• 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.

• Atmosphere
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.131-140
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• 2014

The "Barents Oscillation (BO)", first designated by Paul Skeie (2000), is an anomalous recurring atmospheric circulation pattern of high relevance for the climate of the Nordic Seas and Siberia, which is defined as the second Emperical Orthogonal Function (EOF) of monthly winter sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies, where the leading EOF is the Arctic Oscillation (AO). BO, however, did not attracted much interest. In recent two decades, variability of BO tends to increase. In this study, we analyzed the spatio-temporal structures of Atmospheric internal modes such as Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Barents Oscillation (BO) and examined how these are related with Arctic warming in recent decade. We identified various aspects of BO, not dealt in Skeie (2000), such as upper-level circulation and surface characteristics for extended period including recent decade and examined link with other surface variables such as sea-ice and sea surface temperature. From the results, it was shown that the BO showed more regionally confined spatial pattern compared to AO and has intensified during recent decade. The regional dipolelar structure centered at Barents sea and Siberia was revealed in both sea-level pressure and 500 hPa geopotential height. Also, BO showed a stronger link (correlation) with sea-ice and sea surface temperature especially over Barents-Kara seas suggesting it is playing an important role for recent Arctic amplification. BO also showed high correlation with Ural Blocking Index (UBI), which measures seasonal activity of Ural blocking. Since Ural blocking is known as a major component of Eurasian winter monsoon and can be linked to extreme weathers, we suggest deeper understanding of BO can provide a missing link between recent Arctic amplification and increase in extreme weathers in midlatitude in recent decades.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.328-333
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• 2019

During the winter of 2017/2018, significantly low water temperatures were detected around the western and southern coasts of Korea (WSCK). In this period, sea surface temperature (SST) in the Korea Waters was about $2^{\circ}C$ lower than mean temperature. Using the real-time observation system, we analyzed the temporal variation of SST during this period around the western and southern coasts. Low water temperature usually manifested over a period of about 10 ~ 20 days. The daily Arctic oscillation index was also similarly detectable with the variation of SST. From the cross-correlation function, we compared two periodic variations, which were SST around the WSCK and the Arctic oscillation index. The cross correlation coefficients between both variations were approximately 0.3 ~ 0.4. The time lag of the two time series was about 6 to 7 days. Therefore, significantly low water temperatures during winter in the Korean coastal areas usually became detectable 6 to 7 days after the negative peak of Arctic oscillation.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.12
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• pp.1247-1260
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• 2018

This study investigated the effect of arctic oscillation by analyzing the cross-correlation characteristics between the arctic oscillation index (AOI) and the number of typhoons occurred in the North Pacific, the number of typhoons affecting South Korea, total rainfall amount and number of rainy days during the monsoon season in South Korea. For this analysis, the monthly AOI data were transformed into the average data about January and seasonal AOI data representing winter, spring, fall and winter. The typhoon data and monsoon data were all those collected annually. The data period for this analysis was determined to be from 1961 to 2016 by considering the data available. Based on this analysis, it was found that the arctic oscillation has a weak but statistically significant effect on the monsoon characteristics of South Korea. However, the level of effect was not consistent over the data period but varied significantly periodically. For example, the cross-correlation coefficient derived for the recent 10 years was estimated to be higher than 0.8, but was simply insignificant during the 30 years before the last decade. The overall effect of arctic oscillation on the occurrence of typhoon was found to be statistically insignificant, but was also fluctuating periodically to show somewhat significant effect. Finally, it should be mentioned that the effect of arctic oscillation on the typhoon and monsoon had been changing by turns from 1960s to 2000s. However, in the 2010s, it happened that the effect of arctic oscillation has become significant on both typhoon and monsoon in South Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.675-690
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• 2009

This paper aims to analyze number of Asian dust days and their controlling factors in Korea. Asian dust days, Arctic oscillation index, Antarctic oscillation index and Eurasian snow cover data were used in this study. The number of Asian dust days was increasing after the middle 1980s. The number of Asian dust days was concentrated in April. The number of Asian dust days was increased second half (5.1 days) than first half (3.2 days) of the study period. The number of Asian dust days had positive relationship with winter Arctic oscillation index and Antarctic oscillation index. When the Arctic oscillation index and Antarctic oscillation index is positive, the Asian dust days will be increased. The number of Asian dust days had negative relationship with the Eurasian snow cover. When the Eurasian snow cover will be decreased, the Asian dust days will be increased.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

Although recent reports suggest that the negative correlation between the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) has been strengthened, it is not clear whether this intermittent relationship is an intrinsic oscillation in the climate system. We investigate the oscillating behavior of the AO-EAWM relationship at decadal time scales using the long-term (500-yr) climate model simulation. The results show that ice cover over the East Siberian Seas is responsible for the change in the coupling strength between AO and EAWM. We found that increased ice cover over these seas strengthens the AO-EAWM linkage, subsequently enhancing cold advection over the East Asia due to anomalous northerly flow via a weakened jet stream. Thus, this strengthened relationship favors more frequent occurrences of cold surges in the EAWM region. Results also indicate that the oscillating relationship between AO and EAWM is a natural variability without anthropogenic drivers, which may help us understand the AO-EAWM linkage under climate change.

• Atmosphere
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.8-9
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• 2002

• Atmosphere
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.387-398
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• 2010

This study shows that frequency of tropical cyclone (TC) around Korea in summer (June-September) has positive relation with Arctic Oscillation (AO) in the preceding April. In a positive AO phase, each of anomalous cyclone and anomalous anticyclone is developed in low latitude and middle latitude regions of East Asia from the preceding April to summer. As a result, while anomalous southeasterly around Korea serves as a steering flow that TCs move toward this area is strengthened, northwesterly that reinforced in southeastern area of East Asia plays a role in preventing TCs from moving toward this area. In addition, due to this distribution of pressure systems developed in this AO phase, TCs tend to occur, move and recurve in further northeastern region in the western North Pacific than TCs in a negative AO phase. On the contrary, TCs in a negative AO phase mainly move westward toward southern China or Indochina Peninsula from Philippines. Eventually, intensity of TCs is weaker than those in a positive AO phase due to the terrain effect caused by high passage frequency of TCs in mainland China.

• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.61-71
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• 2021

The relationship between the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and surface air temperature (SAT) over Korea is re-examined using the long-term observation and reanalysis datasets for the period of December 1958 to February 2020. Over the entire period, Korean SAT is positively correlated with the AO index with a statistically significant correlation coefficient, greater than 0.4, only in the boreal winter. It is found that this correlation is not static but changes on the decadal time scale. While the 15-year moving correlations are as high as 0.6 in 1980s and 1990s, they are smaller than 0.3 in the other decades. It is revealed that this decadal variation is partly due to the AO structure change over the North Pacific. In the period of 1980s-1990s, the AO-related sea level pressure fluctuation is strong and well defined over the western North Pacific and the related temperature advection effectively changes the winter SAT over Korea. In the other periods, the AO-related circulation anomaly is either weak or mostly confined within the central North Pacific. This result suggests that Korean SAT-AO index relationship, which becomes insignificant in recent decades is highly dependent on mean flow change in the North Pacific.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.121-135
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• 2024

This study examined the influence of near-surface atmospheric warming in the Arctic-East Asia region during spring (March-May) from 1991 to 2020 on the synoptic-scale meteorology of dust storm-induced dust days in Seoul, Korea, in response to the Arctic Oscillation. Increased springtime warming in the Arctic-East Asia region correlated with a reduction of six days in the occurrence of dust storm-induced dust days in Seoul, Korea, along with a decline in the intensity of these days by -1.6 ㎍ m^-3yr^-1 in PM₁₀ mass concentration. The declining number of dust storm-induced dust days in Korea during the 2010s was the result of synoptic-scale meteorological analysis, which showed increased high-pressure activity as indicated by the negative potential vorticity unit. Moreover, a distinct pattern emerged in the distribution of dust storm-induced dust days in Korea based on the Arctic Oscillation Index (AOI), showing an increase in negative AOI and a decrease in positive AOI. Although the northward shift of the polar jet weakened the southerly low-pressure system activity over Mongolia and northern China, a reinforced high-pressure system formed over the Chinese continent during dust-storm-induced dust days with a negative AOI. This resulted in both a decrease in the frequency of dust-storm-induced dust days and reduction in wind speeds, facilitating their transport from source regions to Korea. Conversely, on days with positive AOIs, an extensive warm and stagnant high-pressure system dominated mainland China, accompanied by further cooling of the northern segment of the polar jet. A notable decline in wind speed in the lower troposphere across the Mongolia-northern China-Korea region diminished the occurrence of dust storm-induced dust days and also weakened their long-range transport.