Comparison of Daily Extreme Temperatures over Eastern China and South Korea between 1996–2005

This paper examined the decadal mean, seasonal cycle, and interannual variations of mean and extreme temperatures using daily temperature and relative humidity data from 589 stations over eastern China and South Korea between 1996-2005. The results show that the decadal mean Tm （mean daily mean temperature） and the TNn （minimum daily minimum temperature） increase from north to south; the opposite spatial gradient is found in the DTR （diurnal temperature range）; the value of the DTR over South Korea is in- between that over North China and the mid-low Yangtze River valley; the TXx （maximum daily maximum temperature） has a unique spatial distribution, with the largest value over eastern China. The highest standard deviation （STD） is located over northern China and the TNn has the largest area coverage of the high STD. The peak of the seasonal cycle for the Tm, TXx and TNn over South Korea （August） occurs one month later than that over eastern China （July）. The seasonal cycle of the DTR has two peaks （April and October）; the value in the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley is larger than that in South Korea during July and August owing to the seasonal northward jump of the major monsoon rain band. The interannual variations of summertime temperature indices including the Tin, TXx, and DTR over South Korea are consistent （opposite） to that over northern （southern） China. For the wintertime temperature indices however, the variation over South Korea is consistent with that over eastern China.

Variation in Summer Surface Air Temperature over Northeast Asia and Its Associated Circulation Anomalies

This study investigates the interannual variation of summer surface air temperature over Northeast Asia（NEA） and its associated circulation anomalies.Two leading modes for the temperature variability over NEA are obtained by EOF analysis.The first EOF mode is characterized by a homogeneous temperature anomaly over NEA and therefore is called the NEA mode.This anomaly extends from southeast of Lake Baikal to Japan,with a central area in Northeast China.The second EOF mode is characterized by a seesaw pattern,showing a contrasting distribution between East Asia（specifically including the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China,Korea,and Japan） and north of this region.This mode is named the East Asia（EA） mode.Both modes contribute equivalently to the temperature variability in EA.The two leading modes are associated with different circulation anomalies.A warm NEA mode is associated with a positive geopotential height anomaly over NEA and thus a weakened upper-tropospheric westerly jet.On the other hand,a warm EA mode is related to a positive height anomaly over EA and a northward displaced jet.In addition,the NEA mode tends to be related to the Eurasian teleconnection pattern,while the EA mode is associated with the East Asia-Pacific/PacificJapan pattern.

Cluster Analysis of Tropical Cyclones Making Landfall on the Korean Peninsula

Cluster analysis has been performed on the tracks of 51 Tropical Cyclones （TCs） that made landfall on the Korean Peninsula （KP） for the period of 1951-2004. The classification technique of the landfalling tracks used in this study was the fuzzy clustering method （FCM） and the resultant silhouette coefficient suggested four clusters as an optimal cluster number. Most TCs of Cluster 2 and Cluster 3 （C-23） tended to pass through China's Mainland before landfall, but those of Cluster 1 and Cluster 4 （C-14） tended to mostly land after moving northward from the East China Sea （ECS） without passing over China's Mainland. The TC landfalling frequency of C-14 has begun to clearly increase since the late 1980s, particularly the maximum landfalling frequency in the early 2000s set a record for the 54-year analysis period. The ridge axis of the western North Pacific high （WNPH） of C-23 bends more equatorward than that of C-14, so that the monsoon trough of C-23 is located more equatorward than that of C-14. As a consequence, most TCs of C-23 tend to recurve inland of China, but over the ECS for C-14.

Preliminary Results of the Ground-Based Orographic Snow Enhancement Experiment for the Easterly Cold Fog (Cloud) at Daegwallyeong during the 2006 Winter

The snow enhancement experiments, carried out by injecting AgI and water vapor into orographically enhanced clouds （fog）, have been conducted to confirm Li and Pitter＇s forced condensation process in a natural situation. Nine ground-based experiments have been conducted at Daegwallyeong in the Taebaek Mountains for the easterly foggy days from January-February 2006. We then obtained the optimized conditions for the Daegwallyeong region as follows： the small seeding rate （1.04 g min-1） of AgI for the easterly cold fog with the high humidity of Gangneung. Additional experiments are needed to statistically estimate the snowfall increment caused by the small AgI seeding into the orographical fog （cloud） over the Taeback Mountains.