South Korea's Temperature Rises 1.6°C Over 30 Years... 0.8°C Higher Than Global Increase

Annual average temperature rises by 0.2°C every 10 years
Temperature increase rate faster than global average

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Over the past 30 years, the annual average temperature has risen by 1.6 degrees Celsius compared to the previous 30 years. Due to urbanization and global warming, the increase in South Korea's annual average temperature is 0.8 degrees higher than the global average, indicating that warming is progressing rapidly.

On the 28th, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced the results of a climate change trend analysis conducted over 109 years from 1912 to 2020, targeting six cities with observation data spanning more than 100 years.

Comparing global and South Korean temperatures and CO2 concentrations, South Korea's temperature increase (1.6 degrees) was 0.8 degrees higher than the global temperature rise. As of 2019, the CO2 concentration was also 6.5 ppm higher.

The average temperature of the six cities over the past 30 years was 13.7 degrees Celsius, an increase of 1.6 degrees compared to the previous 30 years. This corresponds to a rise of 0.2 degrees every 10 years. The maximum temperature increased by 1.1 degrees, and the minimum temperature rose by 1.9 degrees. Seasonally, the temperature increase was greatest in spring and winter, with a rise of 2.1 degrees.

Comparing the temperature increases among the six cities, Daegu and Seoul saw rises of 2 degrees and 1.9 degrees respectively, while Mokpo increased by 0.8 degrees, showing differences in temperature rise according to urbanization.

Over the past 30 years, precipitation amounts have increased while the number of precipitation days has decreased, resulting in more intense rainfall. Annual precipitation increased by 135.4 mm over the past 30 years, but precipitation days decreased by 21.2 days. Over 109 years, annual precipitation increased by 17.71 mm every 10 years.

In particular, summer precipitation increased significantly, and precipitation intensity rose in summer and autumn. The number of precipitation days decreased evenly across all seasons. Every 10 years, summer precipitation increased by 15.55 mm, and autumn by 5.16 mm.

High-temperature related indicators, represented by tropical nights and heatwaves, also increased significantly. Over the past 30 years, tropical nights increased by 8.4 days and heatwave days by 1.0 day compared to the previous 30 years. Low-temperature extreme indices such as cold waves and freezing decreased by 4.9 days, and freezing days decreased by 7.7 days over the past 30 years.

The Korea Meteorological Administration explained, "As global warming accelerates, extreme climate phenomena causing massive damage, such as intense heat and heavy rainfall, are becoming more frequent and severe," adding, "Preparation is needed not only for disasters but also for the daily health of the public."

Just as cherry blossoms bloomed the earliest in 99 years this year, changes in season lengths are also becoming evident. Compared to the past 30 years, summer has lengthened by 20 days and winter shortened by 22 days over the recent 30 years. The start dates of spring and summer have advanced by 17 days and 11 days respectively. The recent 30 years recorded the longest summer at 118 days (about 4 months) and the shortest autumn at 69 days.

There were also significant changes in the 24 solar terms that represent the climate. Temperatures during the winter and spring solar terms rose sharply. The coldest solar terms, Daehan and Sohan, recorded above-freezing temperatures, and the temperature increase during Dongji, the day with the longest night, was the largest among all solar terms. Over the past 30 years, Dongji rose by 4.1 degrees, Cheongmyeong by 3.4 degrees, Ipdong by 3.3 degrees, and Daehan by 3.0 degrees compared to the previous 30 years. The timing of Gyeongchip and Ipha, which previously indicated past temperatures, advanced by 13 days and 8 days respectively.

The Korea Meteorological Administration plans to use the 109-year climate change trend analysis results as basic data for updating new normal values after 2020, promoting public awareness of the climate crisis, and establishing climate change response policies.

Park Kwang-seok, Administrator of the Korea Meteorological Administration, said, "Reflecting on the history of climate change in South Korea, I once again felt the seriousness of the climate crisis," and added, "It is expected to become a driving force to sprint toward the 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets and carbon neutrality by 2050."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.