• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2019

This paper reviews various bulk-type cloud microphysics parameterizations (BCMPs). BCMP, predicting the moments of size distribution of hydrometeors, parameterizes the grid-resolved cloud and precipitation processes in atmospheric models. The generalized gamma distribution is mainly applied to represent the hydrometeors size distribution in BCMPs. BCMP can be divided in three different methods such as single-moment, double-moment, and triple-moment approaches depending on the number of prognostic variables. Single-moment approach only predicts the hydrometeors mixing ratio. Double-moment approach predicts not only the hydrometeors mixing ratio but also the hydrometeors number concentration. Triple-moment approach predicts the dispersion parameter of hydrometeors size distribution through the prognostic reflectivity, together with the number concentrations and mixing ratios of hydrometeors. Triple-moment approach is the most time expensive method because it has the most number of prognostic variables. However, this approach can allow more flexibility in representing hydrometeors size distribution relative to single-moment and double-moment approaches. At the early stage of the development of BMCPs, warm rain processes were only included. Ice-phase categories such as cloud ice, snow, graupel, and hail were included in BCMPs with prescribed properties for densities and sedimentation velocities of ice-phase hydrometeors since 1980s. Recently, to avoid fixed properties for ice-phase hydrometeors and ad-hoc category conversion, the new approach was proposed in which rimed ice and deposition ice mixing ratios are predicted with total ice number concentration and volume.

• Atmosphere
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.69-90
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• 2002

The infrared and microwave satellite observations have been used to derive the information of hydrometeors (i.e., cloud and precipitation) and atmospheric temperature. The observations were made by the Nimbus-4 Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) in 1970, and by the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) during the period 1980-99, which had channel 1~4 (Chl~4). The IRIS, which has a field of view of ~100 km, has been utilized to examine the cirrus and marine stratus clouds. The cirrus and stratus distributions were obtained, respectively, based on the spectral difference in the infrared window region, and the absorption of water vapor and $CO_2$ in the spectral region $870-980cm^{-1}$. The MSU Ch1 data has been used for low tropospheric temperature and hydrometeors, while the Ch2, Ch3 and Ch4, respectively, for the thermal state of midtroposphere, tropopause, and lower stratosphere. The climatic aspects of El Ni$\tilde{n}$o, Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and temperature trends over the globe are discussed with the MSU data. This study suggests that the IRIS and MSU data are useful for monitoring the hydrometeors and atmospheric thermal state in climate system.

• Atmosphere
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.457-475
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• 2023

Accurately predicting localized heavy rainfall is challenging without high-resolution mesoscale cloud information in the numerical model's initial field, as precipitation intensity and amount vary significantly across regions. In the Korean Peninsula, the radar observation network covers the entire country, providing high-resolution data on hydrometeors which is suitable for data assimilation (DA). During the pre-processing stage, radar reflectivity is classified into hydrometeors (e.g., rain, snow, graupel) using the background temperature field. The mixing ratio of each hydrometeor is converted and inputted into a numerical model. Moreover, assimilating saturated water vapor mixing ratio and decomposing radar radial velocity into a three-dimensional wind vector improves the atmospheric dynamic field. This study presents radar DA experiments using a numerical prediction model to enhance the wind, water vapor, and hydrometeor mixing ratio information. The impact of radar DA on precipitation prediction is analyzed separately for each radar component. Assimilating radial velocity improves the dynamic field, while assimilating hydrometeor mixing ratio reduces the spin-up period in cloud microphysical processes, simulating initial precipitation growth. Assimilating water vapor mixing ratio further captures a moist atmospheric environment, maintaining continuous growth of hydrometeors, resulting in concentrated heavy rainfall. Overall, the radar DA experiment showed a 32.78% improvement in precipitation forecast accuracy compared to experiments without DA across four cases. Further research in related fields is necessary to improve predictions of mesoscale heavy rainfall in South Korea, mitigating its impact on human life and property.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.545-561
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• 2018

Over the North East Asia, extreme anomalous precipitation were observed in 2013 and 2014. During 2013 summer the precipitation was found to be higher (two standard deviation) than the climatological mean of the region; whereas during 2014, which was a borderline El Ni?o year, precipitation was found to be lower (one standard deviation). To understand the differences of these two anomalous years the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs) has been used. The study found that low landsurface temperature and high sea-surface temperature over ocean caused a smaller land-sea contrast of surface temperature between East Asia and North West Pacific Ocean in 2014, which could have caused an eastward shift of mean monsoon circulation in that year compared to the circulation in 2013. Due to a change in the lower level circulation and wind field over East Asia the evaporation and moisture transport patterns became very different in those two years. In 2013, this study found high latent heat flux over Eastern China, which implies an increased surface evaporation over that region, and the moisture transported to the north by the mean monsoon circulation; whereas, there was no correlated transport of moisture to the North East Asia during 2014. The precipitable water over North East Asia has a stronger correlation with the latent heat flux over southern land region than that from Ocean region in the eastern side in both the years. A new approach is proposed to estimate the sub-grid scale hydrometeors from GRIMs, overestimated in the existing model.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.552-564
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• 2002

The data of satellite-observed Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) channel 1 (Ch1) brightness temperature and General Circulation Model (GCM) reanalyses over the globe have been used to investigate low tropospheric hydrometeors and microwave surface emissivity during the period from January 1981 to December 1993. The average of GCM Ch1 temperature has been reconstructed from three kinds of reanalyses, based on the MSU weighting function. Since the GCM temperature mainly corresponds to the thermal state of the lower troposphere without the difference in the emissivity between ocean and land, it is higher in summer than in other seasons over the regions. The MSU temperature over the ocean shows its maximum at the ITCZ and the SPCZ due to hydrometeors. Over high latitude ocean, the temperature is enhanced because of sea ice emissivity, while it is reduced over the land. The seasonal displacement of the ITCZ and the SPCZ systematically appeared in the difference of Ch1 temperature between the GCM and the MSU. The difference values decrease in the regions of the ITCZ, the SPCZ, and the sea ice because of the increase of the MSU temperature. According to the local minima of the values, the ITCZ moves norhward to 9 N in fall, and the SPCZ moves southward to 12 S in boreal fall and winter. The sea ice in the northern hemisphere is extended southward to 53 N in winter, while the ice in the southern hemisphere, northward to 58 S in boreal summer. We also have discussed the separated contribution from hydrometeors and surface emissivity to the MSU Ch1 temperature, utilizing radiative transfer theory. The increase of 4-6K in the temperature over the ITCZ is inferred to result from hydrometeors of 1-1.5mm/day, and furthermore the increase of 10-30K over the high latitude ocean, ice emissivity of 0.6-0.9.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.59-71
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• 2002

Theoretical models of radiative transfer are developed to simulate the 85 GHz brightness temperature (T85) observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) radiometer as a function of rain rate. These simulations are performed separately over regions of the convective and stratiform rain. TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) observations are utilized to construct vertical profiles of hydrometeors in the regions. For a given rain rate, the extinction in 85 GHz due to hydrometeors above the freezing level is found to be relatively weak in the convective regions compared to that in the stratiform. The hydrometeor profile above the freezing level responsible for the weak extinction in convective regions is inferred from theoretical considerations to contain two layers: 1) a mixed (or mixed-phase) layer of 2 km thickness with mixed-phase particles, liquid drops and graupel above the freezing level, and 2) a layer of graupel extending from the top of the mixed layer to the cloud top. Strong extinction in the stratiform regions is inferred to result from slowly-falling, low-density ice aggregates (snow) above the freezing level. These theoretical results are consistent with the T85 measured by TMI, and with the rain rate deduced from PR for the convective and stratiform rain regions. On the basis of this study, the accuracy of the rain rate sensed by TMI is inferred to depend critically on the specification of the convective or stratiform nature of the rain.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.191-204
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• 2003

A one dimensional time dependent acid rain model considering size distribution of aerosols and hydrometeors is developed to predict observed chemical and physical properties of precipitation. Temporal variations of anions and cations observed are predicted fairly well with acid rain model simulations. It is found that aerosol depletion rates are highly dependent on aerosol sizes under the assumption of Marshall - Palmer raindrop size distribution. Also, the aerosol depletion during the initial rain event largely influences on ion concentrations in rainwaters.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.24 no.E2
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• pp.92-101
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• 2008

The objective of this study is to evaluate and improve the capability of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in simulating fog and visibility in local airports over Korea. The WRF model system is statistically evaluated for the 48-fog cases over Korea from 2003 to 2006. Based on the 4-yr evaluations, attempts are made to improve the simulation skill of fog and visibility over Korea by revising the statistical coefficients in the visibility algorithms of the WRF model. A comparison of four existing visibility algorithms in the WRF model shows that uncertainties in the visibility algorithms include additional degree of freedom in accuracy of numerical fog forecasts over Korea. A revised statistical algorithm using a linear-regression between the observed visibility and simulated hydrometeors and humidity near the surface exhibits overall improvement in the visibility forecasts.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.176-182
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• 1990

A one dimensional cumulus cloud model has been developed to investigate the size distribution of hydrometeors at different heights and at different stages of cloud development. The model results show that the exponential distribution of droplet radius that was employed by many investigators can misinterpret the cloud dynamic fields during the life cycle of cumulus cloud. The results also show the bimodal distribution of cloud water mixing ratios at 25 $\mu$m and 645 $\mu$m in radius at 45 minutes of simulation time. The developed model can be applied in future on the parameterization of cloud microphysical processes and air pollution models.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.503-524
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• 2000

Intercomparisons between four kinds of data have been done to estimate the accuracy of satellite observations and model reanalysis for middle and lower tropospheric thermal state over regional oceans. The data include the Microwave Sounding Units (MSU) Channel 2 (Ch2) brightness temperatures of NOAA satellites and the vertically weighted corresponding temperature of ECMWF GCM (1980-93). The satellite data for midtropospheric temperatures are MSU2 (1980-98) in nadir direction and SC2 (1980-97) in multiple scans, and for lower tropospheric temperature SC2R (1980-97). MSU2 was derived in this study while SC2 and SC2R were described in Spencer and Christy (1992a, 1992b). Temporal correlations between the above data were high (r${\ge}$0.90) in the middle and high latitudes, but low(r${\sim}$0.65) over the low latitude and more convective regions. Their values with SC2R which included the noises due to hydrometeors and surface emission were conspicuously low. The reanalysis shows higher correlation with SC2 than with MSU2 partially because of the hydrometeors screening. SC2R in monthly climatological anomalies was more sensitive to surface thermal condition in northern hemisphere than MSU2 or SC2. The first EOF mode for the monthly mean data of MSU and ECMWF shows annual cycle over most regions except the tropics. The mode in MSU2 over the Pacific suggests the east-west dipole due to the Walker circulation, but this tendency is not clear in other data. In the first and second modes for the Ch2 anomalies over most regions, the MSU and ECMWF data commonly indicate interannual variability due to El Ni${\tilde{n}$o and La Ni${\tilde{n}$a. The substantial disagreement between observations and model reanalysis occurs over the equatorial upwelling region of the western Pacific, suggesting uncertainties in the model parameterization of atmosphere-ocean interaction.