• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.393-403
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• 2016

A steady, strong southward flow was observed in the lower layer beneath the Tsushima Warm Current in the deepest trough of the Korea Strait. Known as the Korea Strait Bottom Cold Water (KSBCW), this bottom current had a mean velocity of 24 cm/s and temperatures below 8–10℃. The direction of the bottom current was highly stable due to the topographic effects of the elongated trough. To determine the path of the southward bottom current, ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) data from 14 stations between 1999 and 2005 were examined. Persistent southward flows with average speeds of 4–10 cm/s were observed at only three places to the north of the strait where the bottom depths were 100–124 m. The collected data suggest a possible course of the southward bottom current along the southeast Korean coast before entering the deep trough of the Strait.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.9-12
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• 1995

The Korea Strait becomes deeper than 200 m from south to north in general except coastal area, whereas its southern part is shallower than 125 m except for a deep trough (Fig.1). The flow in the Korea Strait could be simplified as two layers (Isobe, 1995)； the Tsushima Warm Water in the upper layer and the Korea Strait Bottom Cold Water (KSBCW) in the lower layer (Fig.2). (omitted)

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.378-386
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• 2007

To study the composition of the developmental stages of Maurolicus japonicus eggs distributed in the western Korea Strait, we investigated the water temperature, salinity, eggs and larvae in December 2002. The Korea Strait Bottom Cold Water (KSBCW) lower than $10^{\circ}C$ was found in off the Ulsan and Busan where M. japonicus eggs were the most abundant. The composition of the developmental stages of M. japonicus eggs at each station were composed of 37.7~89.5% in the first stage, 8.5~37.8% in the middle stage and 0.0~24.7% in the last stage respectively. In the southern area where the KSBCW appeared, the first stage eggs occupied 73.3~89.5%. The high percentage of the first stage eggs indicated that the eggs should be transported by the cold water lower than $10^{\circ}C$ from the Ulleung Basin in the East Sea. In the northern area where the KSBCW was not found, the first, middle and last stage eggs were composed of 37.5%, 37.8% and 24.7% respectively. The ratios of middle and last stage eggs were much higher than those in the southern area with the KSBCW, which implies that the eggs are recruited into the northern area from the southern area with the KSBCW by the Tsushima Warm Current. The pre-larvae found only in the middle and northern part of the study area would be hatched during the transport of eggs from the southern area with the KSBCW by the Tsushima Warm Current.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.272-280
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• 2016

Most scyphomedusae jellyfishes recorded in Korean waters are temperate and subtropical species. In the present study, two cold-water jellyfishes from Korean waters are first described. Scyphomedusae were collected from the coasts of Gangneung and Ulsan of the East Sea, and Boryeong, and the eastern area of the Yellow Sea from June 2006 to May 2015. Scyphomedusae collected in Ulsan and Gangneung were identified morphologically as Aurelia limbata Brandt, 1835. Their umbrella was 250-500 mm in width and 30-50 mm in height; the exumbrella was white and the subumbrella was dark brown in color. The vascular system was complex with anastomosed branches. Individuals of this species lived at about 6.6-9.9℃ and 30-50 m depth in Korean waters. Scyphomedusae collected from the center of the Yellow Sea and from Boryeong were identified as Parumbrosa polylobata Kishinouye, 1910. Their umbrella was disc-shaped, 80-200 mm in width and 20-40 mm in height. Its milky white gonads could be seen through the transparent exumbrella. The stomach cavity was round and flat with four interradial cavities connected by subgenital cavities, and the four oral arms were bifurcated and spear-head shaped. Individuals were found at about 6.4-10.0℃ and 40-90 m depth in Korean waters. The identities of both species were confirmed by molecular analysis using nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.186-194
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• 2013

We compiled and analyzed long-term time-series data collected in Korea to evaluate changes in oceanographic conditions and marine ecosystems near Jeju Island ($33^{\circ}00^{\prime}-34^{\circ}00^{\prime}\;N$, $125^{\circ}30^{\prime}-127^{\circ}30^{\prime}\;E$) from 1981 to 2010. Environmental data included depth-specific time series of temperature and salinity that have been measured bimonthly since 1961 in water columns at 175 fixed stations along 22 oceanographic lines in Korean waters by the National Fisheries Research & Development Institute, and time series of estimated volume transport of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) and Korea Strait Bottom Cold Water (KSBCW) for the period from 1961 to 2008. We analyzed the species composition in terms of biomass of fish species caught by Korean fishing vessels in the waters near Jeju Island (1981-2010). Data were summarized and related to environmental changes using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The CCA detected major shifts in fish community structure between 1982 and 1983 and between 1990 and 1992; the dominant species were a filefish during 1981-1992 and chub mackerel from 1992 to 2007. CCA suggested that water temperature and salinity in the mixed layer and the volume transport of the TWC and the KSBCW were significantly related to the long-term changes in the fish community in the waters off Jeju Island. Fish community shifts seemed to be related to the well-established 1989 regime shift in the North Pacific. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms driving climate change effects on the thermal windows and habitat ranges of commercial species to develop fisheries management plans based on reliable projections of long-term changes in the oceanographic conditions in waters off Jeju Island.