• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.151-171
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• 2017

Most of oceanic current maps in the secondary school science and earth science textbooks have been made on the base of extensive in-situ measurements conducted by Japanese oceanographers during 1930s. According to up-to-date scientific knowledge on the currents in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea (YES), such maps have significant errors and are likely to cause misconceptions to students, thus new schematic map of ocean currents is needed. The currents in the YES change seasonally due to relatively shallow water depths, complex terrain, winds, and tides. These factors make it difficult to construct a unified ocean current map of the YES. Sixteen major items, such as the flow of the Kuroshio Current into the East China Sea and its northward path, the origin of the Tsushima Warm Current and its path into the Korea Strait, the path of Taiwan Warm Current, the Jeju Warm Current, the runoff pattern of the Yangtze River flow, the routes of the northward Yellow Sea Warm Current, the Chinese Coastal Current, and the West Korea Coastal Current off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, were selected to produce the schematic current map. Review of previous scientific researches, in-depth discussions through academic conferences, expert discussions, and consultations for three years since 2014 enabled us to produce the final ocean current maps for the YES after many revisions. Considering the complexity of the ocean currents, we made seven ocean current maps: two representative current patterns in summer and winter, seasonal current maps for upper layer and lower layer in summer and winter, and one representative surface current map. It is expected that the representative maps of the YES, connected to the current maps of the East Sea and the Northwest Pacific Ocean, would be widely utilized for diverse purposes in the secondary-school textbooks as well as high-level educational purposes and even for scientific scholarly experts.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.464-474
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• 2006

The paleoceanography since 14 ka was reconstructed based on the planktic foraminiferal assemblages of core sediments from the outer shelf of the Korea Strait. Planktic foraminifera in the core sediments can be divided into four assemblages: A, B, C, and D. Assemblage A consists mainly of Globigerinoides ruber group and Globigerinoides conglobatus with low abundance (less than 10%), indicating the tropical-subtropical water mass. Assemblage B is composed of Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, the indicator of Kuroshio Current, and shows the aspect of the inflow of the Tsushima Current into the Korea Strait. Assemblage C yields polar-subpolar species, mainly Neogloboquadrina incompta and N. pachyderma. It decreases upward of the core. Assemblage D contains coastal water species such as Globigerina bulloides and G. quinqueloba. It is abundant in the lower to middle region of the core. From the analysis of distributions of each assemblage and the result of age datings in the core, it is suggested that the Korea Strait played a role of channelling the East China Sea and the East Sea after the LGM (ca. 14 ka). During this time, the coastal water, affected by fresh waters originated from the river systems of China and/ or the Korean Peninsula, flourished around the Korea Strait and theses coastal water might entered to the East Sea. Around 8.5 ka, the effect of the Tsushima Current started to strengthen in this region, and the present current system seems to be formed at about $7{\sim}6ka$.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.230-249
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• 2000

Southeastern Korean Peninsula has undergone the polyphase deformations according to the changes of regional tectonic settings during the Cenozoic. Through analyses of more than 600 fault-slip data gathered in the study area, five tectonic events are revealed as the followings: (I) NW-SE transtension, (II) NW-SE transpression, (III) NE-SW pure or radial extension, (IV) NNE-SSW transpression, (V) NE or ENE-WSW transpression. Event I was induced by the pull-apart type extension of the East Sea during 24-16 Ma, which resulted in the NW-SE extension of the Tertiary Basins in SE Korea. Event II was resulted from the collision of SW Japan and Izu-Bonnin Arc (or Kuroshio Paleoland) on the Philippine Sea Plate at ${\sim}$ 15 Ma, which stopped the extension of the Tertiary Basins and originated the uplift of fault blocks in and around SE Korean Peninsula. It was continued until ${\sim}$ 10 Ma. Event III is interpreted as the post-tectonic event after the block-uplifts due to the event II, which indicates a temporal lull in activity of the Philippine Sea Plate since 10 Ma. Event IV was originated from the resumption in activity of the Philippine Sea Plate which was restarted to move toward north at ${\sim}$ 6 Ma. The event made the EW compressional structures behind SW Japan as well as in the Korea Straits, and thus the block-uplifts in SE Korea was resumed again. Lastly, event V was resulted from the gradual decrease in influence of the Philippine Sea Plate and the cooperative compression due to the subduction of the Pacific Sea Plate and the collision of the Indian Plate since 5-3.5 Ma, which generated the NS compressional structures in the offshore along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula and thrust up the fault-blocks toward west. This event is continuing so far, and thus is making the active faultings resulting in the present earthquakes of the Korean Peninsula.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.305-319
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• 2000

A total of 50 diatom species and 1 subspecies belonging to 31 genera except Chaetoceros resting spores were identified in the 45 sediments subsampled from a gravity core GH98-1223 collected from the western Hokkaido Island located in the northeastern East Sea (Sea of Japan). The most dominant species is Thalassionema nitzschioides (Grunow) Hustedt, ranging 29 to 59% of the total assemblages, and most species including Denticulopsis seminae (Simonsen and Kanaya) Simonsen and Pseudoeunotia doliolus (Wallich) Grunow were less than 5% in average. Frequencies of cold-water species are generally higher than those of warm-water species and the vertical distribution of cold-water species was largely opposite to that of warm-water species in spite of ecological habitat difference. Frequency of cold-water species, D. seminae is reverse to that of P. doliolus, an indicator of the Tsushima Warm Current, which is consistent with diatom temperature value (T$_{d}$ value). The variation of T$_{d}$ values shows that the upper part of core with greater-than-average T$_{d}$ values represents postglacial warming trend. These T$_{d}$ values clearly demonstrate that the study area located in the northern part of the East Sea is gradually influenced by Tsushima Warm Current. In addition, the zig-zag variation in the lower part reflects the unstable seawater for diatom habitat. Chaetoceros resting spores indicating productivity and upwelling was 5.3 to 40%, with maximum peak at 80 cm. Chaetoceros resting spores/Chaetoceros vegetative cells, an indicator of relative amounts of biogenic material in the sediments was high at the upper 80 cm level, corresponding to the change of T$_{d}$ values. On the basis of diatom assemblages, the northeastern part of East Sea has experienced the effects of Tsushima Warm Current during the postglacial period of Holocene, which is similar to the modem climatic environment. However, the variation of P. doliolus reflects that the intensity of Tsushima Warm Current has been oscillated in the East Sea.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.208-215
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• 2000

The estimated total material transports through the Cheju Strait using all data which investigated in 1997 and 1999 are as follows; A large amount of suspended sediments and dissovted inorganic nutrients are carried tothe South Sea through the Cheju Strait by a persistent eastward flow (Cheju Current) from the Y311ow Sea andthe East China Sea. The annual material Oanspous by the Cheju Current are as follows; 22.9${\times}$10$^6$ ton yr$^{-1}$(SS), 0.52${\times}$10$^{10}$ mol yr$^{-1}$ (NH$_4\;^+$), 6.05${\times}$10$^{10}$ mol yr$^{-1}$ (NO$_3\;^-$), 0.36${\times}$10$^{10}$ mol yr$^{-1}$ (PO$_4\;^{3-}$), 10.27${\times}$10$^{10}$ mol yr$^{-1}$ (Si(OH)$_4$). The annual suspended sediment flux per water transport in the Cheju Strait (44.48${\times}$10$^6$ ton yr$^{-1}$ Sv$^{-1}$) is about 1.7 larger than that in the Korean Strait (26.08${\times}$10$^6$ ton yr$^{-1}$ Sv$^{-1}$). The annual nitrate flux per water transport (11.60${\times}$10$^{10}$ mol yr$^{-1}$ Sv$^{-1}$) is about 1.2 larger than that in the Korean Strait (9.72${\times}$10$^{10}$ mol yr$^{-1}$ Sv$^{-1}$) and 2/3 of that by Kuroshio in the East China Sea (18.55${\times}$10$^{10}$ ton yr$^{-1}$ Sv$^{-1}$). It suggests that chemical rich Cheju Current will play a significant role in the biogeochemical processes in the South Sea where the huge land-based waste are introduced.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.101-104
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• 2006

In the Korean seas, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Thermal Fronts (TF) were analyzed temporally and spatially during 8 years from 1993 to 2000 using NOAA/AVHRR MCSST. As the result of EOF method applying SST, the variance of the 1st mode was 97.6%. It is suitable to explain SST conditions in the whole Korean seas. Time coefficients were shown annual variations and spatial distributions were shown the closer to the continent the higher SST variations like as annual amplitudes. The 2nd mode presented higher time coefficients of 1993, 94, and 95 than those of other years. Although the influence is a little, that can explain ElNINO effect to the Korean seas. TF were detected by Sobel Edge Detection Method using gradient of SST. Consequently, TF were divided into 4 fronts; the Subpola. Front (SPF) dividing into the north and south part of the East sea, the Kuroshio Front (KF) in the East China Sea (ESC), the South Sea Coastal Front (SSCF) in the South sea, and the Tidal Front in the West sea. TF located in steep slope of submarine topography. The distributions of 1st mode in SST were bounded in the same place, and these results should be considered to influence of seasonal variations. To discover temporal and spatial variations of TF,SST gradient values were analyzed by EOF. The time coefficients fo the 1st mode (variance : 64.55%) showed distinctive annual variations and SPF, KF, and SSCF was significantly appeared in March. the spatial distributions of the 2nd mode showed contrast distribution, as SPF and SSCF had strong '-' value, where KF had strong '+' value. The time of '+' and '-' value was May and October, respectively. Time coefficients of the 3rd mode had 2 peaks per year and showed definite seasonal variations. SPF represented striking '+' value which time was March and October That was result reflected time of the 1st and 2nd mode. We can suggest specific temporal and spatial variations of TF using EOF.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.454-465
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• 2008

Benthic foraminiferal assemblage and AMS radiocarbon dating of core sediments from the northern shelf of the East China Sea were analyzed in order to understand the paleoenvironment and sedimentary environmental changes around the Korean marginal seas since the last glacial maximum (LGM). The core sediments, containing continuous records of the last 16,000 years, reveal a series of well-defined vertical changes in number of species (S), P/T ratio and species diversity (H) as well as foraminiferal assemblage. Such down-core variations display a sharp change at a core depth of approximately 240 cm, which corresponds to ca. 10,000 year B.P. The sediments of the lower part of the core (240${\sim}$560 cm, Zone I), including the well-developed tide-influenced sedimentary structures, are characterized by high abundances of Ammonia beccarii and Elphidium clavatum (s.l.) and low values in number of species, P/T ratio and diversity. These tide-influenced signatures and foraminiferal assemblage characters suggest that the sediments of Zone I were deposited in a coastal environment (water depths of 20${\sim}$30 m) such as tidal estuary with an influence of the paleo-rivers (e.g., old-Huanghe and Yangtze rivers) during the early phase of the sea-level rise (ca. 16,000 to 10,000 years) since the LGM. In contrast, the upper core sediments (0${\sim}$240 cm, Zone II) are characterized by abundant Eilohedra nipponica and Bolivina robusta with a minor contribution of A. ketienziensis angulata and B. marginata. and high values in number of species, P/T ratio and diversity. Based on relative abundance of these assemblage, Zone II can be divided into two subzones (IIa and IIb). Zone IIa is interpreted to be deposited under the inner-to-middle shelf environment during the marine transgression in the early Holocene (after ca. 9,000 yr B.P.) when sea level rapidly increased. The sediments of zone IIb most likely deposited after 6,000 yr B.P. under the outer shelf environment (80${\sim}$100 m water depth), which is similar to modem depositional environments. The muddy sediments of zone IIb were probably transported from the old-Huanghe and Yangtze Rivers during the late Holocene. We suggest that the present-day oceanographic conditions over the Yellow and the East China Seas have been established after ca. 7,000${\sim}$6,000 yr B.P. when the Kuroshio Current began to influence this area.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.84-91
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• 1996

Heat flux of the East China Sea was estimated with the bulk method, the East China mount based on the marine meteorological data and cloud amount data observed by a satellite. Solar radiation is maximum in May and minimum in December. Its amount decreases gradually southward during the winter half year (from October to March), and increases northward during the summer half year (from April to September) due to the influence of Changma (Baiu) front. The spatial difference of long-wave radiation is relatively small, but its temporal difference is quite large, i.e., the value in February is about two times greater than that in July. The spatial patterns of sensible and latent heat fluxes reflect well the effect of current distribution in this region. The heat loss from the ocean surface is more than $830Wm^{-2}$ in winter, which is five times greater than the net radiation amount during the same period, The annual net heat flux is negative, which means heat loss from the sea surface, in the whole region over the East China Sea. The region with the largest loss of more than $400Wm^{-2}$ in January is observed over the southwestern Kyushu. The annual mean value of solar radiation, long-wave radiation, sensible and latent heat fluxes are estimated $187Wm^{-2},\;-52Wm^{-2},\;-30Wm^{-2}\;and\;-137Wm^{-2}$, respectively, consequently the East China Sea losses the energy of $32Wm^{-2}(2.48\times10^{13}W)$. Through the heat exchange between the air and the sea, the heat energy of $0.4\times10^{13}W$ is supplied from the air to the sea in A region (the Yellow Sea), $2.1\times10^{13}W$ in B region (the East China Sea) and $1.7\times10^{13}W$ in C region (the Kuroshio part), respectively.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.217-231
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• 2018

Planktonic ciliates play an important role in the food web of marine ecosystem as well as a bio-indicator for invasive species from ballast waters or from changing flow of ocean currents due to climate changes. This study was carried out to find some evidences for introduction of such invasive species using ciliate plankton in four major international ports of Korea. We surveyed the seasonal species composition of planktonic ciliate to find out the evidence for the invasive species at Busan, Ulsan, Gwangyang and Incheon ports from February 2007 to November 2008. A total of 45 ciliates species, belonging to 15 genera, were identified during the study period: 33 species occurred at Busan, 31 at Gwangyang, 30 at Ulsan, 18 at Incheon. The abundance of naked ciliates ranged from 566 to $65,151cells\;L^{-1}$ and that of tintinnids 10 to $5,973cells\;L^{-1}$. Based on vector species of ciliates reported from Coos Bay in Oregon, 13 vector species of tinitinnids were identified as follows, Eutintinnus lususundae, E. tubulosus, Favella ehrenbergii, F. taraikaensis, Helicostomella subulata, Stenosemella nivalis, Tintinnopsis ampla, T. beroidea, T. cylindrica, T. directa, T. lohmanni, T. radix, T. rapa. All vector species occurred at Gwangyang port. Most tintinnids were mainly neritic species throughout the survey, while warm water species occurred only in short period at Busan, Ulsan and Gwangyang ports that might be affected seasonally by Tsushima warm current.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.239-252
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• 1981

The East China Sea is an important region as nursery and spawning grounds for pelagic fishes such as jack mackerel, common mackerel etc. , and thus constitutes a major fishing area for purse-seine fishery. The environment surrounding in this region is under the influence of the Yellow Sea Cold Water, China Coastal Water and Kuroshio Current. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of oceanographic conditions and thermal fronts on the formation of the fishing grounds for the mackerels in the East China Sea. Through the analyses of fisheries statistics during 1968-1976 and temperature data, the following facts are found: 1) Approximately $70\%$ of the total mackerel(common) catches appeared to be come from the Tsushima Current region which includes Sakai coast of the Japan Sea, eastern Tsushima and Shirase Island, and Jeju Island of Korea. This area covers only about $8\%$ of the East China Sea. 2) Main fishing grounds for the jack mackerel are also centered around the area of southwestern Goto, Shirase and eastern Tsushima Island where the catches accounted for about $54\%$ of the total jack mackerel catches. 3) Fluctuations in annual catches are relatively small in the Tsushima Current region, compared to other regions such as Yellow Sea, southwestern coast of Kyushu and mid-western part of the East China Sea, where the fisheries yields varied considerably due to unstable fishing conditions. 4) It appears that the fishing grounds for the jack mackerel are mainly distributed along the warmer region ($15-20^{\circ}C$) of the thermal front, and those for the common mackerel are in somewhat colder region ($13-16^{\circ}C$) in the Tsushima Current.