• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.361-376
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• 2021

"Gangwon Yeongdong Wind Experiments (G-WEX) Pilot Study: Downslope windstorms in the Taebaek Mountains, South Korea" is promoted based on joint organization by Gangwon Regional Office of Meteorology and National Institute of Meteorological Research and participation by 12 institutions to understand the mechanism in development of Yeongdong wind phenomena. The special observation (G-WEX) involved total of 5 intensive observations in March 2020 and April 2020. To collect the data necessary for the research on Yeongdong wind phenomena, (1) high-resolution surface observation network was used to examine surface wind and (2) atmospheric soundings were observed by using Rawinsonde, Wind profiler, Wind Lidar, and Drone. This study covers the detailed information on the special observational experiments for downslope windstorms in the leeward of the Taebaek Mountains, named as the Yeongdong wind, including the observational strategies, experimental designs, and pilot studies during the Intensified Observing Period (IOPs). According to 2020 G-WEX observation results, downslope windstorms were observed in 2~3 km of upper atmosphere when the strong winds happened around the top of the mountain near Daegwallyeong. Also, dry adiabatic expansion related to downslope windstorms caused temperature rise and led to formation of an inversion layer in altitude below 2.5 km. Bands of strong wind were located right under the altitude where downslope windstorms are observed with temporal rise of the temperature. As these are preliminary observation results, there needs to be continuous related researches and high-resolution weather observation.

• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.377-394
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• 2021

The recent largest forest fire in the Yeongdong region, Goseung/Okgae fires of 2019 occurred during YangGang wind event. The wind can be locally gusty and extremely dry, particularly in the complex terrain of Yeongdong. These winds can cause and/or rapidly spread wildfires, the threat of which is serious during the dry spring season. This study examines the spatial variability of the surface wind and its coupling with the upper atmospheric wind using the data during the IOP of the Gangwon Yeongdong Wind Experiments (G-WEX) conducted in 2020 and the data during YangGang wind event on 4~5 April 2019. In the case of IOPs, strong wind at the surface with a constant wind direction appears in the mountain area, and weak wind with large variability in wind direction appears from foothill to the coast in the vicinity of Gangneung region. However, in the 2019 event, strong wind at the surface with a constant wind direction appears in the entire region from the mountain to the coast, even with the stronger wind in the coast than in some part of the mountain area. The characteristics of the upper atmospheric wind related with the spatial distribution of surface wind show that during IOPs of G-WEX, a strong downdraft exists near the mountaintop in the level of about 1 to 4 km. However, in the 2019 event a strong downdraft is reinforced, when its location moves toward the coast and descends close to the ground. These downdrafts are generated by the breaking of mountain waves.

• Atmosphere
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.373-389
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• 2011

This research focuses on the sensitivity of the WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting) Model according to three different land cover data(USGS(United States Geological Survey), MODIS(Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)30s+USGS, and KLC (Korea Land Cover)) for an event of sea breeze, occurred over the Gangwon Yeongdong region on 13 May 2009. Based on the observation, the easterly into Gangneung, due to the sea-breeze circulation, was identified between 1000 LST and 1640 LST. It did not reach beyond the Taebaek Mountain Range and thus the easterly was not observed near Daegwallyeong. On the other hand, the numerical simulations utilizing land cover data of USGS, MODIS30s+USGS, and KLC showed easterlies beyond the Taebaek Mountain Range up to Daegwallyeong. In addition, rather different penetration distances of each easterly, and different timings of beginning and ending of sea breeze were identified among the simulations. The Bias, MAE(Mean Absolute Error) and RMSE(Root Mean Square Error) of the wind from WRF simulation using MODIS30s+USGS land cover data were the least among the simulations particularly over Gangwon Yeongdong coastal area(Sokcho, Gangneung and Donghae), while those of the wind over the Gangwon Mountain area(Daegwallyeong and Jinbu) from the simulation using KLC land cover data were the least among them. The wind field over Gangwon Yeongdong coastal area from the simulation using USGS land cover data was rather poor among them.