• Atmosphere
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.187-197
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• 2012

This study investigates the relationship between the Korean temperature and the atmospheric circulation such as Arctic Oscillation, Siberian High and Aleutian Low during the winter (December-January) for the period of 1970-2011. It is found that all indices to represent aforementioned circulations are significantly correlated with Korean winter temperature for the period of 1970 - 2011. There are marked contrasts in such relationship, however, before and after the mid-1980s when a significant regime shift of Korean winter temperature occurred. While Korean winter temperature has a close relationship with Arctic Oscillation after the mid-1980s, its relationship with Siberian High and Aleutian Low is weakened. The composite analysis between a positive and negative phase of Arctic Oscillation before and after the mid-1980s is conducted to examine a recent strengthening of Arctic Oscillation-Korean winter temperature relationship. It is found that the structural changes of low-level wind and the geopotential height at 500 hPa between the two phases of Arctic Oscillation are more effective to influence Korean winter temperature after the mid-1980s. This may induce a close relationship between the Korean winter temperature variability and Arctic Oscillation after the mid-1980s compared to before the mid-1980s.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.20 no.E1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2004

Meteorological mechanisms in association with long-range transport of Asian dust in April 2001 have been investigated using weather maps, satellite images, TOMS and surface $PM_{10}$ data, backward trajectories, plus modeling output results (geopotential heights, horizontal wind vectors, potential temperatures, and streamlines). The results indicated that long -range transport of Asian dust to the west coast of North America was associated with strong westerlies between the Aleutian low and the Pacific high acting as a conveyor belt. Accelerating westerly flows due to cyclogenesis at the source regions over East Asia transported pollution from the continent to the central Pacific. When the system reached the Aleutian Islands, the intensity of troughs and the westerlies were amplified in the North Pacific. Thereafter the winds between the Aleutian Islands and the Pacific Ocean were more intensified from the air flow transport of the conveyor belt. Consequently, the strong wind in the conveyor belt enhanced the dust transport from the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of North America. This was evidenced by $PM_{10}$ concentration (maximum of about $100{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$) observed In California. Further evidence of the dust transport was found through the observation of satellite images, the distribution of TOMS aerosol index, and the analyses of streamlines and backward trajectories.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.201-215
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• 2013

The characteristics of the oceanographic environment in the Aleutian Basin of the Bering Sea during spring in 1996, 1997, and 1999 were clarified. An investigation of the water properties revealed five basic layers in the Bering Sea during spring: (1) a surface layer of warm and low-salinity water induced by solar heating, (2) a subsurface layer of cold and low-salinity water propagated slowly by heat from the surface layer, (3) a thermocline layer where salinity was constant but temperature sharply decreased, (4) a temperature inversion layer, and (5) a deep layer with a gradual decrease in temperature and increase in salinity toward the bottom. The ranges of water temperature and salinity were $1.8-5.5^{\circ}C$ and 31.81-34.08 in 1996, $1.5-7.2^{\circ}C$ and 31.9-34.06 in 1997, and $0.5-5.6^{\circ}C$ and 32.0-34.11 in 1999, respectively. The water temperature of the surface layer was approximately $1.6^{\circ}C$ higher in 1997 than in 1996 and 1999. The lowest temperature at a depth of 100-150 m was about $1^{\circ}C$ lower in 1999 than in 1996 and 1997. Nutrient levels (nitrate, phosphate, and silicate) contributing to the control of the growth of phytoplankton were higher in the Aleutian Basin than in the eastern continental shelf and Bogoslof Island area. This was closely associated with the phytoplankton distribution. Nutrient concentrations were lowest at a depth of 25 m. The high primary production at that depth was confirmed from the vertical distribution of chlorophyll a. Chlorophyll a levels were above $4.0{\mu}L^{-1}$ in some areas in 1996 and 1999, but below $2.0{\mu}L^{-1}$ in most areas in 1997. Zooplankton density was about three times higher in 1999 than in 1997.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 2015

The present study aims to characterize the synoptic climatic patterns of winter extreme low temperature events occurred in different regions of Korea based on daily temperature data observed at 61 weather stations under the supervision of the Korea Meteorological Administation and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis I data for the recent 40 years (1973~2012) period. Analyses of daily maximum and minimum temperatures below 10th percentile thresholds show that high frequencies of winter extreme low temperature events appear across the entire regions of Korea or in either the western or eastern half region divided by major mountain ridges at the 2~7 dayintervals particularly in the first half of the winter period (before mid-January). Composite analyses of surface synoptic climatic data including sea level pressure and wind vector reveal that 13 regional types of winter extreme low temperature events in Korea are closely associated with the relative location and intensity of both the Siberian high pressure and the Aleutian low pressure systems as well as major mountain ridges. Investigations of mid-troposphere (500 hPa) synoptic climatic charts demonstrate that the blocking-like upper troposphere low pressure system advecting the cold air from the Arctic toward the Korean Peninsula may provide favorable synoptic conditions for the outbreaks of winter extreme low temperature events in Korea. These results indicate that the monitoring of synoptic scale climatic systems in East Asia including the Siberian high pressure system, the Aleutian low pressure system and upper level blocking system is critical to the improvement of the predictability of winter extreme low temperature events in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.974-983
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• 1997

The Okhotsk Sea is unique natural object with climatic peculiarities. The climate of the Okhotsk Sea results from the general distribution of solar radiation during a year, and the characteristics of the atmospheric circulation that varies through a year: In cold half year the main pressure formations are Siberian high and Aleutian low. Asian low centered on Afghanistan dominates over the Asian continent in summer. The North-Pacific sea surface is under effect of permanent North Pacific high. The changes in their position from year to year are very significant. The anticyclonic activity over the Far Eastern Seas is one of the main factors for the formation of weather anomalies over the adjacent territories. The analysis of summer weather characteristics over the coast of Okhotsk and East Sea using the data obtained from Hydrometeorological stations during $1949\~1990$ showed that, to a great extent, distribution of the air temperature depends on thermal state of the Okhotsk Sea and atmospheric circulation over it. We show some relations between weather characteristics and the intensity of atmospheric action center for the North Pacific high in summer when its ridge propagates to Okhotsk Sea. Correlation coefficients between air pressure over the Okhotsk Sea and air temperature for the coastal areas reach up to 0.7. Analysis of the spatial-temporal distribution of main meteorological values over the Okhotsk Sea such as air pressure, and air temperature are also performed.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.152-167
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• 2011

This study aims to investigate the change of seasonal trend appeared in the daily normals of wintertime daily mean temperature of Seoul for 1941~1970 and 1971~2000 and the factors to affect it. The lowest temperature in wintertime is appeared in the period of the first and second ten-days of January in the daily normals for 1941~1970 and in the third ten-days of January and the first ten-days of February for 1971~2000. This means seasonal trend was changed. This change is due to the fact average temperature from 27 December to 20 January is rising much more than the wintertime mean temperature and average temperature from 21 January to 9 February less than that for two daily normals. This features are notable after 1971. The Siberian high and norther wind around the Korean Peninsula are weakened remarkably recently, so mean temperature of Seoul from 27 December to 20 January is warming much more. On the other hand, the Siberian high from 21 January to 9 February is weakened and the Aleutian low is strengthened recently and northerly is not change obviously, so temperature of Seoul is not warming so much.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.429-439
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• 2005

The propose of this study is to identify distributional characteristics of winter droughts through occurrence frequencies and to analyze synoptic characteristics on the sea level pressure fields and 500hPa levels in Korea. The regional distributions of winter droughts in occurrence frequency vary according to the monthly regional distributions of the variabilities of precipitation in Korea. In January and December, the eastern parts of Korea where the variabilities of precipitation show high, have high rate of drought frequencies, while the western parts have low rate of it. It means that the regional distribution of the drought frequencies in January and December shows the east-high and west-low pattern, In February the frequencies show the north-high and south-low pattern. In the distributions of the sea-level pressure and 500hPa level height anomalies, the positive anomalies appear around Korean Peninsula and Siberian high area, the negative anomalies on the Aleutian low area and the western parts of North Pacific Ocean during the drought period in January and February. The droughts appear when the inflow of warm and humid air from the south eastern parts blocked by the prevailing pressure patterns of the west-high and east-low. Therefore, the zonal wind of the Korean Peninsula is strong. The droughts of December reflect not only low frequencies of cyclone occurrence, also small inflow of warm and humid air from the southern parts stemming from positive anomalies over whole middle latitude of eastern parts of Asia including Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.659-666
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• 2003

This study is a comparative analysis on the variabilities of spring precipitation and atmospheric circulations of 500hPa surfaces between dry years and wet years over the Korean Peninsula. The distribution of variabilities of precipitation in spring are different from month to month. In March, the pattern is west-high and east-low, in April, north-high and south-low, in May, east-high and west-low respectively. In the distribution of 500hPa geopotential height anomaly, dry years of March show west-high and east-low pattern in that negative anomaly zones are formed around the Korean Peninsula and western coast of the northern Pacific Ocean, and positive anomaly zones are formed in the inland of East Asia centered on Siberia. Consequently, the Korean Peninsula and neighboring regions experience dry season when the zonal flows are strong with the positive anomaly zones of zonal components. On the contrary in the wet years the westerlies are weak since the pattern is east-high and west-low in which the positive anomaly zones are formed over the Korean Peninsula centered on the Aleutian Islands and western coast of the northern Pacific Ocean and the negative anomaly zones are formed in the inland of East Asia centered on Tibet Plateau and Siberia. The dry years of April and May show north-high and south-low patterns in that negative anomaly zones are found from the center of the northern Pacific Ocean to the eastern coast of East Asia, and the positive anomaly zones are found in the center of East Asia extending from Aleutian Islands to Tibet Plateau. On the contrary, in the wet years the patterns show south-high and north-low. This study identified not only that there are contrary atmospheric circulation patterms between dry years and wet years over Korean Peninsua in spring, but also there are different atmosphric circulation patterns between early and late spring.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.555-562
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• 2007

The environs of Korea in winter season are influenced by the distribution of atmospheric pressure, namely, the typical east-low and west-high pattern that is formed from both the Siberian continental high pressure and the Aleutian oceanic low pressure. In this reason, the violent West or North-West monsoon, the billows with the strong wind, and the tremendous heavy snowfall are encountered very frequently in the West Sea. In this study, the trajectories of the extratropical cyclone are analysed to choose the safe refuge areas of National Fishery Supervision Vessel using the surface analysis weather chart for 11 years from 1994 to 2004. The safe refuge areas according to the trajectories of the extratropical cyclone in the West Sea are decided using data that contain the topographical properties of island, the depth of water, the state of low quality, the influence of tidal current, and the distribution of fishing-net.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.45-67
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• 2008

Ocean climate variables ($1900{\sim}2005$), time series of catches ($1910{\sim}2005$) and body size data were used to assess the year-to-year and decadal scale fluctuations in abundance of the fish populations (Japanese sardine, anchovy, jack mackerel, chub mackerel, Pacific saury and common squid) that have spawning grounds in the East China Sea and its adjacent regions. A negative correlation between the abundance of pelagic fishes (e.g. jack mackerel) in the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) region and the Kuroshio-Oyashio Current (KOC) region was attributed to the climatic modulation of larval transport and recruitment, which depends on the winter monsoon-induced drift, current systems, and spawning season and site. The changes in abundance and alternation of dominant fish populations in the two regions in the 1930s, 1970s, and late 1980s mirrored changes in the climate indices (ALPI, AOI and MOI). Oscillations in the decadal climate shifts between the two regions led to zonal differences in larval transport and recruitment, and hence differences in the abundance of the pelagic fish populations. During deep Aleutian Lows, as in the 1980s, larval transport from the East China Sea to the KOC region increases in association with the strong winter Asian monsoon, cool regime and increased volume transport of the Kuroshio Current systems, whereas during a weak Aleutian Low (as in the 1990s), larval transport to the TWC region increased in association with a weak winter Asian monsoon, a warm regime, and increased volume transport of the Tsushima current system. We postulate that the increased chub mackerel abundance in the TWC region and the decreased abundance in the KOC region in the 1990s are partly attributed to changes in recruitment and availability to the fishing fleets under the warm regime in the spawning and nursery grounds in the East China Sea in association with the quasi-steady state of mild winter monsoon in the 1990s. The fluctuations in chub mackerel and jack mackerel abundance are under the environment-dependant growth form, although the tropicalization was identified in the TWC region. The density-dependant growth form was found in Japanese sardine populations, but no tropicalization by fishing was identified in the long ($10{\sim}15$ year) periods of abundance despite their short ($3{\sim}4$ year) generation time, suggesting that the environment-dependant growth form drove the changes in abundance. Year-to-year and decadal scale variations in abundance and population structure of the Pacific saury responded to climate regime shifts (1976/1977, 1988/1989), suggesting that the fish is a key bio-indicators for changes in the ecosystem.