Discovering Petrified Wood

At the end of my last blog post, I asked you what the picture below showed:

Wood...with a "metallic, rocky texture"

And the answer is...petrified wood!

Blocks of it were scattered around the bonsai park of the Hwa Dam Forest Arboretum in Gwangju. When I first touched one, I couldn't believe it was a type of "wood" because it felt just like the veneer of polished marble. The entire shape was of an ordinary log, but there was nothing less than extraordinary about it. It  Below are some pictures:

Looks like silvery paint brushed over an oily surface

There were even massive sculptures made of this material along with a notice board that explained briefly how this came to be:

Can you see two sculptures lurking in the background?

The sign talks of "the tree that became a stone" and as much as this sounds like something out of a fairy tale or a fantasy novel, the formation of this magnificent matter can be explained quite scientifically. 

Petrified wood, also known as silicified wood, is a type of fossil...or more accurately, "fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation". It is formed when a tree's organic materials get replaced with minerals such as silica, calcite, pyrite and quartz. This occurs when the wood becomes buried in sediment through which dissolved solids flow through. The plant's lignin and cellulose decay, making room for stone mold to set. It is essential that there is protection from oxygen and various organisms to prevent aerobic decomposition. Petrified wood is an incredibly unique fossil: its original outline and shape are preserved without getting compressed or impressed like other types do. In fact, it would be quite accurate to say that it represents an three-dimensional record of the initial form. 

Enjoy more pictures! :)

Continued From The Last Post: Why is Changma Changing?

In the last post, I introduced the changing patterns of the Korean Monsoon (Changma) and how this crucial part of Korean summers was making all of us - including me - quite confused. I wanted to investigate what factors were contributing to the changes in Changma; in today's post, I'll talk about the relationship between Eurasian snow cover and Korean summer rainfall. While I was researching specifically for information that pertains to Korea, I found quite a lot more research done on other regions such as Punjab of India - if you are interested in Eurasian snow cover and the rainfall in your own country, I'm sure you'll find a huge number of research papers done on that topic :)

The first document I used for my little research was the Korean Meteorological Administration's Changma Report of 2011. I was incredibly impressed with its rich content of diagrams and graphs, although the explanations and reasoning for the information they provided was a bit lacking. Still, I was able to find the work of many researchers such as Bamzai & Shukla 1999, Bhanukuma 1988 and Liu & Yanai 2002. I'll put the links to all the information I used at the end of this blog post. 

Before I go further, though, I realize that changes in rainfall patterns are part of climate change, and climate change may be considered a natural phenomenon. On the other hand, the biggest contributor to the recent change in climate is thought to be global warming. With my own experiences and research scientists' statements and findings*, I also agree that the increased global temperature and rainfall variability are anthropologically related. Please tell me what you think in the comments below - debate on climate change is always interesting :)

Western Eurasia is considered a unique geographical region where there is notable inverse correlation between winter snow cover and the subsequent summer monsoon rainfall in South East Asia. This inverse relationship is observed especially when the snow cover was greater or less than usual for both winter and the consecutive spring season. 

When the snow cover of Eurasia's western region is greater and eastern region less than usual in the spring, Korea's summer rainfall tends to increase. With excessive snow cover anomalies, the cooling and cyclonic circulation anomaly in the lower troposphere appear over northern Eurasia. This leads to a huge circulation response and then a weakened East Asia summer monsoon with deficient rainfall. Eurasian snow cover forms more than 60% of the Northern Hemisphere's snow cover, thus the changes in its snow cover give rise to massive changes in the nearby regions. 

But all of the above information still doesn't specifically answer why Eurasian snow cover influences the rainfall other regions...so what it is about the snow anomalies that cause changes in precipitation patterns? Persistent Eurasian snow irregularities in winter and spring cause changes in the temperatures of the surface and atmosphere. This causes albedo and soil hydrological effects; these are particularly important because they widen the difference between the land and sea thermal temperatures and the monsoon that follows. Albedo is known as the power of reflection of a surface (ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it). Snow albedo is particularly more variable: 0.2 for dirty snow, 0.4 for melting snow, and 0.9 for freshly fallen snow. 

I think this explains at least an important part of the relationship between Eurasian snow cover and Korea's Changma...but it's important to realize that although a lot of studies have been done on this topic, there is little data spanning many decades. Also, most of the research I found was focused on the Indian or Chinese monsoon, rather than other regions of Asia. If you happen to know a good source for information that is specifically about Korea, do tell me :)

Next post will be about an absolutely AMAZING discovery I made on my trip last weekend to Gwangju - see the picture below:

Can you figure out what this is? It looks like wood...

but there is also a metallic/rocky texture! 

* Before the 1970s, the variation and monsoon rainfall in East Asia  showed generally varying increases. Since the 1970s, global precipitation's divergent data demonstrated increases that almost coincided with increases in global temperature anomalies during the same period. For further information, please check out this research paper.


 - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.784/full
 - http://www.pmd.gov.pk/rnd/rnd_files/vol5_issue10/8.%20The%20Effect%20of%20Eurasian%20Snow%20Cover%20on%20the%20Monsoon%20Rainfall%20of%20Pakistan.pdf
 - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.784/pdf
 - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711400036X
 - http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/q-and-a-climate-change-and-the-monsoon/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Science&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=Blogs
 - http://www.climatenewsnetwork.net/2014/04/south-asian-monsoon-is-on-the-change/
 - http://web.kma.go.kr/eng/

Whimsical Weather - the Monsoon/Changma

It's already mid-July, and the Korean peninsula should be under a really heavy monsoon or "Changma", as we call it here. Although it rained during early morning on Friday in Seoul, it remained sunny throughout the day. It was slightly humid, but bearable. The sun was out and there was even a slightly cool breeze when I walked on the sidewalk. This would have been considered a pretty pleasant summer day, but there's also something to worry about: the Changma is starting really, really late.

See any sign of rain, anybody? (Photo taken at Yangjaecheon)

Having lower levels of humidity and not having to worry about rain boots, rain coats and umbrellas may be convenient to most of those who live in the city, but this means big trouble for the farming industry and the natural environment. When I watched the news last weekend, I was astonished at how some small lakes had dried up in the countryside, leaving only a threadlike streak of water in the middle of cracked soil. Last night, though, I was relieved to watch the report of rains falling throughout the country. That the Changma has begun is evident, but there are reports of low levels of precipitation compared to the previous years'. A Changma during which there is little rain is called "Dry Changma", and this year's definitely one of those. Even if the rain has been becoming heavier in some regions, the accumulated rain volume remains less than a quarter of last year's. Low levels of rain also mean many hotter days, so Seoulites must brace themselves for the suffocating warmth!

And why is any of this so significant? Here, summer has always meant Changma; the stickiness and the omnipresent beads of precipitation are things we've always accepted as the norm. The Changma is such a consistent part of the season that its vastly changing patterns observed in recent years can become a source of confusion and bewilderment. And of course, as I mentioned, vastly negative impacts on the environment.  

Whereas a Changma as late as this is not something Koreans are used to (yet), a Changma that is irregular, heavier and extends to the autumn months has become a somewhat common trend in the last few years. Since the rain season is such a crucial part of life in this country, it is important to be aware of at least a few factors that influence its fluctuating patterns. A lot of research has been done on this subject - not just the Korean Changma but that of entire South East Asia - which deal with Eurasian ice cover, marine and continental temperatures among other factors. 

The next post will be about such factors; it will be posted by the end of this month! Cheers :)

http://w3.sbs.co.kr/news/newsEndPage.do?news_id=N1002467806
http://news1.kr/articles/?1768511
http://www.kjdaily.com/read.php3?aid=1405338616324842001

Pictures: Whimsical Weather

The title of this blogpost says it all. There has been really capricious weather lately. A streak of lightning would burst into the sky with tempestuous rainfall only to be suddenly replaced by marvelous sunshine and a gentle breeze. Here are some pictures from the past two weeks! Hope you enjoy :)

 Shaky, but it was this picture that best captured the speed of the rainfall!

A slightly eerie air about the apartment blocks

Behind the classrooms - the statues say hello!

Young summer leaves intact after the rain 

A very light burgundy brown among the greens...wait, hair dye, anyone? :P

Now a much sunnier collection - !

If you could really fall in love with a color...

The artworks under the sunshine - an entirely different scene from the previous picture

The school's old library - red bricks and red leaves

The Korean national flower - Moogoonghwa (Rose of Sharon) 

See you again in a week or two! :)

"Dream, Design, Play": Dongdaemun Design Plaza

Last week, I FINALLY got the chance to see the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) - an incredible multipurpose cultural complex officially inaugurated on the 21st of March 2014. Built by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, it is hoped to become the hub of the Dongdaemun district of traditional markets and shopping centers. 

The exterior seemed perfectly seamless to me; as I crossed the Miraero Bridge, the curves simply flowed along walls and ceilings...Wait, it would actually be a bit inappropriate to distinguish between the two...because you can't. A surface here would merge with another there, and when I wandered around the plaza's grounds, it became a bit difficult to figure out how far a distance I had come, for the lines poured into the center, and then out to the edges again. But this is not to say that it was 'dizzying' or 'confusing' by any means. Perhaps the pleasant weather helped, but I felt completely at peace as I walked; the dusty grey of the concrete felt smooth under my fingertips and the soft glow of the aluminum panels gave off a luminescence calming and soothing. 

The soft glow of the aluminum panels give off a luminescence calming and soothing

Every step was amazement itself. There were hardly any straight lines and right angles. I had never seen acute and obtuse angles just dominate the design of a building before. What was really remarkable, I thought, was a wisp of cool breeze followed me everywhere I went. At an intersection pictured below, I could have forgotten that it was summer - was it the last bit of spring lingering under the ripping arch? 

A wisp of cool breeze - quite improbable, but maybe...

the last bit of spring lingering under the ripping arch?!

I particularly loved the Miraero Bridge I mentioned above. An entrance (there are many) into the plaza led to the bridge at the end of which you could enter the interior of the structure. Everywhere I went, I noticed concrete was used to set the base, but the material at one location reflected an intensity unlike any other. When I crossed the bridge, the trusses seemed almost off-white, a sandy shade of beige. I loved it.  

Miraero Bridge - to the future-!

Sadly, I couldn't spend a lot more time after taking a walk around the open grounds. I did take a look inside, of course, and it was wonderful to go around the 533 meters' spiral pathway (Design Pathway) that led me to fascinating exhibition halls. Next time I visit DDP, I'll focus more on the interior of the structure :)

After I came back home, I looked up the design of the plaza in greater detail. I was surprised it had a number of very important environmentally-friendly features - a geothermal system, an insulating glass fiber reinforced gypson board, a 3-dimensional solar power system, a rainwater harvesting system. I was surprised because the entire time I was there, I never saw any information about the green aspects of this structure. Whereas I saw many screens featuring Zaha Hadid and beautiful shots of the plaza, such features were not mentioned, not even in the detailed promotional leaflet. Did the operators believe the architectural achievements and the social prospects should be the focus? Or maybe, they thought that people would not be as interested in such information? Whatever the reason, I'm glad that I got to know about the environmentally-conscious sides in the end. Add that to my agenda the next time I visit - check out the green features, even if they're hard to find!