Temperature trends in the skin/surface, mid-troposphere and low stratosphere near Korea from satellite and ground measurements

Various types of satellite (AIRS/AMSU, MODIS) and ground measurements are used to analyze temperature trends in the four vertical layers (skin/surface, mid-troposphere, and low stratosphere) around the Korean Peninsula (123–132°E, 33–44°N) during the period from September 2002 to August 2010. The ground-based observations include 72 Surface Meteorological Stations (SMSs), 6 radiosonde stations (RAOBs), 457 Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs) over the land, and 5 buoy stations over the ocean. A strong warming (0.052 K yr^?1) at the surface, and a weak warming (0.004～0.010 K yr^?1) in the mid-troposphere and low stratosphere have been found from satellite data, leading to an unstable atmospheric layer. The AIRS/AMSU warming trend over the ocean surface around the Korean Peninsula is about 2.5 times greater than that over the land surface. The ground measurements from both SMS and AWS over the land surface of South Korea also show a warming of 0.043～0.082 K yr^?1, consistent with the satellite observations. The correlation average (r = 0.80) between MODIS skin temperature and ground measurement is significant. The correlations between AMSU and RAOB are very high (0.91～0.95) in the anomaly time series, calculated from the spatial averages of monthly mean temperature values. However, the warming found in the AMSU data is stronger than that from the RAOB at the surface. The opposite feature is present above the mid-troposphere, indicating that there is a systematic difference. Warming phenomena (0.012～0.078 K yr^?1) are observed from all three data sets (SMS, AWS, MODIS), which have been corroborated by the coincident measurements at five ground stations. However, it should also be noted that the observed trends are subject to large uncertainty as the corresponding 95% confidence intervals tend to be larger than the observed signals due to large thermal variability and the relatively short periods of the satellitebased temperature records. The EOF analysis of monthly mean temperature anomalies indicates that the tropospheric temperature variability near Korea is primarily linked to the Arctic Oscillation (AO), and secondarily to ENSO (El Niño and Southern Oscillation). However, the low stratospheric temperature variability is mainly associated with Southern Oscillation and then additionally with Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO). Uncertainties from the different spatial resolutions between satellite data are discussed in the trends.     

Retrieval of outgoing longwave radiation from COMS narrowband infrared imagery

Hourly outgoing longwave radiation(OLR) from the geostationary satellite Communication Oceanography Meteorological Satellite(COMS) has been retrieved since June 2010. The COMS OLR retrieval algorithms are based on regression analyses of radiative transfer simulations for spectral functions of COMS infrared channels. This study documents the accuracies of OLRs for future climate applications by making an intercomparison of four OLRs from one single-channel algorithm(OLR12.0using the 12.0 μm channel) and three multiple-channel algorithms(OLR10.8+12.0using the 10.8 and 12.0 μm channels; OLR6.7+10.8using the 6.7 and 10.8 μm channels; and OLR All using the 6.7, 10.8, and 12.0 μm channels). The COMS OLRs from these algorithms were validated with direct measurements of OLR from a broadband radiometer of the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System(CERES) over the full COMS field of view [roughly(50°S–50°N, 70°–170°E)] during April 2011.Validation results show that the root-mean-square errors of COMS OLRs are 5–7 W m-2, which indicates good agreement with CERES OLR over the vast domain. OLR6.7+10.8and OLR All have much smaller errors(～ 6 W m-2) than OLR12.0and OLR10.8+12.0(～ 8 W m-2). Moreover, the small errors of OLR6.7+10.8and OLR All are systematic and can be readily reduced through additional mean bias correction and/or radiance calibration. These results indicate a noteworthy role of the6.7 μm water vapor absorption channel in improving the accuracy of the OLRs. The dependence of the accuracy of COMS OLRs on various surface, atmospheric, and observational conditions is also discussed.     

Compositional relations of coexisting orthopyroxene,pigeonite and augite in a tholeiitic andesite from Hakone Volcano

The compositions of five different coexisting pyroxenes hypersthene, pigeonite and augite in groundmass and bronzite and augite of phenocryst in a tholeiitic andesite from Hakone Volcano, Japan have been determined by the electron probe microanalyser. It is shown that there is a compositional gap of about 25 mole per cent CaSiO₃ between groundmass pigeonite and augite, compared with 35 per cent CaSiO₃ between phenocrystic augite and bronzite. Subcalcic augite or pigeonitic augite was not found. The groundmass augite, which occurs only as thin rims of pigeonite and hypersthene, is less calcic and more iron-rich than the phenocryst augite. It is also shown that the groundmass pigeonite is 3–4 mole per cent more CaSiO₃-rich than the coexisting groundmass hypersthene. The Fe/(Mg + Fe) ratios of these coexisting hypersthene and pigeonite are about 0.31 and 0.33, respectively. It is suggested from these results that a continuous solid solution does not exist between augite and pigeonite of the Fe/(Mg + Fe) ratio at least near 0.3 under the conditions of crystallization of groundmass of the tholeiitic andesite. It is suggested from the Mg-Fe partition and the textural relation that the groundmass augite crystallized from a liquid more iron-rich than that from which groundmass hypersthene and pigeonite crystallized.     

Real Data Assimilation Using the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF) System for a Global Non-hydrostatic NWP model on the Cubed-sphere

An ensemble data assimilation system using the 4-dimensional Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter is implemented to a global non-hydrostatic Numerical Weather Prediction model on the cubed-sphere. The ensemble data assimilation system is coupled to the Korea Institute of Atmospheric Prediction Systems Package for Observation Processing, for real observation data from diverse resources, including satellites. For computational efficiency in a parallel computing environment, we employ some advanced software engineering techniques in the handling of a large number of files. The ensemble data assimilation system is tested in a semi-operational mode, and its performance is verified using the Integrated Forecast System analysis from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. It is found that the system can be stabilized effectively by additive inflation to account for sampling errors, especially when radiance satellite data are additionally used.     

Development of a GPGPU-parallelized hybrid finite-discrete element method for modeling rock fracture

The hybrid finite-discrete element method (FDEM) is widely used for engineering applications, which, however, is computationally expensive and needs further development, especially when rock fracture process is modeled. This study aims to further develop a sequential hybrid FDEM code formerly proposed by the authors and parallelize it using compute unified device architecture (CUDA) C/C++ on the basis of a general-purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) for rock engineering applications. Because the contact detection algorithm in the sequential code is not suitable for GPGPU parallelization, a different contact detection algorithm is implemented in the GPGPU-parallelized hybrid FDEM. Moreover, a number of new features are implemented in the hybrid FDEM code, including the local damping technique for efficient geostatic stress analysis, contact damping, contact friction, and the absorbing boundary. Then, a number of simulations with both quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions are conducted using the GPGPU-parallelized hybrid FDEM, and the obtained results are compared both quantitatively and qualitatively with those from either theoretical analysis or the literature to calibrate the implementations. Finally, the speed-up performance of the hybrid FDEM is discussed in terms of its performance on various GPGPU accelerators and a comparison with the sequential code, which reveals that the GPGPU-parallelized hybrid FDEM can run more than 128 times faster than the sequential code if it is run on appropriate GPGPU accelerators, such as the Quadro GP100. It is concluded that the GPGPU-parallelized hybrid FDEM developed in this study is a valuable and powerful numerical tool for rock engineering applications.     

High sensitivity SiO maser survey for mira variables

Simultaneous observations of the six transitions of SiO for 106 late-type stars were made. The SiO maser emission was detected in 83 stars. Thev=3 maser emission was detected in eight stars, and the²⁹SiOv=0 emission in six stars. The²⁹SiOv=0 emission is stronger and narrower than that of²⁸SiO, suggesting that the²⁹SiO emission is masing.Paper presented at the IAU Third Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting, held in Kyoto, Japan, between 30 September–6 October, 1984.     

Impact of climate change on the persistent turbidity issue of a large dam reservoir in the temperate monsoon region

Long-term discharge of turbid water from reservoirs after flood events is a major socioenvironmental problem in many countries, including Korea. This study used a suite of mathematical models to simulate the fate of turbidity flows in the Soyanggang Reservoir in Korea, an important source of drinking water for the Seoul Capital Area, in response to extreme floods based on the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 climate scenario. It evaluated the effectiveness of the selective withdrawal facility (SWF), installed recently in the Soyanggang Reservoir to control persistent turbidity. Extreme floods with a maximum daily inflow rate greater than the historical maximum observed in 2006 were projected to occur four times in this century. The fate and transport of turbidity flows were highly influenced by both the thermal stability of the reservoir and the season in which the flood event occurred. Thus, SWF operations should consider the timing of extreme events (i.e., the imminence of the autumn turnover) to mitigate the impact of high turbidity on the water supply and downstream ecosystem. It was found to be ineffective under extreme events if these occurred in two consecutive years. Current reservoir operations, which rely heavily on the SWF, are likely to be inadequate to overcome the negative effects of extreme-turbidity events on reliably providing safe water supplies. Coping with the worst event expected to occur in the future would require additional countermeasures such as bypassing high-turbidity water.     

Effect of Data Assimilation Parameters on The Optimized Surface CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Flux in Asia

In this study, CarbonTracker, an inverse modeling system based on the ensemble Kalman filter, was used to evaluate the effects of data assimilation parameters (assimilation window length and ensemble size) on the estimation of surface CO₂ fluxes in Asia. Several experiments with different parameters were conducted, and the results were verified using CO₂ concentration observations. The assimilation window lengths tested were 3, 5, 7, and 10 weeks, and the ensemble sizes were 100, 150, and 300. Therefore, a total of 12 experiments using combinations of these parameters were conducted. The experimental period was from January 2006 to December 2009. Differences between the optimized surface CO₂ fluxes of the experiments were largest in the Eurasian Boreal (EB) area, followed by Eurasian Temperate (ET) and Tropical Asia (TA), and were larger in boreal summer than in boreal winter. The effect of ensemble size on the optimized biosphere flux is larger than the effect of the assimilation window length in Asia, but the importance of them varies in specific regions in Asia. The optimized biosphere flux was more sensitive to the assimilation window length in EB, whereas it was sensitive to the ensemble size as well as the assimilation window length in ET. The larger the ensemble size and the shorter the assimilation window length, the larger the uncertainty (i.e., spread of ensemble) of optimized surface CO₂ fluxes. The 10-week assimilation window and 300 ensemble size were the optimal configuration for CarbonTracker in the Asian region based on several verifications using CO₂ concentration measurements.     

The influence of an excavation damaged zone on the thermal-mechanical and hydro-mechanical behaviors of an underground excavation

In Korea, a reference disposal system, KRS, was proposed in 2006 after 10 years of research and development. In the KRS, the high-level radioactive waste repository is considered to be located in a crystalline rock likes granite. For a validation of the feasibility, safety, and stability of the KRS, an underground research tunnel, KURT was constructed in Nov. 2006. During the construction of KURT by a controlled blasting, the size and characteristics of an excavation damaged zone(EDZ) were investigated by in situ as well as laboratory tests. The possible influences of an EDZ around a tunnel on the thermal, hydraulic and mechanical behaviors of the near field were investigated by using hydro-mechanical and thermo-mechanical coupling analyses. From this study, it was found that the existence of an EDZ can influence the thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical behaviors of the near field and it was recommended that an EDZ should be considered as an important parameter during the design of underground repositories.     

Effects of Topographic Slopes on Hydrological Proecsses and Climate

Based on previous research results on river re-distribution models, a modification on the effects of topographic slopes for a runoff parameterization was proposed and implemented to the NCAR＇s land sur face model (LSM). This modification has two aspects: firstly, the topographic slopes cause outflows from higher topography and inflows into the lower topography points; secondly, topographic slopes also cause decrease of infiltration at higher topography and increases of infiltration at lower topography. Then changes in infiltration result in changes in soil moisture, surface fluxes and then in surface temperature, and eventual ly in the upper atmosphere and the climate. This mechanism is very clearly demonstrated in the point bud gets analysis at the Andes Mountains vicinities. Analysis from a regional scale perspective in the Mackenzie GEWEX Study (MAGS) area, the focus of the ongoing Canadian GEWEX program, shows that the modi fied runoff parameterization does bring significant changes in the regional surface climate. More important ly, detailed analysis from a global perspective shows many encouraging improvements introduced by the modified LSM over the original model in simulating basic atmospheric climate properties such as thermodynamic features (temperature and humidity). All of these improvements in the atmospheric climate simulation illustrate that the inclusion of topographic effects in the LSM can force the AGCM to produce a more realistic model climate.