Modification of the moving point test method for nighttime eddy CO2 flux filtering on hilly and complex terrains.

The measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes using the eddy covariance technique is difficult in forests in complex terrain because of the horizontal advection of CO2 at night. This results the under- or overestimation of net ecosystem exchanges of CO2. We propose a technique for nighttime filtering (and correction) of CO2 fluxes to eliminate (and replace) those significantly affected by horizontal advection: the modified moving point test method. This was developed by merging the friction velocity filtering and van Gorsel methods. It is based on an approach using moving windows for time and friction velocity, allowing a nighttime CO2 flux correction that includes an assessment of CO2 drainage at midnight. We tested the method using datasets from two flux towers in forests in hilly and complex terrains, where the application of generic nighttime filtering methods is difficult because CO2 drainage is generated earlier than the time assumed by the generic methods. The method produced carbon budgets consistent with previous research results, while showing improved applicability. •We propose a nighttime CO2 flux filtering method for hilly and complex terrain that combines the friction velocity filtering and van Gorsel methods.•This method determines the friction velocity threshold and the significance of CO2 drainage at midnight based on an approach using moving windows for time and friction velocity.•The method produced consistent results and shows improved applicability.

Effects of heat waves on daily excess mortality in 14 Korean cities during the past 20 years (1991-2010): an application of the spatial synoptic classification approach.

The aims of this study are to explore the "offensive" summer weather types classified under the spatial synoptic classification (SSC) system and to evaluate their impacts on excess mortality in 14 Korean cities. All-cause deaths per day for the entire population were examined over the summer months (May-September) of 1991-2010. Daily deaths were standardized to account for long-term trends of subcycles (annual, seasonal, and weekly) at the mid-latitudes. In addition, a mortality prediction model was constructed through multiple stepwise regression to develop a heat-health warning system based on synoptic climatology. The result showed that dry tropical (DT) days during early summer caused excess mortality due to non-acclimatization by inhabitants, and moist tropical (MT) plus and double plus resulted in greater spikes of excess mortality due to extremely hot and humid conditions. Among the 14 Korean cities, highly excess mortality for the elderly was observed in Incheon (23.2%, 95%CI 5.6), Seoul (15.8%, 95%CI 2.6), and Jeonju (15.8%, 95%CI 4.6). No time lag effect was observed, and excess mortality gradually increased with time and hot weather simultaneously. The model showed weak performance as its predictions were underestimated for the validation period (2011-2015). Nevertheless, the results clearly revealed the efficiency of relative and multiple-variable approaches better than absolute and single-variable approaches. The results indicate the potential of the SSC as a suitable system for investigating heat vulnerability in South Korea, where hot summers could be a significant risk factor.

Possible mechanism of abrupt jump in winter surface air temperature in the late 1980s over the Northern Hemisphere.

Possible cause of an abrupt warming in winter mean surface air temperature in the midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere in the late 1980s is investigated using observation and reanalysis data. To determine the timing of abrupt warming, we use a regime shift index based on detection of the largest significant differences between the mean values of two contiguous periods. Results show that the abrupt warming occurred in association with a regime shift after the 1980's in which the zonal mean sea level pressure (SLP) is significantly increased (decreased) at the latitude 25-35°N (60-70°N), in the form of north-south dipole-like SLP anomaly spanning the subtropics and high latitude. The dipole SLP anomaly can be attributed to a northward expansion of Hadley cell, a poleward broadening and intensification of the Ferrel cell, coupled with a collapse of polar cell. During the abrupt warming, strong anomalous southerly warm advection at the surface was induced by an enhanced and expanded Ferrel circulation, in association with a northward and downward shift of maximum center of northward eddy heat flux over the midlatitudes. An intensification of polar jet subsequent to regime shift may be instrumental in sustaining the warming up to more than 5 years.

Influence of monsoons on atmospheric CO2 spatial variability and ground-based monitoring over India.

This study examines the role of Asian monsoons on transport and spatial variability of atmospheric CO2 over the Indian subcontinent, using transport modeling tools and available surface observations from two atmospheric CO2 monitoring sites Sinhagad (SNG) and Cape Rama (CRI) in the western part of peninsular India. The regional source contributions to these sites arise from the horizontal flow in conduits within the planetary boundary layer. Greater CO2 variability, greater than 15 ppm, is observed during winter, while it is reduced nearly by half during summer. The SNG air sampling site is more susceptible to narrow regional terrestrial fluxes transported from the Indo-Gangetic Plains in January, and to wider upwind marine source regions from the Arabian Sea in July. The Western Ghats mountains appear to play a role in the seasonal variability at SNG by trapping polluted air masses associated with weak monsoonal winds. A Lagrangian back-trajectory analysis further suggests that the horizontal extent of regional sensitivity increases from north to south over the Indian subcontinent in January (Boreal winter).

An automated monitoring of atmospheric mixing height from routine radiosonde profiles over South Korea using a web-based data transfer method.

This study describes an effort to estimate atmospheric mixing height using vertical profiles of thermodynamic variables measured operationally at radiosonde sites in South Korea. We focus on mixing height at 06UTC (15LST) when vigorous daytime convection is expected with clear skies. For this purpose, we developed a simple numerical algorithm using a new data transfer tool, known as cURL, to determine mixing height and applied it to radiosonde data at Osan and Gwangju for 2010. Emphasis was placed on automating as much as possible the process of determining mixing height. According to the preliminary results, the estimation algorithm performed successfully for most cases with clear sky conditions and was useful in diagnosing and monitoring daytime mixing heights more effectively on a near-real-time basis. With the developed algorithm, it is possible to estimate mixing heights from radiosonde data within a few hours of the development of the convective boundary layer. Application to radiosonde sites in other countries is straightforward and continued modifications of the algorithm are anticipated in the near future.