The relationships between El Niño Southern Oscillation and extreme storm events in Korea

The characteristics of extreme storm events and their relationships with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in Korea were analyzed using rainfall. Timely rainfall series collected for over 230 years using a traditional Korean rain gauge (i.e., Chukwooki) since 1776 were employed. Even if the storm events and ENSO were difficult to compare comprehensively, return periods were identified as useful ways to explain the severity of independent storm events via a comprehensive index. Comparisons between the return periods of storm events and ENSO revealed that the annual maximum storm events in Korea were not greatly affected by ENSO. These patterns might be explained by the hypothesis that average storm events are more highly affected by domestic climate than global climate (ENSO). However, as the return period of a storm event grew, the probability of it being related to El Niño increased significantly due to combination effects of domestic and global climate factors.