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An investigation has been carried out using rainfall observation data, an analysis and forecast data by National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) to explain the environment and processes that lead to heavy rainfall in the early morning over the Korean peninsula during episodes of cloud clusters associated with mesoscale troughs (CCMTs). For this study, nine episodes with a maximum hourly rainfall amount in the early morning (i.e., 0300 – 0900 LST) are selected from seventeen heavy-rainfall episodes associated with CCMTs during 2001 – 2011. Case studies on two episodes have revealed that, for both episodes, 1) a low-level trough develops over eastern China and its coastal area during day time; 2) the strong southwesterly band (SWB; an area with wind speeds > 12.5 m s-1) on the pressure level of 925 hPa over the East China Sea, which is located southeast of the trough, strengthens and expands at night time toward the southwestern Korean peninsula; 3) the SWB supplies a large amount of moisture and increases convective instability over the southwestern Korean peninsula with a convection trigger mechanism (i.e., strong horizontal convergence); and 4) heavy rainfall occurs in the early morning over the southwestern Korean peninsula, where the exit region of the SWB is located. A mechanism for the SWB growth is presented. Furthermore, generality of the major results from the two case studies is verified using the results obtained for the composite fields of the nine CCMT episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beyond the anticipated experience associated with tourism destinations, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has further tasked (especially the destination countries) on the importance of tourism to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From this dimension, this study employed the ecological footprint of the 10 most visited countries (France, Spain, United States, China, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, and Thailand) over the period 1995-2016. Specifically, the study employed an econometric approach and found that increase in tourism arrivals and globalization is detrimental to the attainment of sustainable environmental quality in a long term. Precisely, a 1% increase in international arrivals and globalization is responsible for a 0.18 and 0.89% increase in ecological footprint in the long-run. These impacts of tourism activities and globalization are detrimental to the environmental quality of the destination countries. Meanwhile, the real income per capita and biocapacity in the destination countries improve the environmental quality of the panel of destination countries in the long-run. In addition, the study found significant evidence of Granger causality from tourism and real income to ecological footprint without feedback, the globalization-ecological footprint Granger causality nexus is with feedback. Moreover, potentially effective policies for government and other stakeholders especially toward attaining Global goals were proffered in the study.