• Atmosphere
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.209-219
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• 2012

Extreme heavy snowfall episodes have been investigated in case of accumulated snowfall amount larger than 50 cm during the past ten years, in order to understand the association of low-level stability with heavy snowfall in the Yeongdong region. In general, the selected 4 events have similar synoptic setting such as the Siberian High extended to East Sea along with the Low passing by the southern Korean Peninsula, eventually inducing easterly in the Yeongdong region. Specifically moist-adiabatically neutral layer has been observed during the heavy snowfall period, which was easily identified using vertical profiles of equivalent potential temperature observed at Sokcho, whereas convective unstable layer has been formed over the East sea due to relatively warm sea surface temperature (SST) about $8{\sim}10^{\circ}C$ and lower temperature around 1~2 km above the surface, obtained from RDAPS. Difference of equivalent potential temperature between 850 hPa and surface as well as difference between air and sea temperatures altogether gradually increased before the snowfall period. Instability-induced moisture supply to the atmosphere from the East sea, being cooled and saturated by the upper cold surge, would make low-level ice cloud, and eventually move inland by the easterly flow. Heavy snowfall will be enhanced in association with low-level convergence by surface friction and upslope wind against Taebaek mountains. This study emphasizes the importance of low level stability in the Yeongdong region using the radiosonde sounding and RDAPS data, which should quantitatively be examined through numerical model as well as heat and moisture supply from the ocean.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.154-164
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• 2018

Purpose: Recent climate change makes weather-related disasters such as summer storms, heavy rains, winter snowfall disasters, and extreme cold temperature increase in trend. Heavy snowfall disasters requires speedy response due to various effects to traffic flows, buildings, and infrastructure. Heavy snowfall disaster response of South Korea is insufficient, even though heavy snowfall disasters affect urban safety. There have been lack of policy studies for heavy snowfall disasters. Method: This research analyzes case studies and explores implications using Information system technologies to snow removal vehicles and equipments for speedy snow removal during the heavy snowfall disasters. Results: Information system technology attachment to snow removal equipments can identify locations of snow removal vehicles and equipments for emergency period to support snow removal of adjacent jurisdictions. Conclusion: Case studies of this research can be further used for efficient application of snow removal tools of local governments.

• 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.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1271-1281
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• 2009

The heavy snowfall event over the eastern part of Seoul, Korea on Mar. 04, 2008 has been abruptly occurred after the frontal system with the heavy snowfall event had been past over the Korean peninsula on Mar. 03, 2008. Therefore, this heavy snowfall event couldn't be predicted well by any means of theoretical knowledges and models. After the cold front passed by, the cold air mass was flown over the peninsula immediately and became clear expectedly except the eastern part and southwestern part of peninsula with some large amount of snowfall. Even though the wide and intense massive cold anticyclone was expanded and enhanced by the lowest tropospheric baroclinicity over the Yellow Sea, but the intrusion and eastward movement of cold air to Seoul was too slow than normally predicted. Using the data of numerical model, satellite and radar images, three dimensional analysis Products(KLAPS : Korea Local Analysis and Prediction System) of the environmental conditions of this event such as temperature, equivalent potential temperature, wind, vertical circulation, divergence, moisture flux divergence and relative vorticity could be analyzed precisely. Through the analysis of this event, the formation and westward advection of lower cyclonic circulation with continuously horizontal movement of air into the eastern part of Seoul by the analyses of KLAPS fields have been affected by occurring the heavy snowfall event. As the predictability of abrupt snowfall event was very hard and dependent on not only the synoptic atmospheric circulation but also for mesoscale atmospheric circulation, the forecaster can be predicted well this event which may be occurred and developed within the very short time period using sequential satellite images and KLAPS products.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.110-113
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• 2006

This study is to grasp and analyse the temporal and spatial distribution of record-breaking heavy snowfall rarely occurred in the middle and southwest region of South Korea during March of 2004 and December of 2005 respectively. Snow cover area was extracted using the channels 1, 3 and 4 of NOAA AVHRR images and the snow depth distribution was spatially interpolated using snowfall data of meteorological stations. Using administration boundary and Digital Elevation Model from 1:5,000 NGIS digital map, the snowfall impact was assessed spatially and compared with the reports at that time.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1439-1449
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• 2007

Heavy snowfall was occurred over the south-western part of the Korean Peninsula called as Honam Districts, on two days from 21 December 2005. The development mechanism of snowfall and its characteristics were analysed using observation and numerical data provided by Korea Meteorological Administration. In comparison with other years Arctic air mass developed and maintained during all December 2005 due to active planetary waves with three branches. And jet streams at lower and higher levels make easy development of snow convection cells. Especially thermal low induced by mesoscale heat and dynamic sources, also help the developments of convection cells in strong ascension. The understanding the relation between synoptic and mesoscale circumstance, therefore, is also important to predict the heavy snowfall and to prevent the disaster.

• 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 Society of Disaster Information
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2020

Purpose: The objective of this research is to classify snowfall area types with consideration of past regional snowfall characteristics and times for the effective local snow removal response systems of 229 local government districts. Method: This research first collected snowfall data of South Korea meteorological stations, and classified regional types using successive snowfall time. This research finally produced GIS maps using regional type information of snowfalls by applying GIS analysis methods. Result: This research provides five types of snowfall regions including 'frequent heavy snowfall regions', 'frequent light snowfall regions', 'rare heavy snowfall regions', 'average snowfall regions', and 'rare light snowfall regions' based on analysis results. Conclusion: Results of this research can be used as basic information for regional demand estimations of snow removal equipments, materials, vehicles, and personnel for the efficient snow removal response systems.

• Atmosphere
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.161-169
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• 2013

We examine the effects of the sea surface temperature (SST) distribution on heavy snowfall over the Yellow Sea using high-resolution SST products and WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model simulations in 30 December 2010. First, we evaluate the model by comparing the simulated and observed fresh snowfall over the Korean peninsula (Ho-Nam province). The comparison shows that the model reproduces the distributions and magnitudes of the observed snowfall. We then conduct sensitivity model simulations where SST perturbations by ${\pm}1.1^{\circ}C$ relative to baseline SST values (averaged SST for $5{\sim}15^{\circ}C$) are uniformly specified over the region of interest. Results show that ${\pm}1.1^{\circ}C$ SST perturbation simulations result in changes of air temperature by $+0.37/-0.38^{\circ}C$, and by ${\pm}0.31^{\circ}C$ hPa for sea level pressure, respectively, relative to the baseline simulation. Atmospheric responses to SST perturbations are found to be relatively linear. The changes in SST appear to perturb precipitation variability accounting for 10% of snow and graupel, and 18% of snowfall over the Yellow Sea and Ho- Nam province, respectively. We find that anomalies of air temperature, pressure, and hydrometeors due to SST perturbation propagate to the upper part of cloud top up to 500 hPa and show symmetric responses with respect to SST changes.

• KCID journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2011

This study is to estimate the possible damage area of greenhouse by heavy snowfall event using terra MODIS snow cover area (SCA) and the ground measured snowfall data (GMSD). For the 4 heavy snowfall events of January 2001, March 2004, December 2005 and January 2010, the areas exceeding the design criteria of snowfall depth for greenhouse breaking were extracted by coupling the MODIS SCA and GMSD. The main damaged regions were estimated as Gangwon province in 2001, Chungbuk and part of Gyeongbuk province in 2004, Jeonbuk and Jeonnam province in 2005, and Gangwon and part of Gyeonggi province in 2010 respectively. Comparing with the investigated number of greenhouse damaged data, the estimated areas reflected the statistical data except 2001. The 2001 greenhouse damages were caused by the high wind speed (35.7m/sec) together with snowfall. The results of this study can be improved if the design criteria of wind speed is added.