• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.617-625
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• 1999

Global warming has begun since the industrial revolution and it is getting worse recently. Even though the increase of greenhouse gases such as $CO_2$ is thought to be the main cause for global warming, its impact on global climate has not been revealed clearly in rather quantitative manners. However, researches using General Circulation Models(GCMs) has shown the accumulation of greenhouse gases increases the global mean temperature, which in turn impacts on the global water circulation pattern. This changes in global water circulation pattern result in abnormal and more frequent meteorological events such as severe floods and droughts, generally more severe than the normal ones, which are now common around the world and is referred as a indirect proof of global warming. Korean peninsula also cannot be an exception and have had several extremes recently. The main objective of this research is to analyze the impact of global warming on the change of flood and drought frequency. Based on the assumption that now is a point in a continuously changing climate due to global warming, we analyzed the observed daily rainfall data to find out how the increase of annual rainfall amount affects the distribution of daily rainfall. Obviously, the more the annual rainfall depth, the more frequency of much daily rainfall, and vice versa. However, the analysis of the 17 points data of Keum river basin in Korea shows that especially the number of days of under 10mm or over 50mm daily rainfall depth is highly correlated with the amount of annual rainfall depth, not the number of dry days with their correlation coefficients quite high around 0.8 to 0.9.

• 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.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.207-215
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• 2006

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the spatial distribution and change of the frequency of Yellow Sand days and to examine their relationship with atmospheric circular characteristics at the surroundings of the Korean peninsula. Yellow Sand days data are used by intensity, Siberian High Index and monthly mean temperature of the Northern Hemisphere. In the Middle-western region, the occurrence frequency of Yellow Sand days was higher during the study period (1973-2004). Also, the occurrence frequency of Yellow Sand days increased to latter half 16 years compared with the first half 16 years, and be clearer in Middlewest regions. Yellow Sand days frequency increased, and the trend was distinct in the Jungbu region during the study period. Increasing trend of Yellow Sand days frequency was significant for the recent 22 years. Yellow Sand days had a negative relationship with Siberian High Index in February and March. Therefore, Siberian High Index became weaker in the spring, and possibility for the occurrence of Yellow Sand days was generating larger. Yellow Sand days had a positive relationship in monthly mean temperature of the Northern Hemisphere. Especially, the case of the strong Yellow Sand days is significant. Recently, global warming might be affecting the occurrence of strong Yellow Sand days.

• Atmosphere
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2008

This study provides an impact assesment of climate change on energy consumption, based on active-deal scenario. This approach assumes that the amount of electric energy consumption depends on human spontaneous acts against local (REC) has ben developed by using monthly mean temperature and monthly amount of electric energy consumption in the 6 major cities over the 19-205 period. The statistical model is utilized to estimate the past and future REEC, and to assess the economic benefits and damage in energy consumption sector. For an estimation of the future REEC, climate change scenario, which is generated by National Institute of Meteorological Research, is utilized in this study. According to the model, it is estimated that over the standard period (1999~2005), there might be economic benefits of about 31 bilion Won/year in Seoul due to increasing temperature than in the 1980s. The REC is also predicted to be gradually reduced across the Korean peninsula since the 2020s. These results suggest that Korea will gain economic benefits in the REC sector during the 21st century as temperature increases under global warming scenarios.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.236-247
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• 2011

This study investigates sea level (SL) rise due to global warming in the Northwestern Pacific (NWP) and Seas around the Korean peninsula (KP) using outputs of IPCC AR4 climate models. Particularly, components of the SL rise induced by a local steric effect, which was not considered in most climate models, were computed using model-projected 3-dimensional temperature and salinity data. Analysis of the SL data shows that the ratio of the SL rise in the NWP and KP was about two times higher than that in global mean and particularly the ratio in the Kuroshio extension region was the highest. The SL rises over 100 years estimated from MPI_ECHAM5 and GFDL_CM2.1 model by A1B scenario considering the thermosteric effect were 24 cm and 28 cm for the NWP and 27 cm and 31 cm for the Seas around the KP, respectively. Statistical analysis reveals that these SL rises are caused by the weakening of the Siberian High in winter as well as variations of pressure system in the NWP and by the resultant change of water temperature. It also found that the highest SL rise in the Kuroshio extension region of the NWP was connected with the large increase of water temperature in this area.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.289-297
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• 2018

This study reconstructs past vegetation changes in southeastern Korea over the last 30 thousand years using plant waxes (i.e. long chain n-alkanes) and their carbon isotopic compositions (${\delta}^{13}C_{alk}$) preserved in marine sediment core (KIODP 12-1) retrieved from the East Sea. Here we show changes in vegetation composition in the Korean peninsula in relation to the strength of the East Asian Summer Monsoon. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), when the summer monsoon weakened, precipitation decreased and $C_3$ grassland expanded. After the LGM, the summer monsoon gradually intensified, increasing rainfall, and thus expanding the forestland coverage. Precipitation climaxed from 10 to 6 kyr BP, which includes the Holocene Climate Optimum. The grassland began to expand since 5 kyr BP due to climate warming and drying towards the present. The ${\delta}^{13}C_{alk}$ values may also have been influenced by agricultural activities, which is known to have begun since the late Neolithic (ca. 7.0~3.0 kyr BP). Our results demonstrate how changes in the global climate state influence regional atmospheric circulation and precipitation distribution, and consequently terrestrial plant composition in southeastern Korea.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.287-298
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• 2020

It is predicted that future climate warming will occur, and the subtropical climate zone currently confined to the south coast of Korea will gradually rise north. The shift of climate zone implies a change in area for cultivating crops. This study aimed to evaluate the current and future status of climate zones based on the high-resolution climate data of South Korea to prepare adaptation measures for cultivating crops under changing agricultural climate conditions. First, the climatic maps of South and North Korea were produced by using the high-resolution monthly maximum and minimum daily temperature and monthly cumulative precipitation produced during the past 30 years (1981-2010) covering South and North Korea. Then the climate zones of the Korean Peninsula were classified based on the Köppen climate classification. Second, the changes in climate zones were predicted by using the corrected monthly climate data of the Korean Peninsula (grid resolution 30-270m) based on the RCP8.5 scenario of the Korea Meteorological Administration. Köppen climate classification was applied based on the RCP8.5 scenario, the temperature and precipitation of the Korean Peninsula would continue to increase and the climate would become simpler. It was predicted that the temperate climate, appearing in the southern region of Korea, would be gradually expanded and the most of the Korean Peninsula, excluding some areas of Hamgkyeong and Pyeongan provinces in North Korea, would be classified as a temperate climate zone between 2071 and 2100. The subarctic climate would retreat to the north and the Korean Peninsula would become warmer and wetter in general.

• Atmosphere
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.277-290
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• 2017

Characteristics of precipitation in South Korea during the 2016 Changma period (6/18~7/30) are analyzed in great details. El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$-induced tropical Indian Ocean (IO) basin-wide warming lasts from spring to early summer and induces the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) circulation anomaly through an equatorial Kelvin wave during the 2016 Changma period. Along the northern edge of the WNPSH, strong precipitation occurred, in particular, over eastern China and southern Japan. During the Changma period, South Korea had the near-normal mean precipitation amount (~332 mm). However, about 226 mm of rain fell in South Korea during 1 July to 6 July, which amounts to 67% of total Changma precipitation in that year. Upper-level synoptic migratory lows and low-level moisture transport played an essential role, especially from 1 July to 3 July, in triggering an abrupt development of fronts over the Korean Peninsula and the eastern continent China. The front over the eastern China migrates progressively eastward, which results in heavy rainfall over the Korean peninsula from 1 to 3 July. In contrast, from 4 to 6 July, the typhoon (NEPARTAK) affected an abrupt northward advance of the North Pacific subtropical high (NPSH). The northward extension of the NPSH strengthens the Changma front and induces the southerly flows toward the Korean peninsula, giving rise to an increase in heavy rainfall. The NEPARTAK is generated due to interaction of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), equatorial Rossby wave and Kelvin waves.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.49-57
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• 2016

Even if an external forcing that will drive a climate change is given uniformly over the globe, the corresponding climate change and the feedbacks by the climate system differ by region. Thus the detection of global warming signal has been made on a regional scale as well as on a global average against the internal variabilities and other noises involved in the climate change. The purpose of this study is to estimate a timing of unprecedented climate due to global warming and to analyze the regional differences in the estimated results. For this purpose, unlike previous studies that used climate simulation data, we used an observational dataset to estimate a magnitude of internal variability and a future temperature change. We calculated a linear trend in surface temperature using a historical temperature record from 1880 to 2014 and a magnitude of internal variability as the largest temperature displacement from the linear trend. A timing of unprecedented climate was defined as the first year when a predicted minimum temperature exceeds the maximum temperature record in a historical data and remains as such since then. Presumed that the linear trend and the maximum displacement will be maintained in the future, an unprecedented climate over the land would come within 200 years from now in the western area of Africa, the low latitudes including India and the southern part of Arabian Peninsula in Eurasia, the high latitudes including Greenland and the mid-western part of Canada in North America, the low latitudes including Amazon in South America, the areas surrounding the Ross Sea in Antarctica, and parts of East Asia including Korean Peninsula. On the other hand, an unprecedented climate would come later after 400 years in the high latitudes of Eurasia including the northern Europe, the middle and southern parts of North America including the U.S.A. and Mexico. For the ocean, an unprecedented climate would come within 200 years over the Indian Ocean, the middle latitudes of the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic, parts of the Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ross Sea, and parts of the Arctic Sea. In the meantime, an unprecedented climate would come even after thousands of years over some other regions of ocean including the eastern tropical Pacific and the North Pacific middle latitudes where an internal variability is large. In summary, spatial pattern in timing of unprecedented climate are different for each continent. For the ocean, it is highly affected by large internal variability except for the high-latitude regions with a significant warming trend. As such, a timing of an unprecedented climate would not be uniform over the globe but considerably different by region. Our results suggest that it is necessary to consider an internal variability as well as a regional warming rate when planning a climate change mitigation and adaption policy.