KoFlux 2006 Synthesis: HydroKorea and CarboKorea Foreword

Abstract

Water and carbon are essential for life. They circulate on earth, and the past and today’s world exhibits clear evidence of the significant influence of their cycling on the global climate and the growth of human civilization. Throughout recorded history, the biblical statements of King Solomon (~970 B.C.) and Amos (~750 B.C.) appear to be the first recorded examples of the cyclic nature of water in the earth system. The above two records of foreknowledge literally complete the major components of the global water cycle. The cyclic nature of water at the local scale is also manifested in one of the longest precipitation record for Seoul, Korea. Fig. 1 presents precipitation records from the traditional Korean rain gauges (1777-1907) and the modern rain gauges (1908-1998) (Jung et al., 2001). At first glance, the precipitation of Seoul has recurring dry and wet periods with a severe drought from 1884 to 1910. If the climate cycles, should we not expect another long and brutal dry period in the very near future? In fact, the more important question is how much impact human activities are having on this water cycle? The answer is clearer for the case of carbon and the couplings between water and carbon cycles signify the implication. The IPCC WG1 Fourth Assessment Report warns that a range of forcing, originating from