• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.7 no.2 s.25
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• pp.53-63
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• 2007

This study is to evaluate the probable snowfall depth by the point frequency analysis and to draw the map of probable snowfall depth in Korea. The 14 probability distributions which has been widely used in hydrologic frequency analysis are applied to the annual maximum depth of snowfall data. The parameters of each probability distribution are estimated by method of moments, maximum likelihood method and method of probability weighted moments. The estimated parameters were checked by parameter validity conditions of each assumed probability distribution. Four tests that are $X^2-test$, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Cramer von Mises test and probability plot correlation coefficient test are used in this study to determine the goodness of fit of the distributions. Mostly the 2-parameter gamma distribution was determined as appropriate distribution for the annual maximum new snowfall depth. The probable snowfall depth were obtained from appropriate distribution for the selected return periods and the maps of probable snowfall depth were presented. It will be useful to specify the snowfall load for the design of agricultural facilities such as vinyl house and cattle shed.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.545-556
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• 2015

This study is to project the future snowfall and to assess heavy snowfall vulnerable area in South Korea using ground measured snowfall data and RCP climate change scenarios. To identify the present spatio-temporal heavy snowfall distribution pattern of South Korea, the 40 years (1971~2010) snowfall data from 92 weather stations were used. The heavy snowfall days above 20 cm and areas has increased especially since 2000. The future snowfall was projected by HadGEM3-RA RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios using the bias-corrected temperature and snow-water equivalent precipitation of each weather station. The maximum snowfall in baseline period (1984~2013) was 122 cm and the future maximum snow depth was projected 186.1 cm, 172.5 mm and 172.5 cm in 2020s (2011~2040), 2050s (2041~2070) and 2080s (2071~2099) for RCP 4.5 scenario, and 254.4 cm, 161.6 cm and 194.8 cm for RCP 8.5 scenario respectively. To analyze the future heavy snowfall vulnerable area, the present snow load design criteria for greenhouse (cm), cattleshed ($kg/m^2$), and building structure ($kN/m^2$) of each administrative district was applied. The 3 facilities located in present heavy snowfall areas were about two times vulnerable in the future and the areas were also extended.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.42-51
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• 2017

Snowfall is an important natural hazard in Korea. In recent years, the socioeconomic importance of impact-based forecasts of meteorological phenomena have been highlighted. To further develop forecasts, we first need to analyze the climatic characteristics of each region. In this study, homogeneous regions for snowfall analysis were classified using a self-organizing map for impact-based forecast and warning services. Homogeneous regions of snowfall were analyzed into seven clusters and the characteristics of each group were investigated using snowfall, observation days, and maximum snowfall. Daegwallyeong, Gangneung-si, and Jeongeup-si were classified as areas with high snowfall and Gyeongsangdo was classified as an area with low snowfall. Comparison with previous studies showed that representative areas were well distinguished, but snowfall characteristics were found to be different. The results of this study are of relevance to future policy decisions that use impact-based forecasting in each region.

• 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 Wetlands Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.105-115
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• 2018

The frequency analysis of hydrometeorological data is one of the most important factors in response to natural disaster damage, and design standards for a disaster prevention facilities. In case of frequency analysis of hydrometeorological data, it assumes that observation data have statistical stationarity, and a parametric method considering the parameter of probability distribution is applied. For a parametric method, it is necessary to sufficiently collect reliable data; however, snowfall observations are needed to compensate for insufficient data in Korea, because of reducing the number of days for snowfall observations and mean maximum daily snowfall depth due to climate change. In this study, we conducted the frequency analysis for snowfall using the Bootstrap method and SIR algorithm which are the resampling methods that can overcome the problems of insufficient data. For the 58 meteorological stations distributed evenly in Korea, the probability of snowfall depth was estimated by non-parametric frequency analysis using the maximum daily snowfall depth data. The results of frequency based snowfall depth show that most stations representing the rate of change were found to be consistent in both parametric and non-parametric frequency analysis. According to the results, observed data and Bootstrap method showed a difference of -19.2% to 3.9%, and the Bootstrap method and SIR(Sampling Importance Resampling) algorithm showed a difference of -7.7 to 137.8%. This study shows that the resampling methods can do the frequency analysis of the snowfall depth that has insufficient observed samples, which can be applied to interpretation of other natural disasters such as summer typhoons with seasonal characteristics.

• Atmosphere
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.343-364
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• 2014

This study presents local and synoptic conditions associated with extreme heavy snowfall events in the Yeongdong region, as well as the temporal and spatial variability of these conditions. During the last 12 years (2001~2012), 3 extreme snowfall events occurred in the Yeongdong region, which recorded daily snowfall greater than 50 cm, respectively. In these events, one of the noticeable features is the occurrence of heavy hourly snowfall greater than 10 cm. It was reported from satellite analysis that these heavy snowfall may be closely related to mesoscale convective clouds. In this paper the 3 extreme events are examined on their synoptic environments associated with the developments of mesoscale convective system using numerical model output. These 3 events all occurred in strongly forced synoptic environments where 500 and 300 hPa troughs and 500 hPa thermal troughs were evident. From the analysis of diagnostic variables, it was found in all 3 events that absolute vorticity and cold air advection were dominant in the Yeongdong region and its surrounding sea at upper levels, especially at around 500 hPa (absolute vorticity: $20{\sim}60{\times}10^{-5}s^{-1}$, cold air advection: $-10{\sim}-20^{\circ}C$ $12hr^{-1}$). Moreover, the spatial distributions of cold advection showed mostly the shape of a narrow band along the eastern coast of Korea. These features of absolute vorticity and cold advection at 500 hPa were sustained for about 10 hours before the occurrence of maximum hourly snowfall.

• Atmosphere
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.577-589
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• 2015

An unusual long-period and heavy snowfall occurred in the Yeongdong region from 6 to 14 February 2014. This event produced snowfall total of 194.8 cm and the recordbreaking 9-day snowfall duration in the 103-year local record at Gangneung. In this study, satellite-derived cloud-top brightness temperatures from the infrared channel in the atmospheric window ($10{\mu}m{\sim}11{\mu}m$) are examined to find out the characteristics of clouds related with this heavy snowfall event. The analysis results reveal that a majority of precipitation is related with the low-level stratiform clouds whose cloud-top brightness temperatures are distributed from -15 to $-20^{\circ}C$ and their standard deviations over the analysis domain (${\sim}1,000km^2$, 37 satellite pixels) are less than $2^{\circ}C$. It is also found that in the above temperature range precipitation intensity tends to increase with colder temperature. When the temperatures are warmer than $-15^{\circ}C$, there is no precipitation or light precipitation. Furthermore this relation is confirmed from the examination of some other heavy snowfall events and light precipitation events which are related with the low-level stratiform clouds. This precipitation-brightness temperature relation may be explained by the combined effect of ice crystal growth processes: the maximum in dendritic ice-crystal growth occurs at about $-15^{\circ}C$ and the activation of ice nuclei begins below temperatures from approximately -7 to $-16^{\circ}C$, depending on the composition of the ice nuclei.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.119-134
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• 2023

The synoptic, thermodynamic, and dynamic characteristics of a snowfall event that occurred in the Yeongdong region on March 1-2, 2021, were investigated. Surface weather charts, ERA5 reanalysis data, rawinsonde data, GK-2A satellite data, and WISSDOM data were used for analysis. The snow depth, exceeding 10 cm, was observed at four weather stations during the analysis period. The maximum snow depth (37.4 cm) occurred at Bukgangneung. According to the analysis of the weather charts, old and dry air was trapped within relatively warm, humid air in the upper atmosphere over the East Sea and adjacent Yeongdong region. This caused unstable atmospheric conditions that led to developing convective clouds and snowfall over Bukgangneung. In particular, based on the thermodynamic and kinematic vertical analysis, we suggest that strong winds attributable to the vertical gradient of potential temperature in the low layer and the development of convective instability due to cold advection played a significant role in the occurrence of snowfall in the Yeongdong region. These results were confirmed from the vertical analysis of the rawinsonde data.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2014

The results of the synoptic meteorological analysis showed that when the cold and dry continental high pressure was extended, heavy snow occurred at dawn when the upper atmosphere cooled. In particular, when the continental high pressure was extended and the upper pressure trough passed through, heavy snow occurred due to the convergence region formed in the west coast area, sometimes in the inland of the Honam area. In addition, it was verified that the changes in the humidity coefficients in the upper and lower layers are important data for the determination of the probability, start/end and intensity of heavy snow. However, when the area was influenced by the middle-latitude low pressure, the heavy snow was influenced by the wind in the lower layer (925 hPa and 850 hPa), the equivalent potential temperature, the convergence field, the moisture convergence and the topography. In Case 2010 (30 December 2010), OSTIA had the best numerical simulation with diverse atmospheric conditions, and the maximum difference in the numerically simulated snowfall between NCEP/NCAR SST and OSTIA was 20 cm. Although there was a regional difference in the snowfall according to the difference in the SST, OSTIA and RTG SST numerical tests, it was not as significant as in the previous results. A higher SST led to the numerical simulation of larger snowfall, and the difference was greatest near Buan in the west coast area.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.305-316
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• 2015

The GPS signal delays in troposphere, which are along the signal path between a transmitting satellite and GPS permanent station, can be used to retrieve the precipitable water vapor. The GPS remote sensing technique of atmospheric water vapor is capable of monitoring typhoon and detecting long term water vapor for tracking of earth’s climate change. In this study, we analyzed GPS precipitable water vapor variations during the heavy snowstorm event occurred in the Yeongdong area, 2014. The results show that the snowfall event were occurring after the GPS precipitable water vapor were increased, the maximum fresh snow depth was recorded after the maximum GPS precipitable water vapor was generated, in Kangneug and Wuljin, respectively. Also, we analyzed that the closely correlation among the GPS precipitable water vapor, the K-index and total index which was acquired by the upper air observation system during this snowstorm event was revealed.