Korea moving toward a subtropical climate

Global warming has increased temperature and precipitation and widened regional and seasonal weather differences on the Korea Peninsula, changing it closer to a subtropical climate, the state meteorological agency said yesterday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration yesterday released its analysis on climate change that occurred for the past 10 years.



The average temperature between 1999 and 2008 was 14.1 degrees Celsius, up 0.6 degrees from the 30-year average of the period from 1971 to 2000.

The average temperature during summer months between June and August was 24 degrees Celsius, up 0.2 degrees from the 30-year average, while the average temperature during winter months between December and February was 3.2 degrees Celsius, up 0.8 degrees.



The 10-year average precipitation amounted to 1,435.9 millimeters, up about 9.1 percent from the 30-year average.

The gap among seasons is substantial. The 10-year average winter precipitation amount was 106.6 millimeters, down 11.5 percent from the 30-year average while summer precipitation was 861.3 millimeters, up 12.9 percent from the 30-year average.

The average number of spring days between March and May when the late frost fell was 3.1, down 3.4 from the 30-year average. The end of the late frost came eight days earlier than the 30-year period.

During the summer, the tropical nights phenomenon has increased. The average number of tropical nights during the 10-year period was 10.3, up two days from the 30-year average.

(sshluck@heraldm.com)

By Song Sang-ho