Statistical Interpretation of Climate Change in Seoul, Korea, over the Last 98 Years

I conducted extensive analyses of daily weather data of precipitation and temperature monitored from the Surface Synoptic Meteorological Station in Seoul from 1 October 1907 to 31 December 2009 to understand how the climate is changing and the ecological implications for Seoul, Korea. Statistical analyses of the data, including the lengths of seasons and growing degree-days (GDD), showed a clear warming trend in the Seoul area over the study period. The mean daily temperature in Seoul increased by 2.40°C over the period of one hundred years, which was about three times faster than the global trend and it was striking to notice that mean daily temperature in Seoul in recent 30 years was increasing with the rate of 5.50°C per hundred years, which is an extremely fast rate of increase in temperature. In the last 100 years, an increase in the number of summer days was apparent, coupled with a reduction in the average number of winter days for about 27 to 28 days based on the analysis of mean daily temperature. Although the lengths of spring and autumn have not changed significantly over the century, early initiations of spring and late onsets of autumn were quite apparent. Total annual precipitation significantly increased at the rate of 2.67 mm/year over the last 100 years, a trend not apparent if the analysis is confined to periods of 30 to 40 years. The information has the potential to be used not only for better understanding of ecological processes and hydrology in the area, but also for the sustainable management of ecosystems and environment in the region.