• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1027-1039
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated the optimal meteorological conditions for cloud seeding using aircraft over the Korean Peninsula. The weather conditions were analyzed using various data sources such as a weather chart, upper air observation, aircraft observation, and a numerical model for cloud seeding experiments conducted from 2018 to 2019 by the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Korea Meteorological Administration. Cloud seeding experiments were performed in the seasons of autumn (37.0%) and winter (40.7%) in the West Sea and Gangwon-do. Silver iodide (70.4%) and calcium chloride (29.6%) were used as cloud seeding materials for the experiments. The cloud seeding experiments used silver iodide in cold clouds. Aircraft observation revealed relatively low temperatures, low liquid water content, and strong wind speeds in clouds with a weak updraft. In warm clouds, the cloud seeding experiments used calcium chloride. Observations included relatively high temperatures, high liquid water content, and weak wind speeds in clouds with a weak updraft. Based upon these results, we determined the comprehensive meteorological conditions for cloud seeding experiments using aircraft over the Korean Peninsula. The understanding of optimal weather conditions for cloud seeding gained from this study provide information critical for performing successful cloud seeding and rain enhancement.

• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.609-614
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• 2019

Cloud seeding experiment has been proposed as a way to alleviate severe air pollution problem because, if successful, artificially produced precipitation through cloud seeding could scavenge out some portion of air pollutants. As a first step to verify the practicality of such experiment, seedability of the clouds observed in Seoul is assessed by examining statistical characteristics of some relevant meteorological variables. Analyses of 9 years of Korea Meteorological Agency Seoul station data indicate that as PM₁₀ mass concentration increases, cloud amount, liquid water path, and ice water path decrease, but the difference between temperature and dew point temperature tends to increase. Such finding suggests that cloud seeding becomes less feasible as air pollution becomes more severe in the Seoul metropolitan area, at least in a statistical sense. For some individual severe air pollution events, however, seedable clouds may exist and indeed cloud seeding experiments can be successful. Therefore, detailed investigation on cloud seedability for individual severe air pollution events are highly required to make a concrete assessment of cloud seeding as a way to alleviate severe air pollution problem.

• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.481-499
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• 2019

National Institute of Meteorological Sciences has conducted a total 54 cloud seeding experiments with a silver iodide and calcium chloride using aircrafts from 2008 to 2018. The goal of the experiments is to improve the techniques of precipitation enhancement in Korea. The cloud seeding experiments using the silver iodide and calcium chloride were 36 and 18 times, respectively. During the cloud seeding experiments of the silver iodide and calcium chloride, the average values of total cloud amount for two kinds of seeding materials were 9.6 for and 8.1, respectively. The cloud type with the highest occurrence was Nimbostratus (Ns)-Stratus (St) (58%) in the silver iodide cloud seeding experiment. It was Altostratus (As)-Stratocumulus (Sc) (44%) in the calcium chloride cloud seeding experiment. Compared to probability of obtaining cloud seeding effect of the experiments using a leased aircraft, the probability using an atmospheric research aircraft increased from 43% to 63% in the silver iodide cloud seeding experiment and from 29% to 75% in the calcium chloride cloud seeding experiment. However, the increasing tendency was only shown during the one year experiment (2018). To get the meaningful statistical tendency of the cloud seeding effects, it is needed to implement many experiments in several years. Further we have to more clearly understand the characteristics of clouds developing in Korea and implement the cloud seeding experiments under a variety of weather conditions in order to develop the optimized precipitation enhancement technology in Korea.

• Water Engineering Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2002

Cloud seeding has not been used now to regulate water supplies in Korea and this results in losses to economy. The fastest experiments on precipitation enhancement in the world show that there are real possibilities to increase precipitation by 10-20%. Investigations of economic losses due to the lack of routine cloud seeding experiments in Korea have shown that they exceed about 100 million US dollars In 1999. Recommendations on cloud seeding activities including works on precipitation augmentation and prevention of heavy rains are presented. Spatial and temporal necessity to carry out this or that work is discussed.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.117-129
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• 2022

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the meteorological and environmental conditions for a cloud seeding experiment over the Korean peninsula and estimated the available days for the same. The conditions of available days appropriate for a cloud seeding experiment were classified according to four purposes: water resources, drought relief, forest fire prevention, and air quality improvement. The average number of available days for a cloud seeding experiment were 91.27 (water resources), 45.93-51.11 (drought relief), 40.28-46.00 (forest fire prevention), and 42.19-44.60 days/year (air quality improvement). If six experiments were carried out per available day for a cloud seeding experiment, the number of times cloud seeding experiments could be conducted per year in a continuously operating system were estimated as 547.62 (water resources), 275.58-306.66 (drought relief), 241.68-276.00 (forest fire prevention), and 253.14-267.60 times/year (air quality improvement). From this result, it was possible to determine the appropriate meteorological and environmental conditions and statistically estimate the available days for a cloud seeding experiment. The data on the available days for a cloud seeding experiment might be useful for preparing and performing such an experiment.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.43-57
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• 2024

The possible experimental time for cloud seeding was analyzed in South Korea. Rain gauge and radar precipitation data collected from September 2017 to August 2022 in from the three main target stations of cloud seeding experimentation (Daegwallyeong, Seoul, and Boryeong) were analyzed. In this study, the assumption that rainfall and cloud enhancement originating from the atmospheric updraft is a necessary condition for the cloud seeding experiment was applied. First, monthly and seasonal means of the precipitation duration and frequency were analyzed and cloud seeding experiments performed in the past were also reanalyzed. Results of analysis indicated that the experiments were possible during a monthly average of 7,025 minutes (117 times) in Daegwallyeong, 4,849 minutes (81 times) in Seoul, and 5,558 minutes (93 times) in Boryeong, if experimental limitations such as the insufficient availability of aircraft is not considered. The seasonal average results showed that the possible experimental time is the highest in summer at all three stations, which seems to be owing to the highest precipitable water in this period. Using the radar-converted precipitation data, the cloud seeding experiments were shown to be possible for 970-1,406 hours (11-16%) per year in these three regions in South Korea. This long possible experimental time suggests that longer duration, more than the previous period of 1 hour, cloud seeding experiments are available, and can contribute to achieving a large accumulated amount of enhanced rainfall.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.5 no.2 s.17
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• pp.45-56
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• 2005

Cloud meteorological properties over Daegwallyeong mountain area were analyzed for experimental cloud seeding which related to a feasibility study of fog modification. The cloud seeding for fog modification has been refocused to using hygroscopic chemical to dissipate warm fog. In this study, the statistics of fog observations were analyzed and discussed. Fog properties mostly showed the Summer warm fog, the early morning occurrences before to 6 o'clock AM, and 7 to 9 o'clock dissipation in the statistics. In the Spring and Winter season an easterly wind produced cold fog which is good applied with AgI seeding agents. Extrapolation of these results suggests that the suitable seeding method and material for fog modification will be introduced from the actual seeding experiments in the cold and warm fog.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.621-635
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• 1998

The feasibility of cloud seeding in Korea is presented from analyses of precipitation, cloud amount, satellite data, and upper air data. The daily mean precipitation over Dae-Kwan-Ryong is the largest(~4.5 mm/day), while the intensity of precipitation (amount of yearly rainfall divided by the frequency of rain days) over Southern area is above 14 mm/day, which shows the largest in Korea. Both the daily mean and the intensity of precipitation over Andong area are the smallest with values of ~2.7 mm/day and ~11 mm/day, respectively. In the meanwhile, the occurrence frequency of appropriate cloud top temperature (-10'~-30') for cloud seeding over the region has a large value (~130 days/year). The precipitation patterns of the region vary with wind direction and intensity calculated from 43 AWSs(Automatic Weather Station) and the additional 7 rain guages which were installed along Northern and Southern part of the Sobaek mountain. The Sc(Stratocumulus) cloud type over Andong is frequently observed, and Cirrus and Altostratus next. From the results, it is estimated that the feasibility of cloud seeding over the area would be high if a proper strategy of cloud seeding is set up. LCL (Lifting Condensation Level) and CCL (Convective Condensation Level) have the most frequency in 1000-950 hPa being occupied 4/9 of total analysis period and in 400-500 hPa, respectively, with both small variations from season to season. The correlation between vapor mixing ratio and CCL is the highest in Summer and the lowest in Winter. It means that the height of cumulus in Summer is high with an abundant water vapor but vice versa in Winter, and that the strategy of cloud seeding should be different with seasons.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.214-218
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• 2014

The main objective of this study is to analyse the influence factors of snowfall enhancement by glaciogenic seeding in a mountainous area. Twenty-five seeding experiments have been conducted during the period of February to April 2010. To use two rates seeding experiments (SR1: $1.04g\;min^{-1}$, SR2: $2.08g\;min^{-1}$) have been tested to get an appropriate ratio for snowfall enhancement at Daegwallyeong area. The conditions of seeding are able as followings: surface temperature <$0^{\circ}C$, wind speed <5 m/s, wind direction between 0 and $130^{\circ}$. The experiment results indicated that in the case of SR1 was more effective than SR2. The number of small ice particles below 1.0 mm was increased during seeding period measured by PARSIVEL disdrometer near generator. Most of snowfall enhancement by seeding was observed the inflow of the easterly wind blew in toward Gangwon regions from the East Sea and the supersaturated supercooled liquid water due to orographic effect.