• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.11-29
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• 2006

We investigated species composition and spatial distribution of the euphausiid community in the Yellow Sea and identified the relationship with environmental factors (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll $\alpha$, nitrate, phosphate, and silicate) using bimonthly data from June, 1997 to April, 1998. The environment varied during the sampling period. In warm seasons, thermocline was well developed rendering lower temperature and higher salinity and nutrient concentrations in the bottom layer. During cold seasons the water column was well mixed and no such vertical stratification was noted. Horizontal distribution of temperature, however, differed slightly between near-coast and offshore areas because of the shallow depth of the Yellow Sea, and between southern and northern areas because of the intrusion of water masses such as Yellow Sea Warm Current and Changjiang River Diluted Water. Four euphausiid species were identified: Euphausia pacifica, E. sanzoi, Pseudeuphausia sp. and Stylocheron affine. E. sanzoi and S. affine were collected, just one juvenile each, from the southern area in June and December, respectively. Pseudeuphausia sp. were collected in the eastern area all the year round except June. E. pacifica occurred at the whole study area and were the predominant species, representing at least 97.6% of the euphausiid abundance. Further, the distribution pattern of the species was varied in regards to developmental stages (adult, furcilia, calyptopis, egg). From spring to fall, E. pacifica adults were abundant in the central area where the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water prevailed. Furcilia and calyptopis extended their distribution into nearly all the study area during the same period. From late fall to winter, adults were found at the near-coastal are a with similar pattern for furcilia and calyptopis. The distribution pattern of E. pacifica was consistent regarding temperature, salinity, and three nutrients during the sampling period, whereas chlorophyll $\alpha$ showed a different pattern according to the developmental stages. The nutrients should indirectly affect via chlorophyll $\alpha$ and phytoplankton concentration. With respect to these results, we presented a scenario about how the environmental factors along with the water current affect the distribution of E. pacifica in the Yellow Sea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.93-108
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• 2019

To investigate the temporal-spatial distribution of picophytoplankton in relation to different water masses in the northern East China Sea (ECS), picophytoplankton abundance were investigated using flow cytometry with environmental factors in 2016-2017. The results from the analysis of flow cytometer data showed that Synechococcus appeared across all seasons, exhibiting its minimum abundance in winter and maximum abundance in summer. Furthermore, high abundance was detected in the surface mixed layer during spring and summer when vertical stratification occurs; in particular, Synechococcus exhibited maximum abundance in thermocline layer, indicating a close correlation to water temperature and thermocline formation. In addition, the abundance of Synechococcus indicated a decrease in the western seas in 2017 compared to 2016 under the strong influence of the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW). This was determined by the significant influence of the CDW on the abundance of Synechococcus during summer in the northern waters of the ECS. In contrast, Prochlorococcus did not appear during winter and spring, and its distribution was limited during summer and autumn in the eastern seas under the influence of the Kuroshio current. The largest range of Prochlorococcus distribution was confirmed during autumn without the influence of the CDW. Thus, the distribution pattern of each picophytoplankton genus was found to be changing in accordance to the extension and reduction of sea current in different seasons and periods of time. This is anticipated to be a useful biological marker in understanding the distribution of sea currents and their influence in the northern waters of the ECS.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.224-232
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• 2000

Inorganic nutrient concentrations in relation to springtime physical parameters of the Yellow Sea were investigated during April 1996. Three major water masses, i.e., the Yellow Sea Warm Current Water (YSWC), Coastal Current Water (CCW) and Changjiang River Diluted Water (CRDW), prevailed in the study area. Water masses were vertically wel1 mixed throughout the study area, and nutrients were supplied adequately from bottom to surface layer. As result of ample nutrients supplied by vertical mixing together with progressed daylight condition, springtime phytoplankton blooms were observed, which was responsible for the depletion of inorganic nutrients in surface water column. Low nutrients concentration in bottom water of the central Yellow Sea (Stn. D9; nitrate: <2 ${\mu}$M, phosphate: <0.3 ${\mu}$) was associated with the entrance of YSWC which is characterized by high temperature and salinity. Influenced by runoff and vertical tidal mixing, CCW with high nutrient concentrations probably associated with China and Korea coastal waters with high nutrients concentration. For the local scale of inorganic nutrient distribution, nutrient transfers from coast to central areas were limited due to restriction imposed by tidal fronts (Stn. D6) and thus affected the horizontal nutrient profiles. Relatively high phytoplankton biomass was observed in the tidal front (Chl-${\alpha}$=12.38 ${\mu}$gL$^{-1}$) during the study period. Overall, the springtime nutrient distribution patterns in the Yellow Sea appeared to be affected by: (1) Large-scale influx of YSWC with low nutrient concentrations and CCW with high nutrient concentrations influenced by Korea and China coastal waters; (2) vertical mixing of water mass and phytoplankton distribution; and (3) local-scale tidal front as well as phytoplankton blooms alongthe tidal front.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.6_1
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• pp.953-968
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• 2018

In order to understand the change of surface water temperature in the East China Sea (ECS), this study analyzed the relationship between sea surface temperature (SST), air temperature (AT) and heat flux using satellite and model reanalysis data from 2003 to 2017. SST in the ECS showed the lowest (average : $13.72^{\circ}C$) in March and the highest (average : $28.12^{\circ}C$) in August. AT is highly correlated with SST and shows a similar seasonal change. In August, SST is higher than AT and then continuously higher than AT until winter. To analyze the change of the summer SST in the ECS, we used the SST anomaly value in August to classify the periods with positive (04', 06', 07', 13', 16', 17') and negative (03', 05', 08', 09', 10', 11', 12', 14', 15') values. Spatial similarity between the two periods indicates that SSTs are relatively larger variations in the northern part than in the southern part, and in the western part than in the eastern part in the study area. AT and net heat flux values also show similar changes with SST. However, the periods of the positive SST anomaly have the relatively increasing SST, AT and heat flux values compared to the periods of the negative SST anomaly in the summer season of the ECS. Although the change of SST in the summer season generally well correlates with AT, there were the periods when it was different from general trends between SST and AT (10', 12', 15', 16'). SST in August 2010 and 2012 decreased by $0.5^{\circ}C$ from AT. It suggests that the decreasing SST was considered to be caused by the effects of the typhoon passing through the study area. In August 2015, AT was relatively lower than SST (> $0.5^{\circ}C$), which is might be weakening of the East Asian Summer Monsoon. In August 2016, SST and AT show the highest values during the whole study periods, but SST is higher than AT (> $1^{\circ}C$). From satellite and heat flux data, the variations of SST have been shown to be relatively higher in the area of the expansion Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) originated from the China coast. More research is needed to analyze this phenomenon, it is believed as not only the effect of rising AT but also the expansion of the low-salinity water.