On the Freezing of Rivers in Korea and Southern Manchuria

Abstract

The dates of complete freezing of the river surface of Liau Ho, Ohryokuko (Amnok Gang or Yalu Kiang) Daidoko (Tai-do_??_Gang or Ta dong Kiang) Kanko (Han Gang or Han Kiang) were recorded for 20 years at meteorological stations atYingkow, Tyukotin, Ryugampo, Heizyo, and Keizyo. These are shown in table and figure in Japanese p. 213 and 214 respectively. From the curves in figure we can see that the freezing must have been controlled by the general climate of the year over the district, because the curves for all rivers are nearly parallel, showing less local influence. The weather condition before the first complete freezing were examined and it was cleared that in nearly all cases freezing took place in a calm night follow. ing a succession of NWly outbreak of cold current.
The dates of first freezing and last melting varies generally as the latitude in this district excepting that for Ohryokuko. The date of the first freezing at Ryugampo at the mouth of the river is always earlier than that at Tyukotin situating up river in higher level and also than that at Yingkow at the mouth of Liau Ho lying farther north. These anomalies may be explained from the fact that the water flows most gently at Ryugampo.
Remarkable fact is that there were 3 years of non freezing of Liau Ho. In these years snow fell on Mount Taiton in Taiwan (Formosa). The author's opinion for this fact is that the position of high pressure zone between the latitudes 20°to 40° shifts sometimes northwards and sometimes southwards and when it shifts to south in winter it brings cold over Formosa (lat. 25° N) with northerly winds and at the same time warmth over Manchuria with southerly currents.