• Atmosphere
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.377-390
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• 2020

Not only emissions, but also atmospheric circulation is a key factor that affects local particulate matters (PM) concentrations in Korea through ventilation effects and transboundary transports. As part of the atmospheric circulation, air stagnation especially adversely affects local air quality due to weak ventilation. This study investigates the large-scale circulation related to air stagnation over Korea during winter and projects the climate change impacts on atmospheric patterns, using observed PM data, reanalysis and regional climate projections from HadGEM3-RA with Modified Korea Particulate matter Index. Results show that the stagnation affects the PM concentration, accompanied by pressure ridge at upper troposphere and weaken zonal pressure gradient at lower troposphere. Downscaling using HadGEM3-RA is found to yield Added-Value in the simulated low tropospheric winds. For projection of future stagnation, SSP5-8.5 and SSP1-2.6 (high and low emission) scenarios are used here. It has been found that the stagnation condition occurs more frequently by 11% under SSP5-8.5 and by 5% under SSP1-2.6 than in present-day climate and is most affected by changes in surface wind speed. The increase in the stagnation conditions is related to anticyclonic circulation anomaly at upper troposphere and weaken meridional pressure gradient at lower troposphere. Considering that the present East Asian winter monsoon is mainly affected by change in zonal pressure gradient, it is worth paying attention to this change in the meridional gradient. Our results suggest that future warming condition increase the frequency of air stagnation over Korea during winter with response of atmospheric circulation and its nonlinearity.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.899-914
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• 2023

Various seeding materials for cloud seeding are being used, and sodium chloride powder is one of them, which is commonly used. This study analyzed the experimental results of multi-aircraft cloud seeding in connection with Republic of Korea Air Force (CN235) and KMA/NIMS(Korea Meteorological Administration/National Institute of Meteorological Sciences) Atmospheric Research Aircraft. Powdered sodium chloride was used in CN235 for the first time in South Korea. The analysis of the cloud particle size distributions and radar reflectivity before and after cloud seeding showed that the growth efficiency of powdery seeding material in the cloud is slightly higher than that of hygroscopic flare composition in the distribution of number concentrations by cloud aerosol particle diameter (10 ~ 1000 ㎛). Considering the radar reflectivity, precipitation, and numerical model simulation, the enhanced precipitation due to cloud seeding was calculated to be a maximum of 3.7 mm for 6 hours. The simulated seeding effect area was about 3,695 km², which corresponds to 13,634,550 tons of water. In the precipitation component analysis, as a direct verification method, the ion equivalent concentrations (Na⁺, Cl^-, Ca²⁺) of the seeding material at the Bukgangneung site were found to be about 1000 times higher than those of other non-affected areas between about 1 and 2 hours after seeding. This study suggests the possibility of continuous multi-aircraft cloud seeding experiments to accumulate and increase the amount of precipitation enhancement.

• Atmosphere
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.203-216
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• 2024

The National Institute of Meteorological Sciences in Korea has developed the Weather Modification Hybrid Rocket (WMHR), an advanced system that offers enhanced stability and cost-effectiveness over conventional solid-fuel rockets. Designed for precise operation, the WMHR enables accurate control over the ejection altitude of pyrotechnics by modulating the quantity of oxidizer, facilitating specific cloud seeding at various atmospheric layers. Furthermore, the rate of descent for pyrotechnic devices can be adjusted by modifying parachute sizes, allowing for controlled dispersion time and concentration of seeding agents. The rocket's configuration also supports adjustments in the pyrotechnic device's capacity, permitting tailored seeding agent deployment. This innovation reflects significant technical progression and collaborations with local manufacturers, in addition to efforts to secure testing sites and address hybrid rocket production challenges. Notable outcomes of this project include the creation of a national framework for weather modification technology utilizing hybrid rockets, enhanced cloud seeding methods, and the potential for broader meteorological application of hybrid rockets beyond precipitation augmentation. An illustrative case study confirmed the WMHR's operational effectiveness, although the impact on cloud seeding was limited by unfavorable weather conditions. This experience has provided valuable insights and affirmed the system's potential for varied uses, such as weather modification and deploying high-altitude meteorological sensors. Nevertheless, the expansion of civilian weather rocket experiments in Korea faces challenges due to inadequate infrastructure and regulatory limitations, underscoring the urgent need for advancements in these areas.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.232-235
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• 2003

In general, the parameters of climate change include aerosol chemical compounds, aerosol optical depth, greenhouse gases(carbon dioxide, CFCs, methane, nitrous oxide, tropospheric ozone), ozone distribution, precipitation acidity and chemical compounds, persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, radioactivity, solar radiation including ultra-violet and standard meteorological parameters. Over the last ten years, the monitoring activities of Korea regarding to the climate change have been progressed within the WMO GAW and ACE-Asia IOP programs centered at the observation sites of Anmyeon and Jeju Gosan islands respectively. The Greenhouse gases were pointed out that standard air quality monitoring techniques are required to enhance data comparability and that data presentation formats need to be harmonized and easily understood. Especially, the impact of atmospheric aerosols on climate depends on their optical properties, which, in turn, are a function of aerosol size distribution and the spectral reflective indices. Aerosol optical depth and single scattering albedo in the visible are used as the two basic parameters in the atmospheric temperature variation studies. The former parameter is an indicator of the attenuation power of aerosols, while the latter represents the relative strength of scattering and absorption by aerosols. For aerosols with weak absorption, surface temperature decreases as the optical depth increases because of the domination of backscattering. For aerosols with strong absorption, however, warming could occur as the optical depth increases. The objective of the study is to characterize the means, variability, and trends of Greenhouse gases and aerosol properties on a regional basis using data from its baseline observatories in Korea peninsula. A further goal is to understand the factors that control radiative forcing of the greenhouse and aerosol.

• Atmosphere
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.137-146
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• 2008

This study examines one thermal index, perceived temperature (PT), over the Korean Peninsula during 2007 summer. Heat/cold stress has been described using air temperature and humidity for warm seasons and air temperature and wind velocity in the cold conditions, while PT is based on a heat budget model of the human body that considers air temperature, humidity, wind velocity and radiation effect regardless of climates, regions and seasons. PT is higher about $4-5^{\circ}C$ than air temperature in the summer. Humidity increases PT, while wind tends to reduces PT possibly by evaporation of water vapor. The geographical distribution of summer PT indicates that the lowest PT happened in the east central region, with the appearance of the highest PT in the inland of southern region in Korea. Although the latitudinal trend shows that PT decreases northward, inland PT is higher than that of coastal region. Compared to the heat index or the discomfort index that considers air temperature and humidity, PT represents distinctive regional characteristics of thermal comfort. The distribution of PT shows that it may be a useful thermal index for the assessment of thermal comfort or stress region in the Korean Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.25-43
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• 2018

The effects of hydro-meteorological and surface variables on the frequency of Asian dust events (FAE) were investigated using ground station and satellite-based data. Present weather codes 7, 8, and 9 derived from surface synoptic observations (SYNOP)were used for counting FAE. Surface wind speed (SWS), air temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), and precipitation were analyzed as hydro-meteorological variables for FAE. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), land surface temperature (LST), and snow cover fraction (SCF) were used to consider the effects of surface variables on FAE. The relationships between FAE and hydro-meteorological variables were analyzed using Z-score and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. Although all variables expressed the change of FAE, the degrees of expression were different. SWS, LST, and Ta (indices applicable when Z-score was < 0) explained about 63.01, 58.00, and 56.17% of the FAE,respectively. For NDVI, precipitation, and RH, Asian dust events occurred with a frequency of about 55.38, 67.37, and 62.87% when the Z-scores were > 0. EOF analysis for the FAE showed the seasonal cycle, change pattern, and surface influences related to dryness condition for the FAE. The intensity of SWS was the main cause for change of FAE, but surface variables such as LST, SCF, and NDVI also were expressed because wet surface conditions suppress FAE. These results demonstrate that not only SWS and precipitation, but also surface variables, are important and useful precursors for monitoring Asian dust events.

• Atmosphere
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.265-281
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• 2014

Currently, Korea is developing a Cheollian follow-on satellite program, named as Geostationary Korea Multipurpose Satellite 2 (GK-2), which consists of two satellites. One satellite (GK-2A) is dedicated to the meterological mission, while the second one (GK-2B) hosts two main payloads for the ocean and environmental application. As GK-2A is dedicated to the meteorological mission unlike Cheollian, there have been discussions on the possibility of transferring the responsibilities of the GK-2A program to the Korea Meteorological Administration. To help resolve any consumptive disputes or to find an efficient way for the GK-2A program, the events happened after the successful launch of the first meteorological satellite TIROS-1 in the U.S. in April 1960 are investigated. With the successful demonstration of usefulness of TIROS-1 for the meteorological applications, organizations such as the Weather Bureau and the Department of Defense, responsible for the real time application of the TIROS 1 data, strongly requested for an operational meteorological satellite program which resulted in the plan for the National Operational Meteorological Satellite System (NOMSS). The plan was strongly supported by Kennedy Adminstration and was put forwarded for the new program under the responsibility of Weather Bureau to the Congress. However, the responsible Committee on Science and Aeronautics sided with NASA and requested major revision of the responsibility. Due to many unfavorable conditions, Weather Bureau accepted the requests and signed with NASA on the agreement for the operational meteorological satellite. However, with the delay of Nimbus satellite which is planned to be used for the prototype of the operational satellite and changes of the unfavorable situations, the Weather Bureau could draw a second agreement with NASA. The new agreement reflected most propositions requested by the Weather Bureau for the NOMSS plan. Until now the second agreement is regarded as the basic principles for the operational meteorological satellite program in the U.S. This study investigates the backgrounds and processes of the second agreement and its implications for the GK-2 program.

• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.143-156
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• 2021

This study investigates the impacts of land cover change due to urbanization on the Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) and the Heat Index (HI) over the Seoul metropolitan area using the Unified Model (UM) with the Met Office Reading Urban Surface Exchange Scheme (MORUSES) during the heat wave from 16, July to 5, August 2018. Two simulations are performed with the late 1980s land-use (EXP1980) and the late 2000s land-use (EXP2000). EXP2000 is verified using Automatic Weather Station (AWS) data from 85 points in the study area, and observation sites are classified into two categories according to the urban fraction change over 20 years; Category A is 0.2 or less increase, and Category B is 0.2 or more increase. The 1.5-m temperature and relative humidity in Category B increase by up to 1.1℃ and decreased by 7% at 1900 LST and 2000 LST, respectively. This means that the effect of the urban fraction changes is higher at night. UHII increases by up to 0.3℃ in Category A and 1.3℃ in Category B at 1900 LST. Analysis of the surface energy balance shows that the heat store for a short time during the daytime and release at nighttime with upward sensible heat flux. As a result of the HI, there is no significant difference between the two experiments during the daytime, but it increases 1.6℃ in category B during the nighttime (2200 LST). The results indicate that the urbanization increase both UHII, and HI, but the times of maximum difference between EXP1980 and EXP2000 are different.

• Atmosphere
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.361-376
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• 2020

This study evaluates multiple Regional Climate Models (RCMs) in simulating temperature and precipitation over the Far East Asia (FEA) and estimates the portions of the total uncertainty originating in the RCMs and the driving Global Climate Models (GCMs) using nine present-day (1981~2000) climate data obtained from combinations of three GCMs and three RCMs in the CORDEX-EA phase2. Downscaling using the RCMs generally improves the present temperature and precipitation simulated in the GCMs. The mean temperature climate in the RCM simulations is similar to that in the GCMs; however, RCMs yield notably better spatial variability than the GCMs. In particular, the RCMs generally yield positive added values to the variability of the summer temperature and the winter precipitation. Evaluating the uncertainties by the GCMs (VARGCM) and the RCMs (VARRCM) on the basis of two-way ANOVA shows that VARRCM is greater than VARGCM in contrast to previous studies which showed VARGCM is larger. In particular, in the winter temperature, the ocean has a very large VARRCM of up to 30%. Precipitation shows that VARRCM is greater than VARGCM in all seasons, but the difference is insignificant. In the following study, we will analyze how the uncertainty of the climate model in the present-day period affects future climate change prospects.

• Atmosphere
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.471-480
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• 2011

This study investigates the characteristics of surface wind in North Korea using mesoscale model WRF. Hourly wind fields were simulated for one year representing mean characteristics of an 11-years period from 1998 to 2008. The simulations were performed on a nested grid from 27 km to 1 km horizontal resolution. The simulated wind map at 10 m above ground level is verified with 27 surface observations. Statistical verification skill score indicates that wind speed tends to overestimate in surface layer. The average RMSE value of the simulated wind speed is around $2.8ms^{-1}$. Wind map in North Korea showed that strong wind speed is distributed in the mountainous and western coastal region. The results of this wind mapping study contribute for the founding of wind energy potential location.