Mesoscale low is often observed over the downstream region of the East Sea (or, northwest coast off the Japan Islands) during East-Asia winter monsoon. The low system causes a heavy snowfall at the region. A series of numerical experiments were conducted with the aid of a regional model (MM5 ver. 3.5) to examine the formation mechanism of the mesoscale low. The following results were obtained: 1) A well-developed mesoscale low was simulated by the regional model under real topography, NCEP reanalysis, and OISST; 2) The mesoscale low was simulated under a zonally averaged SST without topography. This implies that the meridional gradient of SST is the main factor in the formation of a mesoscale low; 3) A thermal contrast (>10˚C) of land-sea and topography-induced disturbance served as the second important factor for the formation; 4) Paektu Mountain caused the surface wind to decelerate downstream, which created a more favorable environment for thermodynamic modification than that was found in a flat topography; and 5) The types of cumulus parameterizations did not affect the development of the mesoscale low.

• Koo, Hyun-Suk(Department of Environmental Conservation and Disaster Prevention Keimyung University)
• Kim, Hae-Dong(Department of Environmental Conservation and Disaster Prevention Keimyung University) | Kim, Hae-Dong
• Kang, Sung-Dae(Climate Prediction Division, Korea Meteorological Administration) | Kang, Sung-Dae
• Shin, Dong-Wook(Center for Ocean-Atm) | Shin, Dong-Wook