● In March, even in the cold of the spring, the temperature is the same

In March, the national average temperature was 7.9 ℃, the second highest temperature ever. The highest temperature was also 14.1 ℃, the third highest ever.

In March, the temperature of seawater around the Korean Peninsula was higher than normal, and the cold air in the north did not develop because the temperature in mainland China was about 2 ℃ higher than normal. Even the cold air in the polar region was blocked by strong jet streams and could not be left. The main culprit that made the winter warm is also affecting the spring.

As the cold air from the north descended about two times, shiny sparkling cold came, but March was overall warm.

The problem is that this tends to escalate over time. It is not only a matter of one month in March. During the winter, which was exceptionally warm, January was warm enough to have an average temperature of 1st in history, and February was also ranked 3rd in average. 2020 has just begun, with January to March all recording average temperatures.

Even by year, you can see the tendency of the Korean Peninsula to become warmer recently. If you look at March, the average temperature in 2018 was 8.1 ℃ (1st place in history), and the highest temperature has been reached. (2019 is 5th place at 7.5 ℃)

Several variables existed in each year's temperature increase, but the fact that the Korean Peninsula is getting warmer is undeniable.

● Flowering and spawning are all accelerated.


Last winter, the salamander in Jeju Island spawned earlier than usual. The Nandae Subtropical Forest Research Institute announced on January 10 that it had observed the spawning of salamanders for the first time, but it was about as fast as usual. It usually spawns from late January to early February, but it was awakened early in the east because of the warm temperatures. The average winter temperature of Jeju Island was 10.6 ℃ in December and 9.4 ℃ in January. It was 1.5 ℃ in December and 2.5 ℃ in January higher than the average.

Cherry blossoms in the spring messenger have bloomed the fastest since the Meteorological Administration observed cherry blossoms. This year, the cherry blossoms bloomed on the 27th of last month, two weeks earlier than the average year (April 10). The rapid flowering of cherry blossoms is also due to the high temperatures in February and March. The average temperature in February was 2.5 ℃, which was 0.4 ℃ higher than average, and in March, it was 7.3 ℃, 2 ℃ higher than normal. The high sunshine added to this, the cherry blossoms bloom quickly. If you look at the flowering period of cherry blossoms in the last 10 years, you can also see the trend that the flowering period is getting faster.
You can think of the spawning of animals as fast as possible and the rapid flowering of flowers. However, we should not ignore the small changes in flora and fauna brought by the climate. In spring, if the flowers bloom faster than the normal flowering period, there is a greater possibility of cold damage in the cold of the spring, which naturally affects the ecosystem. Cold-damaged flowers affect pollinated insects or the various species that depend on them, and as a result, the linkages that have been working between them may be broken. In the end, it could threaten the fruition and survival of species.

● The Han River does not freeze

The Han River did not freeze in winter this year, when warm temperatures persist. In order for the Han River to freeze, the days when Seoul's minimum temperature was below -10 ℃ must last for about 4 to 5 days, but there was no such day. The warm weather continued throughout the winter without this cold. The number of days when the lowest temperature in Seoul fell below -10 ℃ was only 2 times in December and 2 times in February.

The Korea Meteorological Administration began observing the freezing of the Han River in 1906, and there were only eight times in which ice was not observed, including this winter. The last year in which no ice was observed was in 2006. This is not unusual, but it is certainly not common.

● Is it okay to keep rising?

It is certainly true that this year, a record high in history, is anxious. Although it is still difficult to make an accurate forecast, the Korea Meteorological Administration predicts that summer temperatures will be higher than average. If the record average temperature continues to be renewed, it is highly likely that the trend will not be different in summer. In the meantime, it was winter and spring, so citizens didn't feel much uncomfortable at elevated temperatures. Some citizens say that this winter, when the cold was cold and warmer, was much better, so it was better to live. But in summer, the story is different. If the climate system of the Korean Peninsula breaks down as the temperatures in winter and spring change, there will be changes in summer as well. Without going far, we have already experienced the worst heat wave in 2018, and the changes we see on the Korean Peninsula are never welcome.

We feel climate change directly or indirectly. The temperature change comes in direct contact with our skin, and the surrounding environment is gradually changing. It is purely our choice to take action to detect these changes. You can ignore it, or you can try to stop change. Small signs usually appear before a major abnormality occurs. If you ignore it, it becomes a big disease, but if you treat it on time, you can prevent it. So is climate change. As time goes by, the damage caused by the change will become more and more difficult to reverse. Nature is constantly telling us whether it is direct or indirect.