Satellite-derived sea surface winds (SSWs) and atmospheric motion vectors (AMVs) over the global ocean, particularly including the areas in and around tropical cyclones (TCs), have been provided in a real-time and continuous manner. More and better information is now derived from technologically improved multiple satellite missions and wind retrieving techniques. The status and prospects of key SSW products retrieved from scatterometers, passive microwave radiometers, synthetic aperture radar, and altimeters as well as AMVs derived by tracking features from multiple geostationary satellites are reviewed here. The quality and error characteristics, limitations, and challenges of satellite wind observations described in the literature, which need to be carefully considered to apply the observations for both operational and scientific uses, i.e., assimilation in numerical weather forecasting, are also described. Additionally, ongoing efforts toward merging them, particularly for monitoring three-dimensional TC wind fields in a real-time and continuous manner and for providing global profiles of high-quality wind observations with the new mission are introduced. Future research is recommended to develop plans for providing more and better SSW and AMV products in a real-time and continuous manner from existing and new missions.
Effect of the nonuniform grid on the two-dimensional transport equation was investigated in terms of theoretical analysis and finite difference method (FDM). The nonuniform grid having a typical structure of the numerical weather forecast model was incorporated in the vertical direction, while the uniform grid was used in the zonal direction. The staggered and non-staggered grid were placed in the vertical and zonal direction, respectively. Time stepping was performed with the third-order Runge Kutta scheme. An error analysis of the spatial discretization on the nonuniform grid was carried out, which indicated that the combined effect of the nonuniform grid and advection velocity produced either numerical diffusion or numerical adverse-diffusion. An analytic function is used for the quantitative evaluation of the errors associated with the discretized transport equation. Numerical experiments with the non-uniformity of vertical grid were found to support the analysis.
Extreme temperatures and precipitations are expected to be more frequently occurring due to the ongoing global warming over the Korean Peninsula. However, few studies have analyzed the synoptic weather patterns associated with extreme events in a warming world. Here, the atmospheric patterns related to future extreme events are first analyzed using the HadGEM3-RA regional climate model. Simulations showed that the variability of temperature and precipitation will increase in the future (2051-2100) compared to the present (1981-2005), accompanying the more frequent occurrence of extreme events. Warm advection from East China and lower latitudes, a stagnant anticyclone, and local foehn wind are responsible for the extreme temperature (daily T>38 o C) episodes in Korea. The extreme precipitation cases (>500 mm day−1 ) were mainly caused by mid-latitude cyclones approaching the Korean Peninsula, along with the enhanced Changma front by supplying water vapor into the East China Sea. These future synoptic-scale features are similar to those of present extreme events. Therefore, our results suggest that, in order to accurately understand future extreme events, we should consider not only the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gases or aerosol increases, but also small-scale topographic conditions and the internal variations of climate systems.
An earthquake of ML 5.8 hit the Gyeongju area on September 12, 2016. A sequence of foreshock-mainshockaftershock of 588 events with equal to or greater than magnitude 1.5 occurred for six months in this area. Around ninetynine percentage (98.8%) of the total energy was released intensively within a day, and about 80% of the total events took place within a month after the Gyeongju earthquake. The epicentral distribution of aftershocks of major events (ML 5.1, 5.8, 4.5, and 3.5) were elongated in the direction of N30 o E. They correlate well with the focal mechanism solution. These facts support the inference that the Gyeongju earthquakes occurred on a sub-parallel subsidiary fault of the Yangsan fault zone or on the linking damage zones between Deokcheon and Yangsan fault. During the last six years before the Gyeongju earthquake, there were few events within 10-km radius from the epicenter. This seismic gap area was filled with a sequence of the Gyeongju earthquakes. The b value for aftershock of the Gyeongju earthquakes is 1.09.
This study analyzed variations of learning stress by comparing the salivary cortisol levels of students who participated in Earth Science inquiry activities. The cortisol concentrations between the pre- and post-inquiries of the sample of 34 university students, who had taken the course of ‘Basic Earth Science and Experiments’, were analyzed. The Earth Science inquiries consisted of geology and astronomy activities. The observational geology activities consisted of a session of ‘structure contours and map patterns’ and the cognitive astronomy activities consisted of a session of ‘representations of horizontal and equatorial coordinates’. These Earth Science inquiry activities were found to cause students to have anxiety, and the thought processes that these activities involved were found to cause learning stress. The variations in cortisol concentrations of students increased by 1.6±5.9 ng mL−1 after conducting observational activities in geology compared with 2.1±6.2 ng mL−1 after doing cognitive activities in astronomy. The analysis of the observational activities in the geology inquiry activities indicated that they were consistent with low levels of learning stress. Conversely, the analysis of the cognitive activities in the astronomy inquiry activities showed significant individual variations in cortisol concentrations. Furthermore, individual differences in cognitive ability were reflected in the astronomy inquiry activities. While students, who received high scores, exhibited low levels of stress in the geology inquiry activities, they showed high levels of stress in the astronomy inquiry activities. It was concluded that, in the case of students with high scores in the study, the level of learning stress increased due to the raised anxiety in cognitive inquiry activities. In contrast, students, who received low scores in the study, exhibited high levels of stress in the geology inquiry activities, and low levels of stress in the astronomy inquiry activities.
The purpose of the study was to define five science core competencies introduced in the 2015 revised science curriculum with each component and practical indicators into the frame. Science teachers on site could use it in teaching and developing science program to equip students with the competencies to creatively solve problems which is the aim of science education in the 21st century. To develop this frame, we contacted 10 experienced science educators and collected the data through a questionnaire. We coded all responses and categorized into the components and practical indicators of each competency which were all compared with those from well-known theories in order to validate. We then contacted other 35 science educators again to construct the validity to fill out the survey of Likert scale. The finalized science core competency included 19 components in total with practical indicators that can be observable and measurable in the classroom. This frame was used to see how it fits into a STEAM program. The finding was that two different topics of the STEAM program displayed the different description of science core competency usage, which could be used as the prescription of the competency as to whether or not it is more promoted in science class.
In this research, the change of Korean middle-school science education environments is investigated through analyzing eighth graders’ survey data collected over the past 20 years of TIMSS. We extracted educational context variables that provide meaningful information on changes of Korean science education, and have been surveyed more than 3 study cycles up to TIMSS 2015. The selected educational context variables include school resources and school climate from the school principal’s questionnaires, and teacher characteristics and instructional activities from the teacher’s questionnaires. For each context variable, we analyzed its trend over TIMSS cycles, and discussed its implications in light of Korean educational policy and curriculum changes. Based on the results, we recommended several ways that help to improve science teaching and learning in light of lab assistants, computer availability, teacher learning community, and middle school Earth science curriculum
The purpose of this study was to explore the nine components of computational thinking (CT) practices and their operational definitions from the view of science education and to develop a CT practice framework that is going to be used as a planning and assessing tool for CT practice, as it is required for students to equip with in order to become creative problem solvers in 21st century. We employed this framework into the earlier developed STEAM programs to see how it was valid and reliable. We first reviewed theoretical articles about CT from computer science and technology education field. We then proposed 9 components of CT as defined in technology education but modified operational definitions in each component from the perspective of science education. This preliminary CTPF (computational thinking practice framework) from the viewpoint of science education consisting of 9 components including data collection, data analysis, data representation, decomposing, abstraction, algorithm and procedures, automation, simulation, and parallelization. We discussed each component with operational definition to check if those components were useful in and applicable for science programs. We employed this CTPF into two different topics of STEAM programs to see if those components were observable with operational definitions. The profile of CT components within the selected STEAM programs for this study showed one sequential spectrum covering from data collection to simulation as the grade level went higher. The first three data related CT components were dominating at elementary level, all components of CT except parallelization were found at middle school level, and finally more frequencies in every component of CT except parallelization were also found at high school level than middle school level. On the basis of the result of CT usage in STEAM programs, we included ‘generalization’ in CTPF of science education instead of ‘parallelization’ which was not found. The implication about teacher education was made based on the CTPF in terms of science education.