• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.561-568
• /
• 2019

Recently, Korea has suffered from severe droughts due to climate change. Therefore, we need to pay attention to the change of drought risk to develop appropriate drought mitigation measures. In this study, we investigated the changes of hydrologic risk of extreme drought using the current observed data and the projected data according to the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 climate change scenarios. The bivariate frequency analysis was performed for the paired data of drought duration and severity extracted by the threshold level method and by eliminating pooling and minor droughts. Based on the hydrologic risk of extreme drought events Jeonbuk showed the highest risk and increased by 51 % than the past for the RCP 4.5 scenario, while Gangwon showed the highest risk and increased by 47 % than the past for the RCP 8.5 scenario.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.221-231
• /
• 2012

Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) are the latest emission scenarios recommended to use for the fifth assessment report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This study investigates the projection of extreme precipitation in South Korea during the forthcoming 21st Century using the generalized extreme value (GEV) analysis based on two different RCP conditions i.e., RCP 4.5 and 8.5. Maximum daily precipitation required for GEV analysis for RCP 4.5 and 8.5 are obtained from a high-resolution regional climate model forced by the corresponding global climate projections, which are produced within the CMIP5 framework. We found overall increase in frequency of extreme precipitation over South Korea in association with climate change. Particularly, daily extreme precipitation that has been occurred every 20 years in current climate (1980~2005) is likely to happen about every 4.3 and 3.4 years by the end of 21st Century (2070~2099) under the RCP 4.5 and 8.5 conditions, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.103 no.4
• /
• pp.605-612
• /
• 2014

This study was conducted to predict the changes of yearly productive area distribution for Quercus mongolica under climate change scenarios. For this, site index equations by ecoprovinces were first developed using environmental factors. Using the large data set from both a digital forest site map and a climatic map, a total of 48 environmental factors including 19 climatic variables were regressed on site index to develop site index equations. Two climate change scenarios, RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, were then applied to the developed site index equations and the distribution of productive areas for Quercus mongolica were predicted from 2020 to 2100 years in 10-year intervals. The results from this study show that the distribution of productive areas for Quercus mongolica generally decreases as time passes. It was also found that the productive area distribution of Quercus mongolica is different over time under two climate change scenarios. The RCP 8.5 which is more extreme climate change scenario showed much more decreased distribution of productive areas than the RCP 4.5. It is expected that the study results on the amount and distribution of productive areas over time for Quercus mongolica under climate change scenarios could provide valuable information necessary for the policies of suitable species on a site.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.55 no.5
• /
• pp.37-48
• /
• 2013

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of potential climate change on the hydrological components, especially on the streamflow, evapotranspiration and snowmelt, by using the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for 17 Hanriver middle watersheds of South Korea. For future assessment, the SWAT model was calibrated in multiple sites using 4 years (2006-2009) and validated by using 2 years (2010-2011) daily observed data. For the model validation, the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE) for streamflow were 0.30-0.75. By applying the future scenarios predicted five future time periods Baseline (1992-2011), 2040s (2021-2040), 2060s (2041-2060), 2080s (2061-2080) and 2100s (2081-2100) to SWAT model, the 17 middle watersheds hydrological components of evapotranspiration, streamflow and snowmelt were evaluated. For the future precipitation and temperature of RCP 4.5 scenario increased 41.7 mm (2100s), $+3^{\circ}C$ conditions, the future streamflow showed +32.5 % (2040s), +24.8 % (2060s), +50.5 % (2080s) and +55.0 % (2100s). For the precipitation and temperature of RCP 8.5 scenario increased 63.9 mm (2100s), $+5.8^{\circ}C$ conditions, the future streamflow showed +35.5 % (2040s), +68.9 % (2060s), +58.0 % (2080s) and +63.6 % (2100s). To determine the impact on snowmelt for Hanriver middle watersheds, snowmelt parameters of SWAT model were determined through evaluating observed streamflow data during snowmelt periods (November-April). The results showed that average SMR (snowmelt / runoff) of 17 Hanriver middle watersheds was 62.0 % (Baseline). The annual average SMR were 42.0 % (2040s), 39.8 % (2060s), 29.4 % (2080s) and 27.9 % (2100s) by applying RCP 4.5 scenario. Also, the annual average SMR by applying RCP 8.5 scenario were 40.1 % (2040s), 29.4 % (2060s), 18.3 % (2080s) and 12.7 % (2100s).

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.51 no.spc
• /
• pp.1117-1126
• /
• 2018

Water supply system aims to meet the user's demand by securing water resources in a stable way. However, water supply failure sometimes happens because inflow decreases during drought period. Droughts induced by the lack of precipitation do not always lead to water supply failures. Thus, it is necessary to consider features of actual water shortage event when we evaluate a water supply risk. In this study, we developed a new drought index for drought management, i.e., Joint Drought Management Index (JDMI), using two water supply system performance indices such as reliability and vulnerability. Future data that were estimated from GCMs according to RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios were used to estimate future water supply risk. After dividing the future period into three parts, the risk of water supply failure in the Nakdong River basin was analyzed using the JDMI. As a result, the risk was higher with the RCP 4.5 than the RCP 8.5. In case of RCP 4.5, W18 (Namgangdam) was identified as the most vulnerable area, whereas in case of RCP 8.5, W23 (Hyeongsangang) and W33 (Nakdonggangnamhae) were identified as the most vulnerable area.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.27-43
• /
• 2019

This study applied the LANDIS-II model to the forest vegetation of the study area in Yeongdong-gun, Korea to identify climate effects on ecosystems of forest vegetation. The main purpose of the study is to examine the long-term changes in forest aboveground biomass(AGB) under three different climate change scenarios; The baseline climate scenario is to maintain the current climate condition; the RCP 4.5 scenario is a stabilization scenario to employ of technologies and strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; the RCP 8.5 scenario is increasing greenhouse gas emissions over time representative with 936ppm of $CO_2$ concentration by 2100. The vegetation survey and tree-ring analysis were conducted to work out the initial vegetation maps and data for operation of the LANDIS model. Six types of forest vegetation communities were found including Quercus mongolica - Pinus densiflora community, Quercus mongolica community, Pinus densiflora community, Quercus variabilis-Quercus acutissima community, Larix leptolepis afforestation and Pinus koraiensis afforestation. As for changes in total AGB under three climate change scenarios, it was found that RCP 4.5 scenario featured the highest rate of increase in AGB whereas RCP 8.5 scenario yielded the lowest rate of increase. These results suggest that moderately elevated temperatures and $CO_2$ concentrations helped the biomass flourish as photosynthesis and water use efficiency increased, but huge increase in temperature ($above+4.0^{\circ}C$) has resulted in the increased respiration with increasing temperature. Consequently, Species productivity(Biomass) of trees decrease as the temperature is elevated drastically. It has been confirmed that the dominant species in all scenarios was Quercus mongolica. Like the trends shown in the changes of total AGB, it revealed the biggest increase in the AGB of Quercus mongolica under the RCP 4.5 scenario. AGB of Quercus mongolica and Quercus variabilis decreased in the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios after 2050 but have much higher growth rates of the AGB starting from 2050 under the baseline scenario. Under all scenarios, the AGB of coniferous species was eventually perished in 2100. In particular they were extinguished in early stages of the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. This is because of natural selection of communities by successions and the failure to adapt to climate change. The results of the study could be expected to be effectively utilized to predict changes of the forest ecosystems due to climate change and to be used as basic data for establishing strategies for adaptation climate changes and the management plans for forest vegetation restoration in ecological restoration fields.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2015.05a
• /
• pp.247-247
• /
• 2015

Global Climate Model (GCM) is too coarse to apply at a basin scale. The spatial downcsaling is needed to used to permit the assessment of the hydrological changes of a basin. Furthermore, temporal downscaling is required to obtain hourly precipitation to analyze a small or medium basin because only few or several hours are used to determine the peak flows after it rains. In the current study, the spariotemporal distribution of downscaled hourly precipitation for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios over South Korea is presented as well as its implications over hydrologica responses. Mean hourly precipitation significantly increases over the southern part of South Korea, especially during the morning time, and its increase becomes lower at later times of day in the RCP8.5 scenario. However, this increase cannot be propagated to the mainland due to the mountainous areas in the southern part of the country. Furthermore, the hydrological responses employing a distributed rainfall-runoff model show that there is a significant increase in the peak flow for the RCP8.5 scenario with a slight decrease for the RCP4.5 scenario. The current study concludes that the employed temporal downscaling method is suitable for obtaining the hourly precipitation data from daily GCM scenarios. In addition, the rainfall runoff simulation through the downscaled hourly precipitation is useful for investigating variations in the hydrological responses as related to future scenarios.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.51 no.spc
• /
• pp.1091-1103
• /
• 2018

Having knowledge regarding to which region is prone to drought or flood is a crucial issue in water resources planning and management. This could be more challenging when the occurrence of these hazards affected by climate change. In this study the future streamflow during the wet season (July to September) and dry season (October to March) for the twenty first century of South Korea was investigated. This study used the statistics of precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature of one global climate model (i.e., INMCM4) with 2 RCPs (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) scenarios as inputs for The Precipitation-Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) model. The PRMS model was tested for the historical periods (1966-2016) and then the parameters of model were used to project the future changes of 5 large River basins in Korea for three future periods (2025s, 2055s, and 2085s) compared to the reference period (1976-2005). Then, the different responses in climate and streamflow projection during these two seasons (wet and dry) was investigated. The results showed that under INMCM4 scenario, the occurrence of drought in dry season is projected to be stronger in 2025s than 2055s from decreasing -7.23% (-7.06%) in 2025s to -3.81% (-0.71%) in 2055s for RCP4.5 (RCP8.5). Regarding to the far future (2085s), for RCP 4.5 is projected to increase streamflow in the northern part, and decrease streamflow in the southern part (-3.24%), however under RCP8.5 almost all basins are vulnerable to drought, especially in the southern part (-16.51%). Also, during the wet season both increasing (Almost in northern and western part) and decreasing (almost in the southern part) in streamflow relative to the reference period are projected for all periods and RCPs under INMCM4 scenario.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.52 no.9
• /
• pp.647-655
• /
• 2019

Although problems such as river management and flood control have occurred continuously in the Imjin and Bukhan river basin, which are shared by South and North Korea, efforts to manage the basin have not been carried out consistently due to limited cooperation. As the magnitude and frequency of hydrologic phenomena are changing due to global climate change, it is necessary to prepare countermeasures for the rainfall variation in the shared river basin area. Therefore, this study was aimed to project future changes in extreme precipitation in South-North Korea shared river basin by applying 13 Global Climate Models (GCM). Results showed that the probability rainfall compared to the reference period (1981-2005) of the shared river basin increased in the future periods of 2011-2040, 2041-2070 and 2071-2100 under the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP)4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. In addition, the rainfall frequency over the 20-year return period was increased in all periods except for the future periods of 2041-2070 and 2071-2100 under the RCP4.5 scenario. The extreme precipitation in the shared river basin has increased both in magnitude and frequency, and it is expected that the region will have a significant impact from climate change.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.567-577
• /
• 2015

Climate and land use changes have impact on availability water resource by hydrologic cycle change. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hydrologic behavior by the future potential climate and land use changes in Anseongcheon watershed ($371.1km^2$) using SWAT model. For climate change scenario, the HadGEM-RA (the Hadley Centre Global Environment Model version 3-Regional Atmosphere model) RCP (Representative Concentration Pathway) 4.5 and 8.5 emission scenarios from Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) were used. The mean temperature increased up to $4.2^{\circ}C$ and the precipitation showed maximum 21.2% increase for 2080s RCP 8.5 scenario comparing with the baseline (1990-2010). For the land use change scenario, the Conservation of Land Use its Effects at Small regional extent (CLUE-s) model was applied for 3 scenarios (logarithmic, linear, exponential) according to urban growth. The 2100 urban area of the watershed was predicted by 9.4%, 20.7%, and 35% respectively for each scenario. As the climate change impact, the evapotranspiration (ET) and streamflow (ST) showed maximum change of 20.6% in 2080s RCP 8.5 and 25.7% in 2080s RCP 4.5 respectively. As the land use change impact, the ET and ST showed maximum change of 3.7% in 2080s logarithmic and 2.9% in 2080s linear urban growth respectively. By the both climate and land use change impacts, the ET and ST changed 19.2% in 2040s RCP 8.5 and exponential scenarios and 36.1% in 2080s RCP 4.5 and linear scenarios respectively. The results of the research are expected to understand the changing water resources of watershed quantitatively by hydrological environment condition change in the future.