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Winter precipitation variability over Korean Peninsula associated with ENSO

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Abstract

In this study, winter precipitation variability associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) over the Korean Peninsula was investigated using a 5-pentad running mean data because significant correlation pattern cannot be revealed using seasonal-mean data. It was found a considerably significant positive correlation between Niño3 sea-surface temperature and precipitation during early winter (from Mid-November to early-December), when the correlation coefficient is close to 0.8 in early-December; the correlation is distinctively weakened during late winter. It is demonstrated that such sudden intraseasonal change in relation to ENSO is associated with the presence of anticyclonic flow over the Kuroshio extension region (Kuroshio anticyclone). In early winter, there is strong southerly wind over the Korean Peninsula, which is induced by the Philippine Sea anticyclone and Kuroshio anticyclone. However, in January, although the Philippine Sea anticyclone develops further, the Kuroshio anticyclone suddenly disappears; as a result, the impact of ENSO is considerably weakened over the Korean Peninsula. These results indicate that the Kuroshio anticyclone during El Niño peak phase plays a critical role by strongly affecting Northeast Asia climate, including the Korean Peninsula. In addition, it is also found that there are distinctive interdecadal changes of the relationship between ENSO and precipitation over the Korean Peninsula. In particular, the strong correlation in early winter is clearer in the recent 30 years than that in the previous period of 1950–1979.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under grant CATER 2012-3042.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ansan, South Korea

    Hye-Young Son & Jong-Seong Kug

  2. Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany

    Jong-Yeon Park

  3. APEC Climate Center, Pusan, South Korea

    Jinho Yoo

  4. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, South Korea

    Cheol-Hee Kim

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  1. Hye-Young Son
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Correspondence to Jong-Seong Kug.

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Son, HY., Park, JY., Kug, JS. et al. Winter precipitation variability over Korean Peninsula associated with ENSO. Clim Dyn 42, 3171–3186 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-013-2008-1

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