• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2015.05a
• /
• pp.224-224
• /
• 2015

The East Asia monsoon is one of the most complex atmospheric phenomena caused by Land-Sea thermal contrast. It plays essential role in fulfilling the water needs of the region but also poses stern consequences in terms of flooding and droughts. This study analyzed the influence of Global Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (SSTA) on occurrence of droughts in the East Asia monsoon region ($20^{\circ}N-50^{\circ}N$, $103^{\circ}E-149^{\circ}E$). Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was employed to characterize the droughts over the region using 30-year (1978-2007) gridded rainfall dataset at $0.5^{\circ}$ grid resolution. Due to high variability in intensity and spatial extent of monsoon rainfall the East Asia monsoon region was divided into the homogeneous rainfall zones using cluster analysis method. Seven zones were delineated that showed unique rainfall regimes over the region. The influence of SSTA was assessed by using lagged-correlation between global gridded SSTA ($0.2^{\circ}$ grid resolution) and SPI of each zone. Sea regions with potential influence on droughts in different zones were identified based on significant positive and negative correlation between SSTA and SPI with a lag period of 3-month. The results showed that SSTA have the potential to be used as predictor variables for prediction of droughts with a reasonable lead time. The findings of this study will assist to improve the drought prediction over the region.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.4 no.5
• /
• pp.28-28
• /
• 1995

The aim of the present study is to investigate the interannual variabilities of the East Asia monsoon rainfall associated with the global sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA). For this study, the summer rainfall(from June to August) over the twenty-eight period of 1961-1988 were analyzed with being divided by nine-subregions over East Asia including Korea, China and Japan. From the analysis of the principal modes explaining the interannual variation, the interannual variabilities of summer rainfalls in South Japan and Korea are larger than those of the other subregions of the East Asia. There is a strong negative correlation between the summer rainfalls of south China and Korea. In this study, the relationship between the summer monsoon of each subregion and SSTs of the tropical NINO regions, of western Pacific warm pool, and of the subtropical ocean were investigated. The longitudinal sections of the lagged cross correlations of the summer rainfal1 anomaly in (a) Korea and (b) south China, and the monthly SSTA in the equatorial(averaged from 65 to 6N) Pacific were analyzed. The negative maximum correlation pattems of Korea''s stammer rainfal1 and SSTs over the eastern Pacific is transfered to positive maximum conrlation over central Pacific region with a biennial periodicity. In South China, the significant positive correlations are found at -12 month lag over the eastern Pacific and maximum negative correlation at 16 month lag over the central Pacific with the quasi-biennial oscillation. But the correlation coefficient reverses completely to that in Korea. In order to investigate the most prevailing interannual variability of rainfall related to the favored SSTA region, the lagged cross correlations between East Asia rainfall and SSTs over the moO regions(NINO 1+2(0-105, 90W-80W), NINO 3(5N-5S, 150W-90W), NINO 4(5N-5S, 160E-l50W) and the western Pacific worm pool (5N-5S, 120E-l60E) were analyzed. Among the lagged cross-correlation cycles in NINO regions, the maximum correlations for the negative lagged months prevail in NINO 1+2 and NINO 3, and the cross correlations for the positive lagged months NINO 4. It is noteworthy that correlation between the western Pacific warm pool SSTA and the monsoon rainfall in Korea and South China have the maximum value at negative 4 month lag. The evolution of the correlation between the East Asia monsoon rainfall and SSTA is linked to the equatorial convective cluster and related to northward propagating situation, and raising the possibility that the East Asia monsoon precipitation may be more fundamentally related to the interaction of intraseasonal oscillations and the sub-regional characteristics including the surface boundary conditions and the behavior of climatological air mass.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.4 no.5
• /
• pp.413-426
• /
• 1995

The aim of the present study is to investigate the interannual variabilities of the East Asia monsoon rainfall associated with the global sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA). For this study, the summer rainfall(from June to August) over the twenty-eight period of 1961-1988 were analyzed with being divided by nine-subregions over East Asia including Korea, China and Japan. From the analysis of the principal modes explaining the interannual variation, the interannual variabilities of summer rainfalls in South Japan and Korea are larger than those of the other subregions of the East Asia. There is a strong negative correlation between the summer rainfalls of south China and Korea. In this study, the relationship between the summer monsoon of each subregion and SSTs of the tropical NINO regions, of western Pacific warm pool, and of the subtropical ocean were investigated. The longitudinal sections of the lagged cross correlations of the summer rainfal1 anomaly in (a) Korea and (b) south China, and the monthly SSTA in the equatorial(averaged from 65 to 6N) Pacific were analyzed. The negative maximum correlation pattems of Korea's stammer rainfal1 and SSTs over the eastern Pacific is transfered to positive maximum conrlation over central Pacific region with a biennial periodicity. In South China, the significant positive correlations are found at -12 month lag over the eastern Pacific and maximum negative correlation at 16 month lag over the central Pacific with the quasi-biennial oscillation. But the correlation coefficient reverses completely to that in Korea. In order to investigate the most prevailing interannual variability of rainfall related to the favored SSTA region, the lagged cross correlations between East Asia rainfall and SSTs over the moO regions(NINO 1+2(0-105, 90W-80W), NINO 3(5N-5S, 150W-90W), NINO 4(5N-5S, 160E-l50W) and the western Pacific worm pool (5N-5S, 120E-l60E) were analyzed. Among the lagged cross-correlation cycles in NINO regions, the maximum correlations for the negative lagged months prevail in NINO 1+2 and NINO 3, and the cross correlations for the positive lagged months NINO 4. It is noteworthy that correlation between the western Pacific warm pool SSTA and the monsoon rainfall in Korea and South China have the maximum value at negative 4 month lag. The evolution of the correlation between the East Asia monsoon rainfall and SSTA is linked to the equatorial convective cluster and related to northward propagating situation, and raising the possibility that the East Asia monsoon precipitation may be more fundamentally related to the interaction of intraseasonal oscillations and the sub-regional characteristics including the surface boundary conditions and the behavior of climatological air mass.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.63-69
• /
• 2003

Three tree-ring monsoon rainfall reconstructions from China and Korea have been used in this paper to investigate the variation of the East Asian summer monsoon over the past 160 years. Statistically, there is no linear correlation on a year-by-year basis between Chinese and Korean monsoon rainfall, but region-wide synchronous variation on decadal-scale was observed. Strong monsoon intervals (more rainfall) were 1860-1890, 1910-1925,1940-1960, and weak monsoon periods (dry or even drought) were 1890-1910, 1925-1940, 1960- present. Reconstructions also display that the East Asian summer monsoon suddenly changed from strong into weak around mid-1920, and the East Asian summer monsoon keeps going weak after 1960.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.47-68
• /
• 2003

Recent advances in the studies on the interaction between Asian monsoon and ENSO cycle are reviewed in this paper. Through the recent studies, the East Asian summer monsoon circulation system and the East Asian climate system have proposed. Moreover, different responses of the (winter and summer) monsoon circulation and summer rainfall anomalies in East Asia to ENSO cycle during its different stages have been understood further. Recently, the studies on the dynamical effect of East Asian monsoon on the thermal variability of the tropical western Pacific and ENSO cycle have been greatly advanced. These studies demonstrated further that ENSO cycle originates from the tropical western Pacific, and pointed out that the dynamical effect of East Asian winter and summer monsoons on ENSO cycle may be through the atmospheric circulation and zonal wind anomalies over the tropical western Pacific, which can excite the oceanic Kelvin wave and Rossby waves in the equatorial Pacific. Besides, the scientific problems in the interaction between Asian monsoon and ENSO cycle, which should be studied further in the near future, are also pointed out in this paper.

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

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2000.11a
• /
• pp.3-11
• /
• 2000

The Asian summer monsoon has a profound social and economic impact in East Asia and its surrounding countries. The monsoon is basically a response of the atmosphere to the differential heating between the land mass of the Asian continent and the adjacent oceans. The atmospheric response, however, is quite complicated due to the interactions between the atmospheric heat sources, land-sea contrast, and topography, The occurrence of extreme summertime floods in Korea, Japan, and China in 1998 and 1999 has highlighted the range of variability of the East Asian summertime monsoon circulation and spurred interest in investigating the cause of such extreme variability. While ENSO is often considered a prime mechanism responsible for the unusual hydrological disasters in East Asia, understanding of the connection between ENSO and the East Asian monsoon is hampered by their dynamic complexities. Along with a recent phenomenon of weather abnormalities observed in many parts of the globe, Korea has seen its share of increased weather abnormalities such as the record-breaking heavy rainfalls due to a series of flash floods in the summers of 1998 and 1999, following devastating Yangtze river floods in China. A clear regime shift is found in the tropospheric mean temperature in the northern hemisphere middle latitudes and the surface temperature over the Asian continent during the summer with a sudden warming since 1977. Either decadal climate variation or climate regime shift in the Asian continent is evident and may have altered the characteristics of the East Asian summer monsoon. Considering the summertime rainfall amount in Korea is overall increased lately, the 1998/99 heavy rainfalls may not be isolated episodes related only to ENSO, but could be a part of long-term climate variation. The record-breaking heavy summer rainfalls in Korea may not be direct impact of ENSO. Instead, the effects of decadal climate variation and ENSO may be coupled to each other and also to the East Asian summer monsoon system, while their individual impacts are difficult to separate.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.613-619
• /
• 2007

Mesoscale low is often observed over the downstream region of the East Sea (or, northwest coast off the Japan Islands) during East-Asia winter monsoon. The low system causes a heavy snowfall at the region. A series of numerical experiments were conducted with the aid of a regional model (MM5 ver. 3.5) to examine the formation mechanism of the mesoscale low. The following results were obtained: 1) A well-developed mesoscale low was simulated by the regional model under real topography, NCEP reanalysis, and OISST; 2) The mesoscale low was simulated under a zonally averaged SST without topography. This implies that the meridional gradient of SST is the main factor in the formation of a mesoscale low; 3) A thermal contrast ($>10^{\circ}C$) of land-sea and topography-induced disturbance served as the second important factor for the formation; 4) Paektu Mountain caused the surface wind to decelerate downstream, which created a more favorable environment for thermodynamic modification than that was found in a flat topography; and 5) The types of cumulus parameterizations did not affect the development of the mesoscale low.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.55-68
• /
• 2007

Future climate changes over East Asia are projected by anthropogenic forcing of greenhouse gases and aerosols using ECHO-G/S (ECHAM4/HOPE-G). Climate simulation in the 21st century is conducted with three standard SRES scenarios (A1B, B1, and A2) and the model performance is assessed by the 20th Century (20C3M) experiment. From the present climate simulation (20C3M), the model reproduced reliable climate state in the most fields, however, cold bias in temperature and dry bias of summer in precipitation occurred. The intercomparison among models using Taylor diagram indicates that ECHO-G/S exhibits smaller mean bias and higher pattern correlation than other nine AOGCMs. Based on SRES scenarios, East Asia will experience warmer and wetter climate in the coming 21st century. Changes of geographical patterns from the present to the future are considerably similar through all the scenarios except for the magnitude difference. The temperature in winter and precipitation in summer show remarkable increase. In spite of the large uncertainty in simulating precipitation by regional scale, we found that the summer (winter) precipitation at eastern coast (north of $40^{\circ}N$) of East Asia has significantly increased. In the 21st century, the warming over the continents of East Asia showed much more increase than that over the ocean. Hence, more enhanced (weakened) land-sea thermal contrast over East Asia in summer (winter) will cause strong (weak) monsoon. In summer, the low pressure located in East Asia becomes deeper and the moisture from the south or southeast is transported more into the land. These result in increasing precipitation amount over East Asia, especially at the coastal region. In winter, the increase (decrease) of precipitation is accompanied by strengthening (weakening) of baroclinicity over the land (sea) of East Asia.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.293-309
• /
• 2020

There are lots of indices that define the intensity of East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in climate systems. This paper assesses the prediction skill for EASM indices in a Global Seasonal Forecasting System (GloSea5) that is currently operating at KMA. Total 5 different types of EASM indices (WNPMI, EAMI, WYI, GUOI, and SAHI) are selected to investigate how well GloSea5 reproduces them using hindcasts with 12 ensemble members with 1~3 lead months. Each index from GloSea5 is compared to that from ERA-Interim. Hindcast results for the period 1991~2010 show the highest prediction skill for WNPMI which is defined as the difference between the zonal winds at 850 hPa over East China Sea and South China Sea. WYI, defined as the difference between the zonal winds of upper and lower level over the Indian Ocean far from East Asia, is comparatively well captured by GloSea5. Though the prediction skill for EAMI which is defined by using meridional winds over areas of East Asia and Korea directly affected by EASM is comparatively low, it seems that EAMI is useful for predicting the variability of precipitation by EASM over East Asia. The regressed atmospheric fields with EASM index and the correlation with precipitation also show that GloSea5 best predicts the synoptic environment of East Asia for WNPMI among 5 EASM indices. Note that the result in this study is limited to interpret only for GloSea5 since the prediction skill for EASM index depends greatly on climate forecast model systems.