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| Covering
about 70% of the Earth's surface, the
oceans are a fundamental component of
the climatic and seasonal variations
in the weather. In East Asia, interactions
between the rapidly mixing atmosphere
and the slowly changing oceans are largely
responsible for the monsoon in season,
particularily Korea, China and Japan.
In order to better understand these
patterns and to better prepare for their
outcomes, joint collaborative projects
among these countries' top meteorologists
have been launched.
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Geographically,
Korea is a transitional zone between
the continental landmass of northeast
Asia and the island arc rimming the
western Pacific Ocean. The western coast,
which is open to continental Asia, is
vulnerable to the influence of the winter
continental climate. The eastern coast,
on the other hand, is sheltered from
the winter monsoon by the Taebaeksan
range, the backbone mountain of the
Korean Peninsula. Although Korea has
the general characteristics of a temperate
monsoon climate, there is geographic
diversity, particularly during the cold
winter season.
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The climate
of Korea is characterized by four distinct
seasons: spring, summer, autumn and
winter. The contrast between winter
and summer is striking. Winter is bitterly
cold and is influenced primarily by
the Siberian air mass,while summer is
hot and humid due to the maritime pacific
high. The transitional seasons of spring
and autumn are sunny and generally dry.
Temperatures of all seasons are somewhat
lower than those at the corresponding
latitudes in other continents, such
as North America or Western Europe.Temperatures
in Seoul, which is at the latitude of
Richmond, Va., are similar to those
in New York which is located 500 kilometers
(300 miles) farther north than the latitude
of Seoul. The variation of annual mean
temperature ranges from 10 degrees to
16 degrees except for the mountainous
areas. August is the hottest month with
the mean temperature ranging from 20
degrees to 26 degrees celcius. January
is the coldest month with the mean temperature
ranging from -5 degrees to 5 degrees
celcius. Annual precipitation is about
1,500mm in the central region. More
than a half of the total rainfall amount
is concentrated in summer, while precipitation
in the winter is less than 10% of the
total precipitation. |
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The prevailing winds
are southeasterly in summer, and northwesterly
in winter. The winds are stronger
in winter, from December to February,
than those of any other season. The
land-sea breeze becomes dominant with
weakened monsoon wind in the transitional
months of September and October.
The relative humidity
is highest in July at 80% to 90% nationwide,
and is lowest in January and April
at 30% to 50%. It has a moderate value
of about 70% in September and October.
The monsoon front approaches the Korean
Peninsula from the south in late June,
migrating gradually to the north.
Significant rainfall occurs when a
stationary front lies over the Korean
Peninsula.
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The rainy
season over Korea, the so-called Jangma
season, continues for a month from late
June until late July. A short period
of rainfall comes in early September
when the monsoon front retreats back
from the north. This rain occurs over
a period of 30-40 days in June through
July at all points of South Korea, with
only some lag in time at different stations,
and accounts for more than 50% of annual
precipitation at most stations.
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Annually,
about 28 typhoons occur in the western
Pacific. Generally speaking, only two
or three among them approach the Korean
Peninsula from June through September.
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Precipitation
distribution on the Korean Peninsula
is mainly affected by its mountain ranaes
orography. The southern coastal and
its adjacent mountain regions have the
largest amount of annual precipitation
which is over 1,500mm (60 inches). The
sheltered upper Amnokgang (Yalu) river
basin in the northern region, on the
other hand, experiences less than 600mm
(24 inches). Since most of the precipitation
is concentrated in the crop growing
areas in the south, the water supply
for agriculture is normally well met.
Even though the annual mean precipitation
is more than 1,200mm (48 inches), however,
Korea often experiences drought due
to the large fluctuation and variation
of precipitation, making the management
of water resources difficult. |
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