Publications
Detailed Information
Record-Breaking Summer Rainfall in South Korea in 2020: Synoptic Characteristics and the Role of Large-Scale Circulations
Cited 31 time in
Web of Science
Cited 31 time in Scopus
- Authors
- Issue Date
- 2021-09
- Publisher
- American Meteorological Society
- Citation
- Monthly Weather Review, Vol.149 No.9, pp.3085-3100
- Abstract
- In the summer of 2020, South Korea experienced record-breaking rainfall due to 15 consecutive heavy rainfall events (HREs) from mid-June to early September. Among them, 11 HREs occurred in late June to mid-August with distinct synoptic characteristics depending on the occurrence period. All HREs from 29 June to 27 July (P1) were triggered by extratropical cyclones, while those from 28 July to 15 August (P2) mainly occurred along the monsoon rainband. We argue that their transition is associated with atmospheric teleconnections. During P1, the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) anomalously extended westward, but its northward expansion was hindered by the meridional wave train from the suppressed convection over the South China Sea. This condition prevented a northward migration of the monsoon rainband but allowed more extratropical cyclones to pass over the Korean Peninsula, resulting in four HREs. During P2, the South China Sea convection was enhanced, and its circulation response prompted an abrupt northward expansion of the WNPSH with a large pressure gradient along its northern boundary. With intensified southwesterly moisture transport, a monsoon rainband was activated over the Korean Peninsula, producing six HREs. The opposite phases of the summer North Atlantic Oscillation, i.e., negative in P1 but positive in P2, further contributed to the anomalous monsoon circulation by modulating the midlatitude circulation response to the South China Sea convection. This study demonstrates that the nature of summertime HREs in East Asia can be strongly modulated by remote forcings.
- ISSN
- 0027-0644
- Files in This Item:
- There are no files associated with this item.
Related Researcher
- College of Natural Sciences
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Item View & Download Count
Items in S-Space are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.