• Atmosphere
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.355-366
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• 2010

The tropopause pressure in the Arctic region is calculated by the conventional thermal and dynamical methods using 30-year reanalysis data. The tropopause pressures determined thermally and dynamically both show semiannual cycles with one peak in April and May, and another in October, contrary to the tropopause temperatures. Although tropopause levels are higher both in January and July, the level of the tropopause in January seems to be associated with the stratospheric temperatures while that of July seems to be associated with the tropospheric temperatures. During the 30-year period the most significant trend appears in April, and it is shown that the altitude of the Arctic tropopause has been rising. Although a potential reason for this trend is stratospheric cooling due to ozone depletion, significant tropospheric warming in April is considered to be another reason.

• Atmosphere
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.523-532
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• 2014

In this study, thermal tropopause height defined from WMO (World Meteorological Organization) using temperature profile derived from Advance Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A; hereafter named AMSU) onboard EOS (Earth Observing System) Aqua satellite is retrieved. The temperature profile of AMSU was validated by comparison with the radiosonde data observed at Osan weather station. The validation in the upper atmosphere from 500 to 100 hPa pressure level showed that correlation coefficients were in the range of 0.85~0.97 and the bias was less than 1 K with Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of ~3 K. Thermal tropopause height was retrieved by using AMSU temperature profile. The bias and RMSE were found to be -5~ -37 hPa and 45~67 hPa, respectively. Correlation coefficients were in the range of 0.5 to 0.7. We also analyzed the change of tropopause height and temperature in middle troposphere in the extreme heavy rain event (23 October, 2003) associated with tropopause folding. As a result, the distinct descent of tropopause height and temperature decrease of ~8 K at 500 hPa altitude were observed at the hour that maximum precipitation and maximum wind speed occurred. These results were consistent with ERA (ECMWF Reanalysis)-Interim data (potential vorticity, temperature) in time and space.

• Atmosphere
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.69-90
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• 2002

The infrared and microwave satellite observations have been used to derive the information of hydrometeors (i.e., cloud and precipitation) and atmospheric temperature. The observations were made by the Nimbus-4 Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) in 1970, and by the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) during the period 1980-99, which had channel 1~4 (Chl~4). The IRIS, which has a field of view of ~100 km, has been utilized to examine the cirrus and marine stratus clouds. The cirrus and stratus distributions were obtained, respectively, based on the spectral difference in the infrared window region, and the absorption of water vapor and $CO_2$ in the spectral region $870-980cm^{-1}$. The MSU Ch1 data has been used for low tropospheric temperature and hydrometeors, while the Ch2, Ch3 and Ch4, respectively, for the thermal state of midtroposphere, tropopause, and lower stratosphere. The climatic aspects of El Ni$\tilde{n}$o, Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and temperature trends over the globe are discussed with the MSU data. This study suggests that the IRIS and MSU data are useful for monitoring the hydrometeors and atmospheric thermal state in climate system.

• Atmosphere
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.187-200
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• 2018

The heavy snowfall phenomenon with thunder and lightning occurred in Yeongdong coastal region on 20 January 2017. Amount of snow on that day was a maximum of 47 cm and was concentrated in a short time (2 hours) at the Yeongdong coastal area. The mechanism of thundersnow was investigated to describe in detail using observational data and numerical simulation (Weather Research and Forecast, WRF) applied lightning option. The results show that a convective cloud occurred at the Yeongdong coastal area. The east wind flow was generated and the pressure gradient force was maximized by the rapidly developed cyclone. The cold and dry air in the upper atmosphere has descended (so called tropopause folding) atmospheric lower layer at precipitation peak time (1200 LST). In addition, latent heat in the lower atmosphere layer and warm sea surface temperature caused thermal instability. The convective cloud caused by the strong thermal instability was developed up to 6 km at that time. And the backdoor cold front was determined by the change characteristics of meteorological elements and shear line in the east sea. Instability indexes such as Total totals Index (TT) and Lightning Potential Index (LPI) are also confirmed as one of good predictability indicates for the explosive precipitation of convective rainfall.