• 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 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.

• Atmosphere
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.131-151
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• 2010

This study establishes a conceptual model to analyze heavy rainfall events in Korea using multi-functional transport satellite-1R satellite images. Three heavy rainfall episodes in two major synoptic types, such as synoptic low (SL) type and synoptic flow convergence (SC) type, are analyzed through a conceptual model procedure which proceeds on two steps: 1) conveyer belt model analysis to detect convective area, and 2) cloud top temperature analysis from black body temperature (TBB) data to distinguish convective cloud from stratiform cloud, and eventually estimate heavy rainfall area and intensity. Major synoptic patterns causing heavy rainfall are Changma, synoptic low approach, upper level low in the SL type, and upper level low, indirect effect of typhoon, convergence of tropical air in the SC type. The relationship between rainfall and TBBs in overall well resolved areas of heavy rainfall. The SC type tended to underestimate the intensity of heavy rainfall, but the analysis with the use of water vapor channel has improved the performance. The conceptual model improved a concrete utilization of images and data of satellite, as summarizing characteristics of major synoptic type causing heavy rainfall and composing an algorism to assess the area and intensity of heavy rainfall. The further assessment with various cases is required for the operational use.