• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2018.06a
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• pp.82-82
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• 2018

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.40 no.6 s.111
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• pp.730-747
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• 2005

This study examines relationships between climatic factors and spatial-temporal patterns and recent changes of tropical night phenomenon(TN) occurring through nighttime stages in South Korea. Frequencies of daily TN at different times of night are extracted from long term(1973-2004) 6 hourly nighttime(9PM and 3AM) temperature and daily minimum temperature data at 61 weather stations. Temporally, the occurrences of TN are more pronounced in the evening(9PM) and during the Changma Break period(late July - early August). Spatially, the TNs in the evening frequently occur in the urbanized inland cities at low latitudes due to urban heat islands, whereas the TNs in the middle of night(3AM) or at dawn frequently appeared along the coastal areas within 30km from ocean due to the thermal inertia of ocean. By contrast, the evening(dawn) TN is not seen in the highlands whose elevation is greater than 800m(300m) along the Taebaek and Sobaek mountain ridges due to temperature lapse rates with height Correlation and multivariate regression analyses reveal that the impacts of human or physical climatic factors, such as latitude, elevation, proximity to ocean, and population density, are diverse on the frequencies of TN according to nighttime stages. Recent temporal changes of the late Changma period and intensified urbanization during the 1990s have increased the occurances of TN in urban areas. Therefore, strategies to mitigate the increasing urban TN should be prepared in the near future.