• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2007

A wide tree-ring data network from Western Himalayan region as well as from Central and Peninsular India have been established by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, India. This includes several ring width and density chronologies of Himalayan conifers (Pinus, Picea, Cedrus, Abies)covering entire area of Western Himalaya and teak (Tectona grandis L.F.) from central and peninsular India. Many of these chronologies go back to $15^{th}$ century. Tree-ring based reconstructed pre-monsoon (March-April-May) summer climate of Western Himalaya do not show any significant increasing or decreasing trend since past several centuries. High altitude tree-ring chronologies near tree line-glacier boundary are sensitive to the winter temperature. Unprecedented higher growth in recent decades is closely associated with the warming trend over the Himalayan region. Dendroclimatic analysis of teak (Tectona grandis) from Central and Peninsular India show significant relationship with pre-monsoon and monsoon climate. Moisture index over the region indicates strong association with tree-ring variations rather than the direct influence of rainfall. It is evident that, two to three consecutive good monsoon years are capable of maintaining normal or above normal tree growth, even though the following year is low precipitation year.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.193-202
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• 2011

We studied temperature sensitivity characteristics of soil respiration during periods of rising and falling temperatures within a common temperature range. We measured soil respiration continuously through two periods (a period of falling temperature, from August 7, 2003 to October 13, 2003; and a period of rising temperature from May 2, 2004 to July 2, 2004) using an open-top chamber technique. A clear exponential relationship was observed between soil temperature and soil respiration rate during both periods. However, the effects of soil water content were not significant, because the humid monsoon climate prevented soil drought, which would otherwise have limited soil respiration. We analyzed temperature sensitivity using the $Q_{10}$ value and $R_{ref}$ (reference respiration at the average temperature for the observation period) and found that these values tended to be higher during the period of rising temperature than during the period of falling temperature. In the absence of an effect on soil water content, several other factors could explain this phenomenon. Here, we discuss the factors that control temperature sensitivity of soil respiration during periods of rising and falling temperature, such as root respiration, root growth, root exudates, and litter supply. We also discuss how the contribution of these factors may vary due to different growth states or due to the effects of the previous season, despite a similar temperature range.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.891-902
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• 2004

In order to predict air pollution and Yellow-sand dispersion precisely, it is necessary to clarify the sensitivity of meteorological field input interval. Therefore numerical experiment by atmospheric dynamic model(RAMS) and atmospheric dispersion model(PDAS) was performed for evaluating the effect of temporal and spatial resolution of meteorological data on particle dispersion. The results are as follows: 1) Base on the result of RAMS simulation, surface wind direction and speed can either synchronize upper wind or not. If surface wind and upper wind do not synchronize, precise prediction of Yellow-sand dispersion is strongly associated with upwelling process of sand of particle. 2) There is no significant discrepance in distribution of particle under usage of difference temporal resolution of meteorological information at early time of simulation, but the difference of distribution of particles become large as time goes by. 3) There is little difference between calculated particles distributions in dispersion experiments with high temporal resolution of meteorological data. On the other hand, low resolution of meteorological data occur the quantitative difference of particle density and there is strong tendency to the quantitative difference.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.289-297
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• 2018

This study reconstructs past vegetation changes in southeastern Korea over the last 30 thousand years using plant waxes (i.e. long chain n-alkanes) and their carbon isotopic compositions (${\delta}^{13}C_{alk}$) preserved in marine sediment core (KIODP 12-1) retrieved from the East Sea. Here we show changes in vegetation composition in the Korean peninsula in relation to the strength of the East Asian Summer Monsoon. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), when the summer monsoon weakened, precipitation decreased and $C_3$ grassland expanded. After the LGM, the summer monsoon gradually intensified, increasing rainfall, and thus expanding the forestland coverage. Precipitation climaxed from 10 to 6 kyr BP, which includes the Holocene Climate Optimum. The grassland began to expand since 5 kyr BP due to climate warming and drying towards the present. The ${\delta}^{13}C_{alk}$ values may also have been influenced by agricultural activities, which is known to have begun since the late Neolithic (ca. 7.0~3.0 kyr BP). Our results demonstrate how changes in the global climate state influence regional atmospheric circulation and precipitation distribution, and consequently terrestrial plant composition in southeastern Korea.

• Atmosphere
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.323-337
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• 2015

This study explores the 6-month lead prediction skill of several climate indices that influence on East Asian climate in the GloSea5 hindcast experiment. Such indices include Nino3.4, Indian Ocean Diploe (IOD), Arctic Oscillation (AO), various summer and winter Asian monsoon indices. The model's prediction skill of these indices is evaluated by computing the anomaly correlation coefficient (ACC) and mean squared skill score (MSSS) for ensemble mean values over the period of 1996~2009. In general, climate indices that have low seasonal variability are predicted well. For example, in terms of ACC, Nino3.4 index is predicted well at least 6 months in advance. The IOD index is also well predicted in late summer and autumn. This contrasts with the prediction skill of AO index which shows essentially no skill beyond a few months except in February and August. Both summer and winter Asian monsoon indices are also poorly predicted. An exception is the Western North Pacific Monsoon (WNPM) index that exhibits a prediction skill up to 4- to 6-month lead time. However, when MSSS is considered, most climate indices, except Nino3.4 index, show a negligible prediction skill, indicating that conditional bias is significant in the model. These results are only weakly sensitive to the number of ensemble members.

• Atmosphere
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.687-696
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• 2016

The western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) in boreal summer has interannual and interdecadal variability, which affects East Asian summer monsoon variability. In particular, it is well known that the intensity of WNPSH is reversely related to that of summer monsoon in North East Asia in association with Pacific Japan (PJ)-like pattern. Many coupled climate models weakly simulate this large-scale teleconnection pattern and also exhibit the diverse variability of WNPSH. This study discusses the inter-model differences of WNPSH simulated by different climate models, which participate in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5). In comparing with reanalysis observation, the 29 CMIP5 models could be assorted into two difference groups in terms of interannual variability of WNPSH. This study also discusses the dynamical or thermodynamics factors for the differences of two groups of the CMIP5 climate models. As results, the regressed precipitation in well-simulating group onto the Nino3.4 index ($5^{\circ}N-5^{\circ}S$, $170^{\circ}W-120^{\circ}W$) is stronger than that in poorly-simulating group. We suggest that this difference of two groups of the CMIP5 climate models would have an effect on simulating the interannual variability of WNPSH.

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

• Atmosphere
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.111-130
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• 2010

An uncertainty assessment for precipitation datasets simulated by Atmosphere-Ocean Coupled General Circulation Model (AOGCM) is conducted to provide reliable climate scenario over East Asia. Most of results overestimate precipitation compared to the observational data (wet bias) in spring-fall-winter, while they underestimate precipitation (dry bias) in summer in East Asia. Higher spatial resolution model shows better performances in simulation of precipitation. To assess the uncertainty of spatiotemporal precipitation in East Asia, the cyclostationary empirical orthogonal function (CSEOF) analysis is applied. An annual cycle of precipitation obtained from the CSEOF analysis accounts for the biggest variability in its total variability. A comparison between annual cycles of observed and modeled precipitation anomalies shows distinct differences: 1) positive precipitation anomalies of the multi-model ensemble (MME) for 20 models (thereafter MME20) in summer locate toward the north compared to the observational data so that it cannot explain summer monsoon rainfalls across Korea and Japan. 2) The onset of summer monsoon in MME20 in Korean peninsula starts earlier than observed one. These differences show the uncertainty of modeled precipitation. Also the comparison provides the criteria of annual cycle and correlation between modeled and observational data which helps to select best models and generate a new MME, which is better than the MME20. The spatiotemporal deviation of precipitation is significantly associated with lower-level circulations. In particular, lower-level moisture transports from the warm pool of the western Pacific and corresponding moisture convergence significantly are strongly associated with summer rainfalls. These lower-level circulations physically consistent with precipitation give insight into description of the reason in the monsoon of East Asia why behaviors of individually modeled precipitation differ from that of observation.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

The Indian summer monsoon behaved an abnormal way in 2002 and as a result there was a large deficiency in precipitation (especially in July) over a large part of the Indian subcontinent. For the study of deficient monsoon of 2002, a recent version of the NCAR regional climate model (RegCM3) has been used to examine the important features of summer monsoon circulations and precipitation during 2002. The main characteristics of wind fields at lower level (850 hPa) and upper level (200 hPa) and precipitation simulated with the RegCM3 over the Indian subcontinent are studied using different cumulus parameterization schemes namely, mass flux schemes, a simplified Kuo-type scheme and Emanuel (EMU) scheme. The monsoon circulation features simulated by RegCM3 are compared with the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and simulated precipitation is validated against observation from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC). Validation of the wind fields at lower and upper levels show that the use of Arakawa and Schubert (AS) closure in Grell convection scheme, a Kuo type and Emanuel schemes produces results close to the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. Similarly, precipitation simulated with RegCM3 over different homogeneous zones of India with the AS closure in Grell is more close to the corresponding observed monthly and seasonal values. RegcM3 simulation also captured the spatial distribution of deficient rainfall in 2002.

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