Influence of Water Temperature on Air Temperature around Eastern and Western Coastal Areas of the Korean Peninsula during Winter

The influence of water temperature (WT) on air temperature (AT) in the eastern and western coastal regions of the Korean peninsula in the winter was investigated using historical data from the Korean Meteorological Agency (KMA) and the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), focusing on the relationship between AT and WT. The data analysis shows that, during winter, the AT is generally higher by +1.9 to $+2.7^{\circ}C$ at Kangreung ($37.2^{\circ}N$) in the eastern region than at Inchon ($37.4^{\circ}N$) in the western region, i.e., the AT in the eastern region of the Korean Peninsula tends to be higher overall than that in the western region when similar latitudes are compared. On the other hand, in the winters of 1977-2006, the WT at Sokcho was higher by $+0.8^{\circ}C$ (January) to $+2.3^{\circ}C$ (March) than that at Sochungdo, directly resulting in increased AT ($+1.22^{\circ}C$) at Sokcho. This study suggests that higher AT in the eastern region during winter is caused by the influence of water flow, such as the East Korean Warm Current in the East/Japan Sea.

동계 한반도 동·서 연안역 기온에 미치는 수온의 영향