• Title/Summary/Keyword: Geostrophic Flow

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Mean Flow and Variability at the Upper Portion of the East Sea Proper Water in the southwestern East Sea with APEX Floats

  • Lee, Ho-Man;Kim, Tae-Hee;Kim, Ju-Ho;Youn, Yong-Hoon
    • Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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    • 2003.11a
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    • pp.145-150
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    • 2003
  • 16 APEX floats, autonomous profiling floats deployed as part of the Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography (ARGO) program, are used to understand the currents at 800 m underwater in the southwestern East Sea. The flow penetrates into the Ulleung basin (UB) through two paths: an extension of the southward flowing the North Korean Cold Water along the east coast of Korea and between Ulleung Island and Dok island. Flows at 800 m are observed range 0.2 to 4.29 cm/sec and the variability in the north in the DB is stronger than that in the south. The eddy kinetic energy is found a few $cm^{2}$ $S^{-2}$. In the UB, cyclonic flows from 0.3 - 1.6 cm/see are observed with the bottom topography.

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Seasonal Variation of Water Mass Distributions in the Eastern Yellow Sea and the Yellow Sea Warm Current

  • Pang, Ig-Chan;Hyun, Kyung-Hoon
    • Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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    • v.33 no.3
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    • pp.41-52
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    • 1998
  • A seasonal circulation pattern in the eastern Yellow Sea (EYS) is suggested from the water mass analysis and geostrophic calculation using the hydrographic data collected by National Fisheries Research and Development Institute during the years of 1970 to 1990. This research focuses on the presence of inflow of warm (and saline) waters into EYS in summer. EYS is divided into two regions in this paper: the west coast of Korea (WCK) and the central Yellow Sea (CYS). In CYS, waters are linked with warm waters near Cheju Island in winter, but with cold waters from the north in summer (in the lower layer). It is not simple to say about WCK because of the influences of freshwater input and tidal mixing. Nevertheless, water mass analysis reveals that along WCK, waters have the major mixing ratios (40-60%) of warm waters in summer, while the dominant mixing ratios (50-90%) of cold waters in winter. Such a seasonal change of water mass distribution can be explained only by seasonal circulation. In winter, warm waters flow northward into CYS and cold waters flow southward along WCK. In summer, warm waters flow northward along WCK and cold waters flow southward into CYS. This circulation pattern is supported by both statistical analysis and dynamic depth topography. Accordingly, Yellow Sea Warm Current may be defined as the inflow of warm waters to CYS in winter and to WCK in summer.

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A Three-Dimensional Galerkin-FEM Model with Density Variation (밀도 변화를 포함하는 3차원 연직함수 전개모형)

  • 이호진;정경태;소재귀;강관수;정종율
    • Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.123-136
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    • 1996
  • A three-dimensional Galerkin-FEM model which can handle the temporal and spatial variation of density is presented. The hydrostatic approximation is used and density effects are included by means of conservation equation of heat and the equation of state. The finite difference grids are used in the horizontal plane and a set of linear-shape functions is used for the vertical expansion. The similarity transform is introduced to solve resultant matrix equations. The proposed model was first applied to the density-driven circulation in an idealized basin in the presence of the heat exchange between the air and the sea. The advection terms in the momentum equation were ignored, while the convection terms were retained in the heat equation. Coefficients of the vertical eddy viscosity and diffusivity were fixed to be constant. Calculation in a non-rotating idealized basin shows that the difference in heat capacity with depth gives rise to the horizontal gradient of temperature. Consequently, there is a steady new in the upper layer in the direction of increasing depth with compensatory counter flow .in the lower layer. With Coriolis force, geostrophic flow was predominant due to the balance between the pressure gradient and the Coriolis force. As a test in region of irregular topography, the model is applied to the Yellow Sea. Although the resultant flow was very complex, the character of the flow Showed to be geostrophic on the whole.

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The Characteristics of Structure of Warm Eddy Observed to the Northwest of Ullungdo in 1992 (1992년 울릉도 북서부해역에서 관측된 난수성 소용돌이의 구조특성)

  • 신홍렬;변상경
    • 한국해양학회지
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.39-56
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    • 1995
  • A warm eddy was continuously observed to the east of Sokcho, Korea from March to June 1992. This warm eddy had been formed in 1991, wintered to the east of Sokcho, and moved northward a little during April-June 1992. The diameter and the depth of the eddy were respectively about 160 km and about 330 m in March. The homogeneous (mixed) layer of 10$^{\circ}C$ and 34.2 psu water was found at the upper layer with the maximum size of about 130 km and maximum depth of about 230 m in March. The size of the eddy and homogeneous layer decreased in June. Maximum current velocity of the eddy was about 65 cm/s at the surface layer and exceeded20 cm/s at 200 m depth. It is shown that the flow field was nearly in geostrophic balance, but there was a little difference in the current velocity between ADCP and geostrophic calculation in June. The surface velocity of the East Korean Warm Current(EKWC) was 50∼70cm/s which was very similar to the northward current velocity of the eddy. The EKWC water appeared in the layer upper than 200 m depth.

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Interannual Variability of the Water Masses Observed in the Tropical Northwestern Pacific (북서태평양 열대해역에서 관측된 수괴의 경년변동성)

  • Choi, Eunji;Jeon, Dongchull
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.38 no.2
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    • pp.161-169
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    • 2016
  • The interannual variability of the water masses was analyzed from the CTD data measured in the tropical northwestern Pacific from 2006 to 2014. There are two typical water masses NPTW and NPIW that reveal the interannual variability in the survey area, in addition to two other water masses; the surface water mass TSW with a large seasonal variability and the deep water mass AACDW with a constant temperature-salinity characteristic at the depths deeper than 2,000 meters. In 2012 and 2014 NPTW was the most widely extended horizontally and thicker than 100 meters vertically, which was found over the entire survey area. However, NPTW was reduced and became much narrower in 2009 than in the other years. NPIW seemed to expand southwards from the north of $21^{\circ}N$ to $15^{\circ}N$ in 2008 and in 2012, which showed the salinity minimum in 2013 (< 34.15 psu). The sea surface height estimated by Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT) approximately along $135^{\circ}E$ section showed the high peaks (> $1.45dyn{\cdot}m$) between $16^{\circ}N$ and $18^{\circ}N$ during the periods between 2007 and 2009 and between 2012 and 2013; the former peak lasted wider and longer in latitude and time (about three times) than the latter. The vertical section of the geostrophic currents in the upper 1,000 meters shows that there was a mesoscale pattern of repeated eastward and westward flows a few times in some years (2010 and 2014), which seemed to disappear in some other years (2008 and 2012); the former was closely related to the mesoscale eddies and the latter implied the pattern with the permanent currents. The persistent eastward flow between $17^{\circ}N$ and $19^{\circ}N$ seems to be related to the Subtropical Countercurrent (STCC).

Summertime Southward Current along the East Coast of Korea (韓國 東海岸에서의 夏季南向流)

  • 이흥재;변상경
    • 한국해양학회지
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.22-27
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    • 1985
  • To examine the summertime coastal current along the cast coast of Korea, we carried out hydrographic and current measurements in the coastal area of Chumunjin during July-August, 1982. Hydrographic results showed that isotherms, isohalines and isopycnals had a downward slope toward the coast in a layer of 0∼100m and that there existed relatively large horizontal gradients across shelf of salinity and density, mainly due to heavy precipitation in summer. It was found that there existed a strong southward flow along the coast reaching its maximal speed of about 70cm/sec in the nearshore area and that shear and speed of the observed current were coincident with orders of geostrophic current.

Evaluation of the Effects of the Longitudinal Baffle on Settling Efficiency within Rectangular-shaped Sedimentation Basin (장방형 침전지내 도류벽의 침전효율에 대한 영향 평가)

  • Park, No-Suk;Kim, Seong-Su;Seo, In-Seok;Min, Kyong-En
    • Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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    • v.23 no.5
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    • pp.573-581
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    • 2009
  • In the case that the average velocity within rectangular-shaped sedimentation basin is less than 1.5cm/sec, and Froude number less than $10^{-6}$, it can not be expected that the longitudinal baffle improves the sedimentation efficiency. Also, since relatively lower velocity increases the effect of geostrophic body force, asymmetric flow pattern on a plane occurs within the basin. From the results of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation, in the case that the highest velocity within rectangular-shaped sedimentation basin is over 1.5cm/sec, and Froude number over $10^{-6}$, it can be expected that the longitudinal baffle installed within rectangular-shaped sedimentation basin improves the sedimentation efficiency.

Abyssal Currents Driven by a Local Wind Forcing through Deep Mixed Layer: Implication to the East Sea

  • Seung, Young-Ho
    • Ocean Science Journal
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.101-107
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    • 2005
  • A simple analytical model is considered in an attempt to demonstrate a formation mechanism of the abyssal current in the East Sea. In this model, the abyssal currents are driven by wind through an outcrop region and flow along closed geostrophic contours. A rough estimate of the abyssal currents, arrived at by applying this model to the region of deep mixing in the East Sea, gives currents comparable to those observed, although there is an uncertainty in the surface area of the outcrop region. It seems that the spin-up of deep water by wind forcing through the region of deep winter mixing is, at least partly, an important contribution to the formation of the abyssal currents in the East Sea.

Study on Tidal Current Simulation and its Application to Speed Trial around Straits of Korea (대한해협에서의 선박의 속력 시운전시 조류 예측에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Hee-Su;Choi, Dai-Hyun;Park, Jong-Chun;Jeong, Se-Min;Kim, Young-Hun
    • Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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    • v.24 no.6
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    • pp.23-29
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    • 2010
  • Korean shipbuilding companies have sometimes carried out sea trials to measure a vessel's speed performance around the western channel of the Straits of Korea, where the flow fields are very complicated because of the effect of various flows such as sea, tidal, geostrophic, and wind-driven currents. Because these flows seem to present significant interference to a ship, the numerical reproduction of the flow-fields in the vicinity of the target sites could provide a better understanding of the sea environments while performing sea trials. In this study, we used the MEC ocean model to simulate the tidal currents around Tsushima Island and compared the simulated tidal amplitudes and currents with the measurements of Teague et al. (2001). The tidal amplitudes of the present simulation results agreed well with the observations. Based on the numerical simulation, the optimal direction and proper sites for a speed trial are described.

Characteristics of the Ekman Layer Flow over a Rough Bottom (거친 바닥 위의 에크만 경계층 내의 흐름의 특성)

  • Na, Jung-Yul;Kim, Tae-Yeon
    • The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.53-58
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    • 1998
  • Ekman layer equation with rough-bottom boundary condition has been solved to determine the effect of roughness on the magnitude of Ekman veering. The bottom boundary condition and the flow field were expanded in a power of roughness (h) which is always smaller than the Ekman layer thickness (${\delta}_E$). By changing the magnitude of roughness parameter (h/${\delta}_E$), the magnitude of the veering, which rotates counterclockwise from the interior geostrophic flow, has been computed. At a fixed depth within the Ekman layer, the magnitude of veering increases as the roughness parameter increases. However, the cross-isobar flux turns out to decrease with increasing roughness. To verify the analytic solution, laboratory experiments were carried out. Rough-bottom cylinderical container filled with homogeneous fluid was sit on a rotating table. The flow pattern during the period of steady spin-up shows that the degree of veering coincides well with the analytic results for various roughness parameters.

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