• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.2161-2166
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• 2009

It is important for 0-6 hour nowcasting to provide for a high-quality initial condition in a meso-scale atmospheric model by a data assimilation of several observation data. The polarimetric radar data is expected to be assimilated into the forecast model, because the radar has a possibility of measurements of the types, the shapes, and the size distributions of hydrometeors. In this paper, an impact on rainfall prediction of the data assimilation of hydrometeor types (i.e. raindrop, graupel, snowflake, etc.) is evaluated. The observed information of hydrometeor types is estimated using the fuzzy logic algorism. As an implementation, the cloud-resolving nonhydrostatic atmospheric model, CReSS, which has detail microphysical processes, is employed as a forecast model. The local ensemble transform Kalman filter, LETKF, is used as a data assimilation method, which uses an ensemble of short-term forecasts to estimate the flowdependent background error covariance required in data assimilation. A heavy rainfall event occurred in Okinawa in 2008 is chosen as an application. As a result, the rainfall prediction accuracy in the assimilation case of both hydrometeor types and the Doppler velocity and the radar echo is improved by a comparison of the no assimilation case. The effects on rainfall prediction of the assimilation of hydrometeor types appear in longer prediction lead time compared with the effects of the assimilation of radar echo only.

• Atmosphere
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.457-475
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• 2023

Accurately predicting localized heavy rainfall is challenging without high-resolution mesoscale cloud information in the numerical model's initial field, as precipitation intensity and amount vary significantly across regions. In the Korean Peninsula, the radar observation network covers the entire country, providing high-resolution data on hydrometeors which is suitable for data assimilation (DA). During the pre-processing stage, radar reflectivity is classified into hydrometeors (e.g., rain, snow, graupel) using the background temperature field. The mixing ratio of each hydrometeor is converted and inputted into a numerical model. Moreover, assimilating saturated water vapor mixing ratio and decomposing radar radial velocity into a three-dimensional wind vector improves the atmospheric dynamic field. This study presents radar DA experiments using a numerical prediction model to enhance the wind, water vapor, and hydrometeor mixing ratio information. The impact of radar DA on precipitation prediction is analyzed separately for each radar component. Assimilating radial velocity improves the dynamic field, while assimilating hydrometeor mixing ratio reduces the spin-up period in cloud microphysical processes, simulating initial precipitation growth. Assimilating water vapor mixing ratio further captures a moist atmospheric environment, maintaining continuous growth of hydrometeors, resulting in concentrated heavy rainfall. Overall, the radar DA experiment showed a 32.78% improvement in precipitation forecast accuracy compared to experiments without DA across four cases. Further research in related fields is necessary to improve predictions of mesoscale heavy rainfall in South Korea, mitigating its impact on human life and property.

• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.269-282
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• 2019

While it is important to obtain the accurate information on snowfall data due to the increase in damage caused by the heavy snowfall in the winter season, it is not easy to observe the snowfall quantitatively. Recently, snow measurements using a weighing precipitation gauge have been carried out, but there is a problem that high snowfall intensity results in low accuracy. Also, the observed snowfall data are sensitive depending on wind speed, temperature, and humidity. In this study, a new process of quality control for snow water equivalent (SWE) data of the weighing precipitation gauge were proposed to cover the low accuracy of snow data and maximize the data utilization. Snowfall data (SWE) observed by Pluvio, Parsivel, snow-depth meter using laser or ultrasonic, and rainfall gauge in Cloud Physics Observation Site (CPOS) were compared and analyzed. Applying the QC algorithm including the use of number of hydrometeor particles as reference, the increased SWE per the unit time was determined and the data noise was removed and marked by flag. The SWE data converted by the number concentration of hydrometeor particles are tested as a method to restore the QC-removed data, and show good agreement with those of the weighing precipitation gauge, though requiring more case studies. The three events data for heavy snowfall disaster in Pyeongchang area was analyzed. The SWE data with improved quality was showed a good correlation with the eye-measured data ($R^2$ > 0.73).

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Communication Sciences Conference
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• 2006.07a
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• pp.379-379
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• 2006

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.293-306
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• 2013

Hydrometeor type and Drop Size Distribution (DSD) in cloud are the fundamental properties that may help explain the rain formation processes and determine the parameters of radar meteorology. This study presents a preliminary analysis of hydrometeor types and DSD data of cloud measured with a PARSIVEL (PARticle SIze and VELocity) optical disdrometer at the site of Cloud Physics Observation System (CPOS, $37^{\circ}41^{\prime}N$, $128^{\circ}45^{\prime}E$, 843 m from sea level) in Daegwallyeong mountainside of Korea. The method has been validated by comparing the observed rainfall rates with the computed ones from the fitted distribution, using the physical data such as DSD, terminal velocity, and rain intensity which were measured by a Micro-Rain Radar (MRR) and a PARSIVEL optical disdrometer. The analysis period started in three cases: on rainy days with light rain (15.5 mm), moderate rain (76 mm), and heavy rain (121 mm), from March to November 2007, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.2_1
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• pp.237-248
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• 2018

The vertical distribution of hydrometeor before precipitation near the cloud base has been analyzed using a scanning lidar, rawinsonde data, and Cloud-Resolving Storm Simulator (CReSS). This study mostly focuses on 13 Desember 2016 only. The typical synoptic pattern of lake-effect snowstorm induced easterly in the Yeongdong region. Clouds generated due to high temperature difference between 850 hPa and sea surface (SST) penentrated in the Yeongdong region along with northerly and northeasterly, which eventually resulted precipitation. The cloud base height before the precipitation changed from 750 m to 1,280 m, which was in agreement with that from ceilometer at Sokcho. However, ceilometer tended to detect the cloud base 50 m ~ 100 m below strong signal of lidar backscattering coefficient. As a result, the depolarization ratio increased vertically while the backscattering coefficient decreased about 1,010 m~1,200 m above the ground. Lidar signal might be interpreted to be attenuated with the penetration depth of the cloud layer with of nonspherical hydrometeor (snow, ice cloud). An increase in backscattering signal and a decrease in depolarization ratio occured in the layer of 800 to 1,010 m, probably being associated with an increase in non-spherical particles. There seemed to be a shallow liquid layer with a low depolarization ratio (<0.1) in the layer of 850~900 m. As the altitude increases in the 680 m~850 m, the backscattering coefficient and depolarization ratio increase at the same time. In this range of height, the maximum value (0.6) is displayed. Such a result can be inferred that the nonspherical hydrometeor are distributed by a low density. At this time, the depolarization ratio and the backscattering coefficient did not increase under observed melting layer of 680 m. The lidar has a disadvantage that it is difficult for its beam to penetrate deep into clouds due to attenuation problem. However it is promising to distinguish hydrometeor morphology by utilizing the depolarization ratio and the backscattering coefficient, since its vertical high resolution (2.5 m) enable us to analyze detailed cloud microphysics. It would contribute to understanding cloud microphysics of cold clouds and snowfall when remote sensings including lidar, radar, and in-situ measurements could be timely utilized altogether.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aviation and Aeronautics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.24-28
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• 2011

This paper reviews a ceiling prediction method based on a mesoscale meteorological modeling system in South Korea. The study was motivated by the tendency of higher model ceiling height than the observed in daily operational forecasts. The goal of the paper is to report an effort to improve the operational ceiling prediction skill by conducting numerical experiments controlling a model parameter. In a case experiment, increasing constant values used in the relationship between extinction coefficients and concentration showed better performance, indicating a short-term strategy for operational local ceiling forecast improvement.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.1129-1136
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• 1994

A point heavy rainfall process is physically modeled. It uses meteorological variables at the ground level as its inputs. The components of the model are parameterized based on well established observations and the previous studies of cloud physics. Particular emphasis is placed on the efficiency of accretion. So we adopt the modified skew-symmetric model for hydrometeor size distribution function that is suitable for the heavy rain cloud. The dominant parameters included in the model are estimated by the optimization technique. The rainfall intensity is predicted by the model with the medium values of estimated parameters.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.53 no.11
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• pp.999-1013
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• 2020

Weather modification research has been actively performed worldwide, but a technology that can more quantitatively prove the research effects are needed. In this study, the seeding effect, the efficiency of precipitation enhancement in weather modification experiment, was verified using the radar data. Also, the effects of seeding material on hydrometeor change was analyzed. For this, radar data, weather conditions, and numerical simulation data for diffusion were applied. First, a method to analyze the seeding effect in three steps was proposed: before seeding, during seeding, and after seeding. The proposed method was applied to three cases of weather modification experiments conducted in Gangwon-do and the West Sea regions. As a result, when there is no natural precipitation, the radar reflectivity detected in the area where precipitation change is expected was determined as the seeding effect. When natural precipitation occurs, the seeding effect was determined by excluding the effect of natural precipitation from the maximum reflectivity detected. For the application results, it was found that the precipitation intensity increased by 0.1 mm/h through the seeding effect. In addition, it was confirmed that ice crystals, supercooled water droplets, and mixed-phase precipitation were distributed in the seeding cloud. The results of these weather modification research can be used to secure water resources as well as for future study of cloud physics.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.59-71
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• 2002

Theoretical models of radiative transfer are developed to simulate the 85 GHz brightness temperature (T85) observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) radiometer as a function of rain rate. These simulations are performed separately over regions of the convective and stratiform rain. TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) observations are utilized to construct vertical profiles of hydrometeors in the regions. For a given rain rate, the extinction in 85 GHz due to hydrometeors above the freezing level is found to be relatively weak in the convective regions compared to that in the stratiform. The hydrometeor profile above the freezing level responsible for the weak extinction in convective regions is inferred from theoretical considerations to contain two layers: 1) a mixed (or mixed-phase) layer of 2 km thickness with mixed-phase particles, liquid drops and graupel above the freezing level, and 2) a layer of graupel extending from the top of the mixed layer to the cloud top. Strong extinction in the stratiform regions is inferred to result from slowly-falling, low-density ice aggregates (snow) above the freezing level. These theoretical results are consistent with the T85 measured by TMI, and with the rain rate deduced from PR for the convective and stratiform rain regions. On the basis of this study, the accuracy of the rain rate sensed by TMI is inferred to depend critically on the specification of the convective or stratiform nature of the rain.