• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.85-95
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• 2008

Temporal and spatial variabilities of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) in the northern East China Sea (ECS) are described, using both 8-day composite images of the SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) and in-situ data investigated in August and September during 2000-2005. Ocean color imagery showed that Chl-a concentrations on the continental shelf within the 50 m depth in the ECS were above 10 times higher than those of the Kuroshio area throughout the year. Higher concentrations (above $5mg/m^3$) of yearly mean Chl-a were observed along the western part of the shelf near the coast of China. The standard deviation also showed the characteristics of the spatial variability near $122-124^{\circ}E$, where the western region of the East China Sea was grater than that of the eastern region. Particularly the significant concentration of Chl-a, up to $9mg/m^3$, was found at the western part of $125^{\circ}E$ in the in-situ data of 2002. The higher Chl-a concentrations of in-situ data were consistent with low salinity waters of below 30 psu. It means that there were the close relationship between the horizontal distribution of Chl-a and low salinity water.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1385-1395
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• 2010

Harmful dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms have been frequently occurred in coastal areas of the East Sea since 1995. We compared the oceanic conditions in years 1995, 2001 and 2003 when the C. polykrikoides bloom was strong, and in years 1998 and 2004 when the C. polykrikoides bloom was not appeared. We studied temporal and spatial variation of upwelling and geostrophic currents on the western channel of Korean Strait, an entrance of the East Sea. The period and occurrence area of C. polykrikoides bloom was depended on variation of upwelling in summer. In the distributions of geostrophic current, southward current was dominant near the coast in August, 1998 and 2000. Whereas northward current was dominant near and off the coast in August, 1995 and 2003 which the C. polykrikoides bloom was strong. When compared dominant phytoplankton of the coastal areas in each year, Kuroshio indicator species Proboscia alata and Chaetoceros affine were dominant, respectively, in 2001 and 2003 at every stations. However, the dominant species was variable at each coastal area in 1998 and 2000. In 2003, the abundance of Sagitta elegans which is known as the cold water indicator was low, but the abundance of S. enflata, warm water indicator, was very high in Gangneung compared to Sokcho. It seemed that the distribution of S. elegans is restricted by strong warm water current. In conclusion, it was estimated that the distribution of C. polykrikoides bloom in the coastal area of the East Sea was closely related with the strength of East Korea Warm Current and upwelling.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2003

Temporal and spatial variability of precipitation (P), evaporation (E), and moisture balance (P-E; precipitation minus evaporation) has been investigated over the tropical ocean during the period from January 1998 to July 2001. Our data were analyzed by the EOF method using the satellite P and E observations made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) and the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I). This analysis has been performed for two three-year periods as follow; The first period which includes the El Ni${\tilde{n}}$o in early 1998 ranges from January 1998 to December 2000, and the second period which includes the La Ni${\tilde{n}}$o events in the early 1999 and 2000 (without El Ni${\tilde{n}}$o) ranges from August 1998 to July 2001. The areas of maxima and high variability in the precipitation and in the P-E were displaced from the tropical western Pacific and the ITCZ during the La Ni${\tilde{n}}$o to the tropical middle Pacific during the El Ni${\tilde{n}}$o, consistent with those in previous P studies. Their variations near the Korean Peninsula seem to exhibit a weakly positive correlation with that in the tropical Pacific during the El Ni${\tilde{n}}$o. The evaporation, out of phase with the precipitation, was reduced in the tropical western Pacific due to humid condition in boreal summer, but intensified in the Kuroshio and Gulf currents due to windy condition in winter. The P-E variability was determined mainly by the precipitation of which the variability was more localized but higher by 2-3 times than that of evaporation. Except for the ITCZ (0-10$^{\circ}$N), evaporation was found to dominate precipitation by ${\sim}$2 mm/day over the tropical Pacific. Annual and seasonal variations of P, E, and P-E were discussed.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.274-284
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• 2003

The analysis of wave parametric characteristics in sea regions in the vicinity of Korean Peninsula have been carried out using the third generation wave model, WAVEWATCH-III (Tolman, 1999) and four observed buoy data of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Significant wave height increases about 2-3 hours later after the increase of wind speed. Maximum correlation coefficient between two parameters appears in Donghae buoy data, which is at off-shore region. When land breeze occurs, it can be found that the correlation coefficient decreases. Time differences between wind speeds and wave heights correspond to significant tidal periods at all of the buoy locations except for Donghae buoy. After verifying the WAVEWATCH-III model results by the comparing with observed buoy data, we have carried out numerical experiments near the Kuroshio current and East Sea areas, and then reconfirmed that when there exist an opposite strong current in the propagation direction of the waves or wind direction, wave height and length get higher and shorter, respectively and vice versa. It has been shown that these modulations of wave parameters are considerable when wind speed is week or mean current is relatively strong, and corresponding values have been represented.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 2007

We investigated the temperature and salinity effects on the major fish species in the wintering grounds based on trawl surveys and oceanographic observations in the southwestern waters of Korea during March-early April in 2002-2003. The influence area of warm Kuroshio water was limited to the southwestern area of Korea in 2003 with a range of $7.7-16.3^{\circ}C$, 32.54-34.70 of salinity, wider than that of 2002. The number of fish species and density of major fish species in 2003 were higher than in 2002. Geographical estimation showed high proportions of species number and catches in the areas around Jeju Islands, southwestern waters and the southeastern coast of Korea. Five species; silver pomfret (Pam pus echinogaster), hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus), anchovy (Engraulis japonicus), Small yellow croaker (Larimichthys polyactis) and yellow goosefish (Lophius litulon) were most abundant, composing above 60% of the total catch in 2002 and 2003. More than 50% of catch in the major fish species were mostly distributed in the range of $9.5-11.0^{\circ}C$ of temperature and 33.1-33.9 of salinity. Non-parametric estimation for the major species showed the 1st mode around $10^{\circ}C$ and the 2nd mode at $8-9^{\circ}C$ in 2002 and $11-14^{\circ}C$ in 2003. Among major fish species, hairtail was principally composed of juveniles, and larger individuals were caught in southeastern waters. These results are considered to be helpful for the area-based fishery management strategy for the wintering grounds of the Yellow Sea and coastal waters of Korea.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.447-455
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• 2011

Using results from an earth system model, the distribution of partial pressure of $CO_2$ ($pCO_2$) in surface seawater over the East China Sea is investigated. In this area $pCO_2$ shows minimum along the edge of the continental break along the path of the Taiwan-Tsushima Current System. Apparently modelled chlorophyll is also great along the current but the maximum of the chlorophyll and the minimum of $pCO_2$ do not coincide suggesting that the primary production is not the main cause of the $pCO_2$ minimum. As we move toward the Yellow Sea from the Kuroshio area the temperature decreases so that the $pCO_2$ becomes smaller. If we move further toward the Yellow Sea beyond the Taiwan-Tsushima Current System, alkalinity starts to drop substantially to intensify $pCO_2$ while overcoming the effect of decreasing temperature and salinity. Thus $pCO_2$ minimum occurs along the Taiwan-Tsushima Current System. Of course, the primary production lower $pCO_2$ during spring when it is high but the effect is local. Near the Yangtze river mouth and northeastern corner of the Yellow Sea the fresh water input is large enough and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) becomes low enough so that $pCO_2$ becomes lower again.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.125-137
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• 2006

Nutrients, chlorophyll-a, particulate organic carbon (POC), and environmental conditions were extensively investigated in the northern East China Sea (ECS) near Cheju Island during three seasonal cruises from 2003 to 2005. In spring and autumn, relatively high concentrations of nitrate ($2.6{\sim}12.4\;{\mu}mol\;kg^{-1}$) and phosphate ($0.17{\sim}0.61\;{\mu}mol\;kg^{-1}$) were observed in the surface waters in the western part of the study area because of the large supply of nutrients from deep waters by vertical mixing. The surface concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in summer were much lower than those in spring and autumn, which is ascribed to a reduced nutrient supply from the deep waters in summer because of surface layer stratification. While previous studies indicate that upwellings of the Kuroshio Current and the Changjiang (Yangtze River) are main sources of nutrients in the ECS, these two inputs seem not to have contributed significantly to the build-up of nutrients in the northern ECS during the time of this study. The lower nitrate:phosphate (N:P) ratio in the surface waters and the positive correlation between the surface N:P ratio and nitrate concentration indicate that nitrate acts as a main nutrient limiting phytoplankton growth in the northern ECS, contrary to previous reports of phosphate-limited phytoplankton growth in the ECS. This difference arises because most surface water nutrients are supplied by vertical mixing from deep waters with low N:P ratios and are not directly influenced by the Changjiang, which has a high N:P ratio. Surface chlorophyll-a levels showed large seasonal variation, with high concentrations ($0.38{\sim}4.14\;mg\;m^{-3}$) in spring and autumn and low concentrations ($0.22{\sim}1.05\;mg\;m^{-3}$) in summer. The surface distribution of chlorophyll-a coincided fairly well with that of nitrate in the northern ECS, implying that nitrate is an important nutrient controlling phytoplankton biomass. The POC:chlorophyll-a ratio was $4{\sim}6$ times higher in summer than in spring and autumn, presumably because of the high summer phytoplankton death rate caused by nutrient depletion in the surface waters.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.72-95
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• 2004

The Yellow Sea is characterized by relatively shallow water depth, varying range of tidal action and very complex coastal geometry such as islands, bays, peninsulas, tidal flats, shoals etc. The dynamic system is controlled by tides, regional winds, river discharge, and interaction with the Kuroshio. The circulation, water mass properties and their variability in the Yellow Sea are very complicated and still far from clear understanding. In this study, an effort to improve our understanding the dynamic feature of the Yellow Sea system was conducted using numerical simulation with the ROMS model, applying climatologic forcing such as winds, heat flux and fresh water precipitation. The inter-annual variability of general circulation and thermohaline structure throughout the year has been obtained, which has been compared with observational data sets. The simulated horizontal distribution and vertical cross-sectional structures of temperature and salinity show a good agreement with the observational data indicating significantly the water masses such as Yellow Sea Warm Water, Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water, Changjiang River Diluted Water and other sporadically observed coastal waters around the Yellow Sea. The tidal effects on circulation and dynamic features such as coastal tidal fronts and coastal mixing are predominant in the Yellow Sea. Hence the tidal effects on those dynamic features are dealt in the accompanying paper (Kim et at., 2004). The ROMS model adopts curvilinear grid with horizontal resolution of 35 km and 20 vertical grid spacing confirming to relatively realistic bottom topography. The model was initialized with the LEVITUS climatologic data and forced by the monthly mean air-sea fluxes of momentum, heat and fresh water derived from COADS. On the open boundaries, climatological temperature and salinity are nudged every 20 days for data assimilation to stabilize the modeling implementation. This study demonstrates a Yellow Sea version of Atlantic Basin experiment conducted by Haidvogel et al. (2000) experiment that the ROMS simulates the dynamic variability of temperature, salinity, and velocity fields in the ocean. However the present study has been improved to deal with the large river system, open boundary nudging process and further with combination of the tidal forcing that is a significant feature in the Yellow Sea.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2004

The Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) and the Yellow Sea Cold Bottom Water (YSCBW) are two protruding features, which have strong influence on the community structure and distribution of zooplankton in the Yellow Sea. Both of them are seasonal phenomena. In winter, strong north wind drives southward flow at the surface along both Chinese and Korean coasts, which is compensated by a northward flow along the Yellow Sea Trough. That is the YSWC. It advects warmer and saltier water from the East China Sea into the southern Yellow Sea and changes the zooplankton community structure greatly in winter. During a cruise after onset of the winter monsoon in November 2001 in the southern Yellow Sea, 71 zooplankton species were identified, among which 39 species were tropical, accounting for 54.9 %, much more than those found in summer. Many of them were typical for Kuroshio water, e.g. Eucalanus subtenuis, Rhincalanus cornutus, Pareuchaeta russelli, Lucicutia flavicornis, and Euphausia diomedeae etc. 26 species were warm-temperate accounting for 36.6% and 6 temperate 8.5%. The distribution pattern of the warm water species clearly showed the impact of the YSWC and demonstrated that the intrusion of warmer and saltier water happened beneath the surface northwards along the Yellow Sea Trough. The YSCBW is a bottom pool of the remnant Yellow Sea Winter Water resulting from summer stratification and occupy most of the deep area of the Yellow Sea. The temperature of YSCBW temperature remains ${\leq}{\;}10^{\circ}C$ in mid-summer. It is served as an oversummering site for many temperate species, like Calanus sinicus and Euphaisia pacifica. Calanus sinicus is a dominant copepod in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea and can be found throughout the year with the year maximum in May to June. In summer it disappears in the coastal area and in the upper layer of central area due to the high temperature and shrinks its distribution into YSCBW.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.129-152
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• 2000

The Cheju Current (CC), defined here as a mean eastward flow in the Cheju Strait, mostly carries water of high temperature and salinity originating from the Kuroshio in winter and spring, the Cheju Warm Current Water (CWCW). The strong core of the eastward component of the CC is found close to Cheju Island (Cheju-Do, hereafter) in winter and spring with a peak speed of about 17.0 cm/s. The eastward flow weakens towards the northern Cheju Strait, and a weak westward flow occurs occasionally close to the southern coast of Korea. The volume transport ranges from 0.37 to 0.45 Sv(1 Sv=10$^6$ m$^3$/s) in winter and spring. Seasonal thermocline and harocline are formed in summer and eroded in November. The occurrence of the CWCW is confined in the southern Cheju Strait close to Cheju-Do below the seasonal thermocline in summer and fall, and cold water occupies the lower layer north of the CWCW which is thought to be brought into the area from the area west of Cheju-Do along with the CWCW. Stratification acts to increase both the speed of the CC with a peak speed of greater than 30 cm/s and the vertical shear of the along-strait currents. The strong core of the CC detached from the coast of Cheju-Do and shifted to the north during the stratified seasons. The volume transport in summer and fall ranges 0.510.66 Sv, which is about 1.5 times larger than that in winter and spring. An annual cycle of the cross-strait sea level difference shows its maximum in summer and fall and minimum in winter and spring, whose tendency is consistent with the annual variability of the CC and its transport estimated from the ADCP measurements. Moored current measurements west of Cheju-Do indicate the clockwise turning of the CC, and the moored current measurements in the Cheju Strait for 1530 days show the low-frequency variability of the along-strait flow with a period of about 37 days.