Patterns of Cloud Distribution over the Sea of Japan

Abstract

Patterns of cloud distribution were climatologically investigated over the Sea of Japan based on the ESSA-9/NOOA satellite pictures during the 1969- 70 winter.When cold winter monsoon prevails over the Sea from the continent, cloud formation indicates the pattern of streamlines, not homogeneous in many cases whole over the Sea, but statistically saying, N-NW winds prevail in the north while WNW-W winds in the south. The distribution of cloud cover probability by wind directions are represented in Fig. 4- 8, which are composed of observations in four districts along the Siberian and Korean coast (e. g. Fig. 2, 3). By comparing these maps, it is known that the distribution of cloud cover probability is determined by the relation between wind and coast directions.The axes of cloudy area (Fig. 10) and cloud free area (Fig. 9) picked up from Fig. 4- 8 illustrate the pattern characteristics of detailed cloud distribution, that is, cloud free area tends to appear in the lee side of high altitude mountains, on the other hand, marked longitudinal cloud bands appear as N or NNW streamlines frequently off the east coast of Ham- Kyung Mountains. And it will be concluded that the significant orographic fratures from the Ham- Kyung Mountains to the valley of Ussurisk play an important role in the cloud distribution over the Sea of Japan.