• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1371-1384
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• 2015

This study analyzes the characteristics of Western North Pacific (WNP) tropical cyclone (TC) activity and large-scale environments according to the Western Pacific (WP) teleconnection pattern in summer. In the positive WP phase, an anomalous cyclone and an anomalous anticyclone develop in the low and middle latitudes of the East Asia, respectively. As a result, southeasterlies are reinforced in the northeast area of the East Asia including Korea and Japan which facilitates the movement of TC to this area, whereas northwesterlies are reinforced in the southwest area of the East Asia including South China and Indochina Peninsula which blocks the movement of TC to this area. Due to the spatial distribution of this reinforced pressure system, TCs develop, move, and turn more to the northeast of WNP than those in the negative WP phase. Consequently, the characteristics of this TC activity in the positive WP phase are associated with the location of upper tropospheric jet further to the northeast. Meanwhile, TCs in the negative WP phase mainly move to the west from Philippines toward south China and Indochina Peninsula. Furthermore, due to the terrain effect caused by the high passage frequency of TCs in the mainland China, the intensity of TCs are weaker than those in the positive WP phase.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.893-905
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• 2015

This study analyzes the correlation between Western Pacific (WP) teleconnection pattern index (WPI) in April during 1954-2008 and rainfall amounts in the same month. Based on the results, it is identified that there have been strong positive correlations between central China, Korea and the southwestern part of Japan in the East Asian region. Through differences between 10 positive WP years and 10 negative WP years selected from the April WPI excluding ENSO years, it is found that rainfall amounts increase in April of positive WP years due to the following characteristics. Increases in rainfall amounts are evident in the East Asian middle latitudinal region where the positive correlation between the two variables is the highest and this is because anomalous southwesterlies are strengthened in the East Asian middle latitudinal region due to the spatial pattern of a south-low-north-high anomalous pressure system centered on this region that is made by anomalous anticyclones centered on the southeastern side of the region and other anomalous anticyclones centered on the northeastern side of the region. In addition, anomalous westerlies (jet) are strengthen in the upper troposphere of the East Asian middle latitudinal region and as a result, anomalous upward flows are strengthened in this region and thus anomalous warm air temperatures are formed in the entire level of the troposphere in the region. In addition to atmospheric environments, anomalous warm sea surface temperatures are formed in the seas in the East Asian middle latitudinal region to help the rainfall amount increases in the East Asian middle latitudinal region.

• Atmosphere
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.325-336
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• 2018

This study investigates robust features of interdecadal changes in the Northern hemisphere summer tropical-extratropical teleconnection occurred around the mid-to-late 1990s by analyzing four different reanalysis data for atmospheric circulation and temperature, two precipitation reconstructions, and two sea surface temperature (SST) data during the satellite observation era of 1980~2017. For the last 38 years, there has been a significant increasing trend in anticyclonic circulation at lower and upper troposphere and 2 m air temperature with wavenumber-5 Rossby wave structure in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) extratropics. The increase has been accompanied with the significant weakening and northward shift of jet stream over Eurasia and the North Pacific. It is further found that there has been a significant interdecadal shift occurred around the mid-to-late 1990s in the two distinct modes of tropical-extratropical teleconnection: Western Pacific-North America (WPNA) and circumglobal teleconnection (CGT) pattern. After mid-to-late 1990s, the WPNA has played more important role in modulating the extratropical atmospheric circulation and surface climate, which has been preferentially occurred during the El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) decaying or transition summer such as 1998, 2010 and 2016. During these summers, severe heat waves were occurred over many parts of the NH extratropics due to the combined effect of the increasing trend in the barotropic anticyclonic circulation and the significant WPNA across the NH. Although weakened, the CGT also contributed to some of hot summers over many parts of the NH extratropics such as 1999, 2000, 2008, 2011, and 2012 when weak to moderate La $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ was persisted.

• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.295-309
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• 2019

Due to frequent occurrence of abnormal weather, the need to improve the accuracy of subseasonal prediction has increased. Here we analyze the performance of weekly predictions out to 6 weeks by GloSea5 climate model. The performance in circulation field from January 1991 to December 2010 is first analyzed at each grid point using the 500-hPa geopotential height. The anomaly correlation coefficient and mean-square skill score, calculated each week against the ECWMF ERA-Interim reanalysis data, illustrate better prediction skills regionally in the tropics and over the ocean and seasonally during winter. Secondly, we evaluate the predictability of 7 major teleconnection patterns in the Northern Hemisphere: North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), East Atlantic (EA), East Atlantic/Western Russia (EAWR), Scandinavia (SCAND), Polar/Eurasia (PE), West Pacific (WP), Pacific-North American (PNA). Skillful predictability of the patterns turns out to be approximately 1~2 weeks. During summer, the EAWR and SCAND, which exhibit a wave pattern propagating over Eurasia, show a considerably lower skill than the other 5 patterns, while in winter, the WP and PNA, occurring in the Pacific region, maintain the skill up to 2 weeks. To account for the model's bias in reproducing the teleconnection patterns, we measure the similarity between the teleconnection patterns obtained in each lead time. In January, the model's teleconnection pattern remains similar until lead time 3, while a sharp decrease of similarity can be seen from lead time 2 in July.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.336-344
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• 2013

This study has developed a multiple linear regression model (MLRM) for the seasonal prediction of the summer tropical cyclone genesis frequency (TCGF) over the western North Pacific (WNP) using the four teleconnection patterns. These patterns are representative of the Siberian high Oscillation (SHO) in the East Asian continent, the North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) in the North Pacific, Antarctic oscillation (AAO) near Australia, and the circulation in the equatorial central Pacific during the boreal spring (April-May). This statistical model is verified by analyzing the differences hindcasted for the high and low TCGF years. The high TCGF years are characterized by the following anomalous features: four anomalous teleconnection patterns such as anticyclonic circulation (positive SHO phase) in the East Asian continent, pressure pattern like north-high and south-low in the North Pacific, and cyclonic circulation (positive AAO phase) near Australia, and cyclonic circulation in the Nino3.4 region were strengthened during the period from boreal spring to boreal summer. Thus, anomalous trade winds in the tropical western Pacific (TWP) were weakened by anomalous cyclonic circulations that located in the subtropical western Pacific (SWP) in both hemispheres. Consequently, this spatial distribution of anomalous pressure pattern suppressed convection in the TWP, strengthened convection in the SWP instead.

• 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.29 no.5
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• pp.627-637
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• 2019

Severe and long-lasting heat waves over Korea and many regions in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) during the 2016 summer, have been attributed to global warming and atmospheric teleconnection coupled with tropical convective activities. Yet, what controls subseasonsal time scale of heat wave has not been well addressed. Here we show a critical role of two dominant boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) modes, denominated as BSISO1 and BSISO2, on modulating temporal structure of heat waves in the midst of similar climate background. The 2016 summer was characterized by La Nina development following decay of strong 2015/2016 El Nino. The NH circumglobal teleconnection pattern (CGT) and associated high temperature anomalies and heat waves were largely driven by convective activity over northwest India and Pakistan during summer associated with La Nina development. However, the heat wave event in Korea from late July to late August was accompanied by the phase 7~8 of 30~60-day BSISO1 characterized by convective activity over the South China Sea and Western North Pacific and anticyclonic circulation (AC) anomaly over East Asia. Although the 2010 summer had very similar climate anomalies as the 2016 summer with La Nina development and CGT, short-lasting but frequent heat waves were occurred during August associated with the phase 1~2 of 10~30-day BSISO2 characterized by convective activity over the Philippine and South China Sea and AC anomaly over East Asia. This study has an implication on importance of BSISO for better understanding mechanism and temporal structure of heat waves in Korea.

• Atmosphere
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.305-315
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• 2018

This study investigates the characteristic spatial patterns and dynamic processes associated with the summertime extreme temperature events in South Korea during the last 20 years (1995~2014) using Self-Organizing Map (SOM). The classified SOM patterns commonly have high temperature and anticyclonic circulation anomalies over South Korea. The two major teleconnection patterns are identified: one is from the subtropical western North Pacific (WNP) affecting to the north and the other is from the North Atlantic (NA) affecting downstream region. The meridional teleconnection pattern is related to the forcing of positive sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly over the WNP. The northward propagating Rossby wave generates the East Asia-Pacific (EAP) pattern to form an anticyclonic circulation anomaly over South Korea. On the other hand, NA SST anomalies generate an eastward Rossby wave train across the Eurasian continent, leading to the development of an anticyclonic circulation anomaly over South Korea. The EAP pattern occurs more frequently in July and August, whereas the midlatitude teleconnection pattern associated with NA SST anomalies develops more frequently in early summer (June).

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.38-38
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• 2012

The East Asia (EA) region including China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea are especially vulnerable to hydrometerological extremes during the boreal summer (June-September). This study, therefore, pursued an exploratory analysis to improve better understanding of the potential impacts of the two types of PJ patterns on WNP Tropical cyclone (TC) activities and TC-induced extreme moisture fluxes over Korea's five major river basins. This study shows that during positive PJ years, the large-scale atmospheric environments are more favorable for the TC activities than those in negative PJ years. During positive PJ year, it is found that there are weaker wind shear, stronger rising motion, as well as large relative humidity over the Korean peninsula (KP) compared to negative PJ years. As a result, TCs making landfall are more exhibited over the southeastern portions of South Korea. Despite the relatively modest sample size, we expect that insights and results presented here will be useful for developing a critical support system for the effective reduction and mitigation of TC-caused disasters, as well as for water supply management in coupled human and natural systems.