• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.199-214
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• 2021

A record-breaking high surface air temperature of 41.0℃ was observed on 1 August 2018 at Hongcheon, South Korea. In this study, to quantitatively determine the formation mechanism of this extremely high surface air temperature, particularly considering the contributions of the foehn and the foehnlike wind, observational data from Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model were utilized. In the backward trajectory analysis, trajectories of 100 air parcels were released from the surface over Hongcheon at 1600 LST on 1 August 2018. Among them, the 47 trajectories (38 trajectories) are tracked back above (below) heights of 1.4 km above mean sea level at 0900 LST 31 July 2018 and are defined as upper (lower) routes. Lagrangian energy budget analysis shows that for the upper routes, adiabatic heating (11.886 × 10³ J kg^-1) accounts for about 77% of the increase in the thermal energy transfer to the air parcels, while the rest (23%) is diabatic heating (3.650 × 10³ J kg^-1). On the other hand, for the lower routes, adiabatic heating (6.111 × 10³ J kg^-1) accounts for about 49% of the increase, the rest (51%) being diabatic heating (6.295 × 10³ J kg^-1). Even though the contribution of the diabatic heating to the increase in the air temperature rather varies according to the routes, the contribution of the diabatic heating should be considered. The diabatic heating is caused by direct heating associated with surface sensible heat flux and heating associated with the turbulent mixing. This mechanism is the Type 4 foehn described in Takane and Kusaka (2011). It is concluded that Type 4 foehn wind occurs and plays an important role in the extreme event on 1 August 2018.

• Atmosphere
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.505-518
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• 2010

We investigated the impacts of the diabatic heating location, vertical profile and basic state on the Rossby wave propagation. To examine the dynamical process of individual responses on the regional heat source, a dry version of the linear baroclinic model was used with climatological summertime (JJA) mean basic state and vertical structure of the diabatic heating for 1979-2008. Two sets of diabatic heating were constructed of those positioned in the mid-latitudes (Tibetan Plateau, eastern Mediterranean Sea, and the west-central Asia) and the tropics (the southern India, Bay of Bengal, and western Pacific). It was found that using the principal component analysis, atmospheric response to diabatic heating reaches to the steady state in 19th days in time. The prescribed mid-latitude forcing forms equivalent barotropic Rossby wave propagation along the westerly Asia jets, whereas the tropical forcing generates the Rossby wave train extending from the tropics to mid-latitudes. In relation to the maximum vertical profile, the mid-level forcing reveals a stronger response than the lower-level forcing, which may be caused by more effective Rossby wave response by the upper-level divergent flow. Under the different sub-seasonal mean state, both of the tropical and mid-latitude forcing induce the different sub-seasonal response intensity, due to the different basic-state wind.

• Atmosphere
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.429-439
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• 2008

The lower-stratospheric polar temperature in winter and spring for both hemispheres is investigated based on the NCEP/NCAR 50-year reanalysis data with respect to the strength of the stratospheric eddy heat flux. Both the polar temperature and the eddy heat flux show significant variation on the decadal and year-to-year time scales except during the Southern Hemisphere winter. The year-to-year variation in the polar temperature is mainly determined by the eddy heat flux convergence. The eddy heat flux convergence is compared with the diabatic heating rate obtained from a two-dimensional model. Radiative heating caused by absorption of solar radiation is comparable to the heating caused by the eddy heat flux convergence in the Southern Hemisphere. The effect of ozone depletion on diabatic heating has been found to be secondary in the Northern Hemisphere, even in March 1997 when the record depletion of ozone took place.

• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.45-60
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• 2021

The synoptic structures and precipitation impact of extratropical cyclones (ETCs) influencing on the three adjacent megacities in East Asia, i.e., Beijing (Beijing ETCs), Seoul (Seoul ETCs) and Tokyo (Tokyo ETCs), are analyzed using ERA-interim reanalysis data from 1979 to 2018. Individual ETC tracks are identified with the automated tracking algorithm applied to 850-hPa relative vorticity field. Among four seasons, ETCs are the most frequent in spring. In this season, Beijing ETCs are mainly generated at the leeside of Altai-Sayan Mountains and primarily develop through interaction between the upper-level trough and lower-level cyclonic circulation. For Seoul ETCs, the leesides of Altai-Sayan Mountains (Seoul-N ETCs) and Tibetan Plateau (Seoul-S ETCs) are main genesis regions and the features of ETCs are different according to the genesis regions. While Seoul-N ETCs mainly develope by the same mechanism of Beijing ETCs, strong diabatic heating due to vapor transport is responsible for the genesis of Seoul-S ETCs. Tokyo ETCs are originated from the leesides of Tibetan Plateau and Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension regions, and strong diabatic heating as well as interaction between upper and lower levels determines the genesis of these ETCs. The precipitation impact resulting from ETCs become strong in the order of Beijing ETCs, Seoul-N ETCs, Seoul-S ETCs, and Tokyo ETCs and accounts for up to 40%, 27%, 52%, and 70% of regional precipitation, respectively.

• Atmosphere
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.523-540
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• 2016

The effects of satellite observations on large-scale atmospheric circulations in the reanalysis data are investigated by comparing the latest Japanese Meteorological Association's reanalysis data (JRA-55) and its family data, JRA-55 Conventional (JRA-55C). The latter is identical to the former except that satellite observations are excluded during the data assimilation process. Only conventional datasets are assimilated in JRA-55C. A simple comparison revealed a considerable difference in temperature and zonal wind fields in both the stratosphere and troposphere. Such differences are particularly large in the Southern Hemisphere and whole stratosphere where conventional ground-based measurements are limited. The effects of satellite observations on the zonal-mean tropospheric circulations are further examined in terms of the Hadley cell, eddy-driven jet, and mid-latitude storm tracks. In both hemispheres, JRA-55C exhibits slightly weaker and narrower Hadley cell than JRA-55. This is consistent with a weaker diabatic heating in JRA-55C. The eddy-driven jet shows a small difference in its latitudinal location only in the Southern Hemisphere. Likewise, while the Northern-Hemisphere storm tracks are quantitatively similar in the two datasets, Southern-Hemisphere storm tracks are relatively weaker in JRA-55C than in JRA-55. Their difference is comparable to the uncertainty between reanalysis datasets, indicating that satellite data assimilation could yield significant corrections in the zonal-mean circulation in the Southern Hemisphere.

• Atmosphere
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.53-67
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• 2018

This study examined the lake effect of the Yellow Sea which was induced by the Siberian High pressure system moving over the open waters. The development mechanism of the convective cells over the ocean was studied in detail using the Weather Research and Forecasting model. Numerical experiments consist of the control experiment (CTL) and an experiment changing the yellow sea to dry land (EXP). The CTL simulation result showed distinct high area of relative vorticity, convergence and low-level atmospheric instability than that of the EXP. The result indicates that large surface vorticity and convergence induced vertical motion and low level instability over the ocean when the arctic Siberian air mass moved south over the Yellow Sea. The sensible heat flux at the sea surface gradually decreased while latent heat flux gradually increased. At the beginning stage of air mass modification, sensible heat was the main energy source for convective cell generation. However, in the later stage, latent heat became the main energy source for the development of convective cells. In conclusion, the mechanism of the west coast heavy snowfall caused by modification of the Siberian air mass over the Yellow Sea can be explained by air-sea interaction instability in the following order: (a) cyclonic vorticity caused by diabatic heating induce Ekman pumping and convergence at the surface, (b) sensible heat at the sea surface produce convection, and (c) this leads to latent heat release, and the development of convective cells. The overall process is a manifestation of air-sea interaction and enhancement of convection from positive feedback mechanism.

• Atmosphere
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.543-557
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• 2015

The present study examines an interaction between the eddy and mean meridional circulation (MMC) comparing the results in three reanalysis data sets including ERA-Interim, NCEP2, and JRA-55 during the boreal winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It is noteworthy that the JRA-55 tends to produce stronger MMC compared to those of others, which is mainly due to the weak eddy flux. ERA-Interim represents the ensemble averages of MMC. The MMC-eddy interaction equation was adopted to investigate the scale interaction of the eddy momentum flux (EMF), eddy heat flux (EHF), and diabatic heating (DHT) with MMC. The EMF (EHF) shows a significant correlation coefficient with streamfunction under (above) 200 hPa-level. The perturbation (time mean) part of each eddy is dominant compared to another part in the EMF (EHF). The DHT is strongly interacted with streamfunction in the region between the equator and extra-tropical latitude over whole vertical column. Thus, the dominant term in each significant region modulates interannual variability of MMC. The inverse (proportional) relationship between MMC and pressure (meridional) derivative of the momentum (heat) divergence contributions is well represented in the three reanalysis data sets. The region modulated interannual variability of MMC by both EMF and DHT (EHF) is similar in ERA-Interim and JRA-55 (ERA-Interim and NCEP2). JRA-55 shows a lack of significant region of EHF due to the high resolution, compared to other data sets.