• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.529-549
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• 2009

In 2007, just after the recession of the Changma, anomalously long rainy period (from July 30 to August 15) occurred in Korea. To identify the cause of the sustained rainy period, we performed synoptic analysis and the associated air motions. The behavior of each air parcel trajectory associated with atmospheric motion was then investigated. As a result, three particular phenomena occurring at latitudes lower than $40^{\circ}N$ were discovered. First, a mass of relatively cold air, referred to as E, made a deep intrusion from $20^{\circ}N$ to $60^{\circ}N$. Second, this intrusion was accompanied by another mass of air called dE. It was colder and drier than E and originated from the mid-troposphere over the tropical ocean. Third, dE and E rotated clockwise three times over a period of 17 days over the Northwestern Pacific and blocked the westerly waves imbedded in the zonal flow from propagating. Two additional phenomena were observed at latitudes higher than $40^{\circ}N$. First, the cold core system, while approaching from the west with low geopotential values at its center, was stagnated over Shanxi China. It enhanced the northward intrusion of dE and E, and then diminished. The subsequent low system showed similar evolution as the first one. Second, a warm core anticyclone was formed over Lake Baikal, blocking the westerlies for 13 days and contributed to the persistent northward incursion of warm moist air. Moreover, a horizontally extended intrusion of upper level clouds from the tropics to $50^{\circ}N$, which may be interpreted as a tropical plume, was found around the end of the period (from August 12 to 15, 2007) with successive tropical nights over Korea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.417-430
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• 2014

We have found an error in the operational OMI HCHO columns, and corrected it by applying a background parameterization derived on a 4th order polynomial fit to the time series of monthly average OMI HCHO data. The corrected OMI HCHO agrees with this understanding as well as with the other sensors measurements and has no unrealistic trends. A new scientific approach, statistical analyses with EOF and SVD, was adapted to reanalyze the consistency of the corrected OMI HCHO with other satellite measurements of HCHO, CO, $NO_2$, and fire counts over Africa. The EOF and SVD analyses with MOPITT CO, OMI $NO_2$, SCIAMAHCY, and OMI HCHO show the overall spatial and temporal pattern consistent with those of biomass burning over these regions. However, some discrepancies were observed from OMI HCHO over northern equatorial Africa during the northern biomass burning seasons: The maximum HCHO was found further downwind from where maximum fire counts occur and the minimum was found in January when biomass burning is strongest. The statistical analysis revealed that the influence of biogenic activity on HCHO wasn't strong enough to cause the discrepancies, but it is caused by the error in OMI HCHO from using the wrong Air Mass Factor (AMF) associated with biomass burning aerosol. If the error is properly taken into consideration, the biomass burning is the strongest source of HCHO seasonality over the regions. This study suggested that the statistical tools are a very efficient method for evaluating satellite data.