Hyunsu Kim

Evaluation of Thermal Environments during the Heat Waves of Summer 2013 in Busan Metropolitan Area

Now a days, frequency of abnormally high temperatures like heat wave by global warming and climate change is increasing constantly and the number of patient with heat related illness are jumping rapidly. In this study, we chose the case day for the heat wave in Busan area(Busan and Yangsan), 2013 which it was the most hottest year during 21th century. And then, we analysed the weather condition using automatic synoptic observing system(ASOS) data. Also, four indices, heat index(HI), wet bulb globe temperature(WBGT), Man-ENvironment heat EXchange model(MENEX)’s results like Physiological subjective temperature(PST), Physiological strain(PhS), were calculated to evaluate the thermal comfort and stress quantitatively. However, thermal comfort was different as the each station and thermal comfort index during same time. Busan’s thermal indices (HI: hot, WBGT: sweltering, PST: very hot, PhS: very hot) indicated relatively higher than Yansan’s (HI: very hot, WBGT: sweltering, PST: very hot, PhS: sweltering). It shows that Busan near coast is relatively more comfortable than Yangsan located in inland.

Impact of future urban growth on regional climate changes in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea

The influence of changes in future urban growth (e.g., land use changes) on the future climate variability in the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA), Korea was evaluated using the WRF model and an urban growth model (SLEUTH). The land use changes in the study area were simulated using the SLEUTH model under three different urban growth scenarios: (1) current development trends scenario (SC 1), (2) managed development scenario (SC 2) and (3) ecological development scenario (SC 3). The maximum difference in the ratio of urban growth between SC 1 and SC 3 (SC 1 - SC 3) for 50years (2000-2050) was approximately 6.72%, leading to the largest differences (0.01°C and 0.03ms(-1), respectively) in the mean air temperature at 2m (T2) and wind speed at 10m (WS10). From WRF-SLEUTH modeling, the effects of future urban growth (or future land use changes) in the SMA are expected to result in increases in the spatial mean T2 and WS10 of up to 1.15°C and 0.03ms(-1), respectively, possibly due to thermal circulation caused by the thermal differences between urban and rural regions.

Estimation of Air Temperature Changes due to Future Urban Growth in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

The relationship between air temperatures and the fraction of urban areas (FUA) and their linear regression equation were estimated using land-use data provided by the water management information system (WAMIS) and air temperatures by the Korea Meteorology Administration (KMA) in the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA) during 1975 through 2000. The future FUA in the SMA (from 2000 to 2030) was also predicted by the urban growth model (i.e., SLEUTH) in conjunction with several dataset (e.g., urban, roads, etc.) in the WAMIS. The estimated future FUA was then used as input data for the linear regression equation to estimate an annual mean minimum air temperature in the future (e.g., 2025 and 2030). The FUA in the SMA in 2000 simulated by the SLEUTH showed good agreement with the observations (a high accuracy (73%) between them). The urban growth in the SMA was predicted to increase by 16% of the total areas in 2025 and by 24% in 2030. From the linear regression equation, the annual mean minimum air temperature in the SMA increased about /yr and it was expected to increase up to in 2025 and in 2030.

A dual anteroposterior approach to the Bernese periacetabular osteotomy

When the Bernese periacetabular osteotomy is performed through an anterior approach, the ischial and retroacetabular osteotomies and manual fracture of the incompletely osteotomized ischium are conducted with an incomplete view resulting in increased risk and morbidity. We have assessed the dual anteroposterior approach which appears to address this deficiency. We compared the results of the Bernese periacetabular osteotomy performed in 11 patients (13 osteotomies) through a single anterior approach with those in 12 patients (13 osteotomies) in whom the procedure was carried out through a dual anteroposterior approach. The estimated blood loss, the length of anaesthesia, duration of surgery and radiological parameters were measured. The mean operative time and length of anaesthesia were not significantly different in the two groups (p = 0.781 and p = 0.698, respectively). The radiological parameters improved to a similar extent in both groups after the operation but there was significantly less blood loss in the dual osteotomy group (p = 0.034). The dual anteroposterior approach provides a direct view of the retroacetabular and ischial parts of the osteotomy, within a reasonable operating time and with minimal blood loss and gives a satisfactory outcome.

A Study on the Change of the Urban Heat Island Structure in Busan Metropolitan Area, Korea

The spatial and temporal changes of the annual mean urban heat island(UHI) intensity were investigated using near surface temperature data measured at 16 automatic weather systems(AWS) in Busan metropolitan area(BMA) during the 11-yr period, from 2000 to 2010. For nighttime, the annual mean UHI intensity at Dongnae(U1) in 2000 was weaker than it in 2010. However the change of the annual mean UHI intensity at Daeyeon(U2) during 11 years was different from it at U1. The annual frequency of the UHI intensity over 5 considerably increased at U2 and decreased at U1 during 11 years. The center of the UHI also spatially shifted southward with Daeyeon and Haeundae in BMA. It would be caused by the increase of urban area, population-density and transportation near U2 and by the decrease of them near U1. We found that the spatial and temporal differences of the UHI intensity have coincided with changes of land-use, population density and transportation in BMA.

Atmospheric Analysis on the Meteo-tsunami Case Occurred on 31 March 2007 at the Yellow Sea of South Korea

A meteo-tsunami occurred along the coastline of South Korea on 31 March 2007, with an estimated maximum amplitude of 240 cm in Yeonggwang (YG). In this study, we investigated the synoptic weather systems around the Yellow sea including the Bohai Bay and Shandong Peninsula using a weather research and forecast model and weather charts of the surface pressure level, upper pressure level and auxiliary analysis. We found that 4-lows passed through the Yellow sea from the Shandung Peninsula to Korea during 5 days. Moreover, the passage of the cold front and the locally heavy rain with a sudden pressure change may make the resonance response in the near-shore and ocean with a regular time-lag. The sea-level pressure disturbance and absolute vorticity in 500 hPa projected over the Yellow sea was propagated with a similar velocity to the coastline of South Korea at the time that meteo-tsunami occurred.

Analysis of Climate Variability under Various Scenarios for Future Urban Growth in Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), Korea

In this study, climate variability was predicted by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model under two different scenarios (current trends scenario; SC1 and managed scenario; SC2) for future urban growth over the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA). We used the urban growth model, SLEUTH (Slope, Land-use, Excluded, Urban, Transportation, Hill-Shade) to predict the future urban growth in SMA. As a result, the difference of urban ratio between two scenarios was the maximum up to 2.2% during 50 years (2000~2050). Also, the results of SLEUTH like this were adjusted in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to analysis the difference of the future climate for the future urbanization effect. By scenarios of urban growth, we knew that the significant differences of surface temperature with a maximum of about 4 K and PBL height with a maximum of about 200 m appeared locally in newly urbanized area. However, wind speeds are not sensitive for the future urban growth in SMA. These results show that we need to consider the future land-use changes or future urban extension in the study for the prediction of future climate changes.

Prediction of Future Climate Change Using an Urban Growth Model in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

Future climate changes over the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA) were predicted by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model using future land-use data from the urban growth model (SLEUTH) and forecast fields from ECHAM5/MPI-OM1 GCM (IPCC scenario A1B). Simulations from the SLEUTH model with GIS information (slope, urban, hill-shade, etc.) derived from the water management information system (WAMIS) and the intelligent transportation systems-standard nodes link (ITS-SNL) showed that considerable increase by 17.1% in the fraction of urban areas (FUA) was found within the SMA in 2020. To identify the effects of the urban growth on the temperature and wind variations in the future, WRF simulations by considering urban growth were performed for two seasons (summer and winter) in 2020s (2018~2022) and they were compared with those in the present (2003~2007). Comparisons of model results showed that significant changes in surface temperature (2-meter) were found in an area with high urban growth. On average in model domain, positive increases of and were predicted during summer and winter, respectively. These were higher than contributions forced by climate changes. The changes in surface temperature, however, were very small expect for some areas. This results suggested that surface temperature in metropolitan areas like the SMA can be significantly increased only by the urban growth during several decades.

Perceptions regarding utilization of meteorological information in healthcare in Korea: a qualitative study

BackgroundHealth forecasting has been used in an attempt to provide timely and tailored meteorological information to patients and healthcare providers so that they might take appropriate actions to mitigate health risks and manage healthcare-related needs. This study examined the in-depth perceptions of healthcare providers and the general public regarding the utilization of meteorological information in the healthcare system in Korea.MethodsThe COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist was applied to this study. We conducted three focus group discussions in accordance with semi-structured guidelines developed to deal with various aspects of the utilization of meteorological information in healthcare settings. The verbatim transcriptions and field notes were analyzed according to content analysis.ResultsSix physicians, four nurses, three emergency medical technicians, and seven members of the general public participated in the focus group discussions. There were some individual discrepancies among most participants regarding the health effects of climate change. Although several physician participants felt that meteorological information utilization is not a prime concern during patient care, most of the general public participants believed that it should be used in the patient care process. The provision of meteorological information to patients undergoing care is expected to not only improve the effective management of climate-sensitive diseases, but also boost rapport between healthcare providers and patients.ConclusionsMore attempts should be made to provide meteorological information to groups vulnerable to climate change, and the effects of this information should be evaluated in terms of effectiveness and inequality. The findings of this study will be helpful in countries and institutions trying to introduce health forecasting services.

Numerical Weather Prediction for Mitigating the Fatal Loss by the Meteo-tsunami Incidence on the West Coast of Korean Peninsula

ABSTRACT Kim, H.; Kim, M.-S.; Kim, Y.-K.; Yoo, S.-H., and Lee, H.-J., 2017. Numerical weather prediction for mitigating the fatal loss by the meteo-tsunami incidence on the west coast of Korean Peninsula. In: Lee, J.L.; Griffiths, T.; Lotan, A.; Suh, K.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), The 2nd International Water Safety Symposium. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 79, pp. 119–123. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The west coast of Korean Peninsula is an area where casualties and property damages by meteo-tsunamis from the Yellow Sea have been reported. A case in point is the event with an estimated maximum amplitude of 240 cm in Yeonggwang (YG) on 31 March 2007. Many studies have been carried out since then in Korea. These researches focused primarily on the oceanographic aspects (e.g., the resonance between the atmosphere and ocean). They wanted to calculate the resonance effects by the propagation velocity and direction of meteo-tsunami. On the other hand, there were no sufficient atmospheric observation data on the sea, and it was inadequate to explain the various interactions between the atmosphere and ocean. Therefore, the weather research and forecast (WRF) model was used to predict the various detailed meteorological factors (e.g., air pressure, wind vector) on the open sea. This was performed on representative meteo-tsunami events induced by four synoptic weather types. As a result, the numerical weather model, WRF, projected various gridded atmospheric information on the Yellow Sea, and the main atmospheric forcing (e.g., pressure jump line, high pressure system) of the four meteo-tsunami events could be indicated. The numerical weather modeling showed the potential to predict the coastal disaster caused by the meteo-tsunami.