Implications of Long-Term Precipitation Regime Changes for Tree Management in South Korea

초록

Background and objective: Climate change alters precipitation amount, frequency, intensity, and temporal distribution, with direct implications for water availability and management in trees and landscaped areas. This study evaluated long-termchanges in precipitation regimes in South Korea and examined their implications for climate-resilient tree and landscape management. Methods: Daily precipitation data from six long-term meteorological stations in Seoul, Incheon, Gangneung, Daegu, Busan, and Mokpo were analyzed. The early 30-year period (1912–1941) was compared with the recent 30-year period (1995–2024). Annual precipitation, number of rainy days, mean precipitation intensity, R80, and the contribution of rainfall events ≥50 mm to annual precipitation were evaluated. Daily precipitation was also classified into six intensity classes to assesschanges in event frequency and contribution to annual precipitation. Results: Mean annual precipitation across the six stations increased by 13.0%, whereas the number of rainy days decreased by 4.7%. Mean precipitation intensity increased by 18.9%, and R80 increased by 41.1%. The contribution of rainfall events≥ 50 mm to annual precipitation increased from 31.8% to 38.5%, corresponding to an increase of 6.75 percentage points. Light rainfall generally decreased in both frequency and contribution, whereas heavy rainfall increased. The magnitude of change varied among stations, with relatively pronounced increases in precipitation intensity and heavy rainfall in Incheon and Daegu. Conclusion: Long-term precipitation regimes in South Korea have shifted toward fewer rainy days accompanied by greater precipitation intensity and more frequent heavy rainfall events. These findings indicate that tree and landscape managementshould consider precipitation frequency, intensity, and concentration in addition to annual precipitation totals. Climate-resilient management should emphasize stormwater retention and infiltration, improved soil water-holding capacity and root-zoneconditions, rainwater reuse, supplemental irrigation, and region-specific adaptive strategies.

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