and southern Andes mountains. The first mode of MSU and reanalyses for monthly-mean Ch4 temperature shows annual cycle, and the lower-stratospheric warming due to volcanic eruptions. The analyses near the Korean peninsula show that lower-stratospheric temperature, out of phase with that for troposphere, increases in winter and decreases in summer. In the first mode for anomaly over the tropical Pacific, MSU and reanalyses indicate lower-stratospheric warming due to volcanic eruptions. In the second mode MSU and GEOS present Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) while NCEP, El Ni${\tilde{n}}$o. Volcanic eruption and QBO have more impact on lower-stratospheric thermal state than El Ni${\tilde{n}}$o. The EOF over the tropical Atlantic is similar to that over the Pacific, except a negligible effect of El Ni${\tilde{n}}$o. This study suggests that intercomparison of satellite data with model reanalyses may estimate relative accuracy of both data.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.327-338
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• 2001

In this study, the short-term variability of methane concentrations were investigated over 24-hr scale. The data obtained form the Moo-Ahn (MAN) station located in the western coastal area of Korea were analyzed from various respects to describe its distribution characteristics over short term scale. The MAN data were compared with those obtained from the two major background observatory sites: Point Barrow (Alaska) and Mauna Loa (Hawaii). The mean concentration of methane for the whole study period, when computed using the daily mean values, was found to be 1898${\pm}$85.3ppb (N=812). The mean values for the two comparable sites were observed to be 1832${\pm}$29.6ppb (N=823) for Point Barrow and 1745${\pm}$14.8ppb (N=818) for Mauna Loa. According to the analysis of frequency distribution. the mode value for the MAN area is found to be 1900ppb, but the mean concentration for Point Barrow and Mauna Loa are shown to have relatively low values of 1850 and 1750ppb, respectively. When examined over diurnal scale, the CH$_4$data for the MAN area exhibit a rather consistent trend; CH$_4$level is low during the daytime (after 6:00 A.M) and rises during the nighttime. The findings of the generally enhanced methane concentration in the MAN station may be explained form various respects. One of the most important reasons is that the MAN area is under the influence of various source processes relative to all the other stations under consideration. The short-term distribution patterns for the MAN station are hence characterized not only by the high methane concentration but also by the high oscillation in its CH$_4$concentration level.