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The temporal and spatial characteristics of trends in extreme indices over Korea between 1971 and 2100 are investigated using daily minimum ( Tmin) and maximum ( Tmax) temperature and precipitation data from a regional climate projection at 20 km grid spacing. Five temperature-based indices and five precipitation-based indices are selected to comprehensively consider the frequency, intensity, and persistence of extreme events. In addition, Mann-Kendall tests are used to detect the statistical significance of trends in these indices. For validation during the reference period (1971-2000), the model reasonably simulates the temporal and spatial pattern of the trend. The model captures observed direction and magnitude well in various types of extremes. Indices based on Tmin show a considerable change towards warmer climate conditions while indices based on Tmax do not reveal any distinct trend, implying an asymmetric response of Tmin and Tmax to global warming. Indices of the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation show a significant increase, whereas the duration of dry and wet consecutive days shows no change. For future projections, the temperature-based indices exhibit a much more significant and consistent trend than the precipitation-based indices, with statistical significance at the 95% confidence level for all indices. The frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation are projected to increase in the 21st century, continuing the trend of the reference climate. Although the future projected changes in the duration of consecutive dry and wet days are not statistically significant, the signal becomes more pronounced with respect to the reference simulation. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the capability of the regional climate model RegCM3 to simulate surface air temperature and precipitation over the Korean Peninsula. The model is run in one-way double nested mode, with a 60 km grid point spacing “mother” domain encompassing the eastern regions of Asia and a 20 km grid point spacing nested domain covering the Korean Peninsula. The simulation spans the three-year period of 1 October 2000 through 30 September 2003 and the boundary conditions needed to run the mother domain experiment are provided from the NCEP reanalysis of observations. The model results are compared with a high density station observation dataset to examine the fine scale structure of the surface climate signal. The model shows a good performance in capturing both the sign and magnitude of the seasonal and inter-annual variations of the surface variables both over East Asia as a whole and over the Korean Peninsula in the nested system. Some persistent biases are however present. Surface temperature is systematically underestimated, especially over mountainous regions in the warm season. This feature may be due to the relatively coarse representation of the Korean topography. The simulated precipitation over the mother domain successfully reproduces the broad spatial pattern of observed precipitation over East Asia along with its seasonal evolution. On the other hand, fine scale details from the nested results show a varying level of quality for the different individual years. Because of the better resolved topographic forcing, the increased resolution of the nested model improves the spatial agreement with the fine scale observation fields for temperature and cold season precipitation. For summer monsoon precipitation the simulation of individual monsoon convective events and tropical storms is however more important than the topographic forcing, and therefore the performance of the nested system is more case-dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater availability is affected by changes in climate and growth. We assessed the freshwater vulnerability for five major Korean river basins for 2015 and 2030. We used a regional climate model based on the IPCC SRES A2 scenario, US Geological Survey's Precipitation Rainfall Simulation Model, and population and industrial growth scenarios for impact assessment. The model simulation results suggest increasing spatial and temporal variations of water stress for the basins that are already developed. While freshwater is more vulnerable to growth scenarios than the climate change scenario, climate change alone could decrease mean annual runoff by 10% in four major river basins by 2030. As the first national assessment of climate change, we suggest possible adaptive water resource management and policy strategies for reducing climate related risks in Korea.

The purpose of the study was to explore women's own needs for and attitudes toward physical activity among Korean immigrant women in the US using feminist approach and transition theory. This was a cross-sectional study consisting of quantitative and qualitative phases. Using convenience sampling methods, 54 Korean immigrant women were recruited for the quantitative phase, and 15 women among them were recruited for the qualitative phase. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the women's needs for and attitudes toward physical activity were influenced by the contexts of their culture and immigration, and deeply associated with the women's daily experiences. Some implications for future research and nursing practice are proposed based on the findings.

Purpose: To describe how Korean immigrant women tend to describe their work experiences within their daily lives and how they relate their work to the symptoms experienced during midlife., Design: Cross-sectional study using methodological triangulation. Using a convenience sampling method, 119 Korean immigrant women were recruited for the quantitative phase, and 21 among the 119 women were recruited for the qualitative phase. Data were collected using both questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS: The symptoms that the women experienced during midlife were influenced by their work experience, which was complicated by their cultural heritage, gender issues embedded in their daily lives, and immigration transition., Implications: Complexities and diversities in women's work need to be incorporated in menopausal studies.

Studies indicate ethnic differences in incidence, mortality, and survival rate of breast cancer. Despite the low incidence rate of breast cancer among the Korean population, Koreans are reported to be less likely to survive breast cancer. In this article, using a feminist perspective, the reasons why Korean women have been reported to be less likely to survive breast cancer are analyzed through a critical review of research among Korean women. A total of 469 studies (145 unpublished master's theses and doctoral dissertations and 324 articles published in South Korea and in the United States) were reviewed, analyzed, and critiqued in terms of biases present in the research process. Through a feminist critique of the literature, four possible reasons are proposed: androcentric views and assumptions underlying the research, modesty issues imbedded in Korean culture, the victim-blaming tendency of Korean culture, and intense emotions without adequate support.

Even though there are advancements in research related to culturally competent care, there is an increasing realization that coherent theories and a research base to guide health care that is culturally competent is yet to be fully developed. In this paper, cultural competence of the scales measuring menopausal symptoms are critically analyzed in light of their limitations for Korean women--a population other than for whom it was developed. The analyses indicate that there are issues of contextuality, relevance, communication style, authenticity, power relationships and time constraints.

Despite the increasing number of studies on the menopausal experience of Asian women, the focus of the studies has been on simple comparisons of their symptoms with Western women's and other disease-oriented research topics. To propose directions for future research on menopause, we analyzed and critiqued 158 studies on the menopausal experience of a group of Asian women-Korean women. The studies were retrieved through a search of computerized databases in the United States and South Korea, and they were reviewed, analyzed, and critiqued with a feminist perspective. Many of the studies have problems with (a) conceptualization, including ethnocentric and androcentric views of menopause, biomedical perspectives, and language difficulties; (b) research methods, such as inadequate instruments, passive relationships between researchers and research participants, culturally inappropriate communication styles, inadequate study designs, and homogeneous research participants; and (c) interpretation and communication of study findings. These issues undermine the conclusions drawn about the nature of the menopausal experience of Korean women., (Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

The symptoms experienced during menopausal transition of a vulnerable group of women, low income Korean immigrants, are described in this paper. The findings demonstrated that (a) the types of the symptoms that the women reported were different from those reported by Western women; (b) the women tended to normalize their symptoms; and (c) their symptom experience was influenced by immigration transition and its contextual variables. We suggest that symptom experience of immigrant women during menopausal transition be understood within the contexts of their immigration transition, and that their own views of normality of the menopausal transition be respected.

Purpose: To extend the previous model of transitions by including the experiences of low-income Korean immigrant women in the United States during their menopausal transition. The extension results in a situation-specific theory of Korean immigrant women's menopausal transition., Design: Findings from a study of menopausal transition among Korean immigrant women were used as a main source for modification of the conceptual properties of transitions, conditions shaping the transitions, and indicators of healthy transitions. The study was cross-sectional with methodologic triangulation. Quantitative analysis was based on data from 119 first-generation Korean immigrant women who engaged in low-status or low-income work outside their homes; qualitative study using theoretical sampling method included 21 women., Methods: Analyses included descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. Integrative conceptual analysis using deductive and inductive reasoning was conducted to determine modifications in theory based on the descriptions of menopausal transition of Korean immigrant women., Findings: Three main themes were identified: (a) the women gave their menopausal transition far less attention than they did to their immigrant and work transition; (b) menopause was a hidden experience in cultural background; and (c) the women "normalized," ignored, and endured symptoms. The findings indicated additions of the following concepts: (a) number, seriousness, and priority of transitions; (b) socioeconomic status; (c) gender; (d) context; (e) attitudes toward health and illness; (f) interrelationships among all conditions shaping transitions; and (g) symptom management., Conclusions: The proposed situation-specific model is limited in scope. However, it provides understanding of the menopausal transition of Korean immigrant women in context, and is a guide for nursing interventions for immigrant women experiencing transition.

The menopausal transition needs to be understood in terms of the multiple mediating factors within the context in which women experience it. For immigrant women especially, the menopausal experience is complicated by multiple transitions and social marginality, so it cannot be adequately explained without considering this complexity. In this paper we review the literature on the menopausal transition of a group of vulnerable immigrant women in two ways: describing the transitions themselves (menopause, immigration, and housewife to employee), and describing factors that mediate the menopausal transition experience (family norms, meaning of menopause and women's work, and health practices). We emphasize the context and suggest areas of needed research.