• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.429-435
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• 2019

The drifters of the Global Drifter Program were deployed in the northern East Sea for two years from March 2015 to compare and validate currents estimated from sea-level measurements with the SARAL/AltiKa altimetry satellite mission, specially designed to accurately measure sea level in the near-coastal area. The collocated (less than 20 km apart) directly measured current from GPS locations every 30 minutes and the currents normal to the satellite tracks show a similar correlation in the area shallower than 200 m depth as the open ocean and it makes it possible to investigate the time variations of the current along the coast in the northern East sea, where direct observations of current are scarce. The Liman Current along the Siberian coast is found to be southward all year round, but the North Korean Cold Current flows southward only in the summer. The North Korean Cold Current south of the Musudan cape mostly flows to the south, but the current direction depends on the presence of an eddy around the coast of Musudan cape.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.287-302
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• 2003

The seasonal variations in the circulation of the water mass in the East Sea/Japan Sea have been simulated using a free surface primitive ocean model, RIAMOM (RIAM Ocean Model), comparing the results from GFDL-MOM1 (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Modular Ocean Model, version 1.1, hereafter MOM) with the GDEM (Generalized Digital Environmental Model) data. Both models appear to successfully reproduce the distinct features of circulation in the East Sea/Japan Sea, such as the NB (Nearshore Branch) flowing along the Japanese coast, the EKWC (East Korean Warm Current) flowing northward along the Korean coast, and the NKCC/LCC (North Korean Cold Current/Liman Cold Current) flowing southwestward along Korean/Russian coast. RIAMOM has shown better performance, compared to MOM, in terms of the realistic simulation of the flow field in the East Sea/Japan Sea; RIAMOM has produced more rectified flows on the coastal region, for example, the narrower and stronger NKCC/LCC than MOM has. There is however obvious differences between the model results and the GDEM data in terms of the calculation of the water mass; both models have shown a tendency to overpredict temperature and underpredict salinity below 50m; more diffusive forms of thermocline and halocline have been simulated than noted in GDEM data.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.105-114
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• 1997

Wind is one of the main forcing contributing the circulation of the East Sea. By using 1.5-layer and 2.5-layer reduced gravity models, circulation in the East Sea is simulated. The bifurcation of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC), the separation of East Korea Warm Current (EKWC) from the east coast of Korea, the Nearshore Branch of TWC, and the cyclonic gyres stretched from the East Korea Bay to the northern half of the East Sea are compared well with the schematic map. The features of the upper and the lower layer are very similar except for those of the central region. The Polar Front is the separating line of two different features. The main feature of northern part of the East Sea, north of the Polar Front is cyclonic gyres, which are composed of three cyclonic gyres in most seasons. North Korean Cold Current (NKCC) and Liman Cold Current (LCC) are the nearshore part of these cyclonic gyres. In the south of the Polar Front the current systems of both layers are anticyclonic in most seasons, except that those of the upper layer in winter and spring are not anticyclonic. Along the coast of Korea and Russia, the velocity structure is barotropic, while that of the central region is baroclinic. The effects due to the seasonal variations of wind stress and local Ekman suction/pumping are studied by imposing the domain with modified wind stress. which is spatial mean with temporal variations and temporal mean with spatial variations. It is found that the local Ekman suction/pumping due to wind stress curl is important to the formation of the cyclonic gyres in the western and the northwestern region of the East Sea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 1999

A recurring eddy which located at the terminal end of the Korean East Warm Current was captured on ocean color and sea surface temperature imagery from satellite in spring and autumn. During late April, 1997 thermal infrared imagery from the NOAA AVHRR sensor and ocean color data from the Japanese ADEOS-I OCTS sensor, revealed this feature. The cold core had elevated chlorophyll concentrations, based on OCTS estimates, of greater than 3 mg/m$^3$ while the warmer surrounding waters had chlorophyll concentrations of 1 mg/m$^3$ or less. The elevated cholophyll accociated with this eddy has not been previously described. The eddy is also evident in SST images from autumn, but the SST in the core is warmer than in spring, and the warm jet flowing to the west of the eddy is also warmer is autumn compared to spring. A reccurring eddy and the high chlorophyll_a concentration area which surround around the eddy show on NOAA and SeaWiFS images in March 2, 1998. The eddy forms at the northern extent of the Korean East Warm Current as those waters collide with the cold, south-flowing Liman Current over a topographic shelf about 1500 m deep. This region of the eddy formation appears to have a strong connection with the dynamics of the western part of the polar front eddy field that dominates surface mesoscale structure in the central East (Japan) Sea. Interaction of the eddy with ARGOW tracked drifters, and evidence for its persistence are discussed.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.234-265
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• 2013

Oceanic current maps in the secondary school science and earth science textbooks have played an important role in piquing students's inquisitiveness and interests in the ocean. Such maps can provide students with important opportunities to learn about oceanic currents relevant to abrupt climate change and global energy balance issues. Nevertheless, serious and diverse errors in these secondary school oceanic current maps have been discovered upon comparison with up-to-date scientific knowledge concerning oceanic currents. This study presents the fundamental methods and strategies for constructing such maps error-free, through the unification of the diverse current maps currently in the textbooks. In order to do so, we analyzed the maps found in 27 different textbooks and compared them with other up-to-date maps found in scientific journals, and developed a mapping technique for extracting digitalized quantitative information on warm and cold currents in the East Sea. We devised analysis items for the current visualization in relation to the branching features of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) in the Korea Strait. These analysis items include: its nearshore and offshore branches, the northern limit and distance from the coast of the East Korea Warm Current, outflow features of the TWC near the Tsugaru and Soya Straits and their returning currents, and flow patterns of the Liman Cold Current and the North Korea Cold Current. The first draft of the current map was constructed based upon the scientific knowledge and input of oceanographers based on oceanic in-situ measurements, and was corrected with the help of a questionnaire survey to the members of an oceanographic society. In addition, diverse comments have been collected from a special session of the 2013 spring meeting of the Korean Oceanographic Society to assist in the construction of an accurate current map of the East Sea which has been corrected repeatedly through in-depth discussions with oceanographers. Finally, we have obtained constructive comments and evaluations of the interim version of the current map from several well-known ocean current experts and incorporated their input to complete the map's final version. To avoid errors in the production of oceanic current maps in future textbooks, we provide the geolocation information (latitude and longitude) of the currents by digitalizing the map. This study is expected to be the first step towards the completion of an oceanographic current map suitable for secondary school textbooks, and to encourage oceanographers to take more interest in oceanic education.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.832-859
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• 2011

The importance of scientific education on accurate oceanic currents and circulation has been increasingly addressed because the currents have played a significant role in climate change and global energy balance. The objectives of this study are to analyze errors of the oceanic current maps in the textbooks, to discuss a variety of error sources, to suggest how to produce a unified oceanic current map of the East Sea for the students. Twenty-seven textbooks based on the 7th National Curriculum were analyzed and quantitatively investigated on the characteristics of the current maps by comparing with both the previous literature and up-to-date scientific knowledge. All the maps in the textbooks with different mappings were converted to digitalized image data with Mercator mapping using geolocation information. Detailed analysis were performed to investigate the patterns of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) in the Korea Strait, to examine how closely the nearshore branch of the TWC flows along the Japanese coast, to scrutinize the features of the offshore branch of the TWC south of the subpolar front in the East Sea, to quantitatively investigate the northern range of the northward-propagating East Korea Warm Current and its latitude turning to the east, and lastly to examine the outflow of the TWC near the Tsugaru Strait and the Soya Strait. In addition, the origins, southern limits, and distances from the coast of the Liman Current and the North Korea Cold Current were analyzed. Other erroneous expressions of the currents in the textbooks were presented. These analyses revealed the problems in the present current maps of the textbooks, which might lead the students to misconception. This study also addressed a necessity in a bridge between scientists with up-to-date scientific results and educators who needed educational materials.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.581-594
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• 2004

CREAHS II carried out an intensive hydrographic survey covering almost entire East Sea in 1999. Hydrographic data from total 203 stations were released to public on the internee. This paper summarized the results of water mass analysis by OHP (Optimum Multiparameter) method that utilizes temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, silicate, nitrate, phosphate and location data as an input data-matrix. A total of eight source water types are identified in the East Sea: four in surface waters(North Korea Surface Water, Tatar Surface Cold Water, East Korean Coastal Water, Modified Tsushima Surface Water), two intermediate water types (Tsushima Middle Water, Liman Cold Water), two deep water types (East Sea Intermediate Water, East Sea Proper Water). Of these NKSW, MTSW and TSCW are the newly reported as the source water type. Distribution of each water types reveals several few interesting hydrographic features. A few noteworthy are summarized as follows: The Tsushima Warm Current enter the East Sea as three branches; East Korea Coastal Water propagates north along the coast around $38^{\circ}N$ then turns to northeastward to $42^{\circ}N$ and moves eastward. Cold waters of northern origin move southward along the coast at the subsurface, which existence the existence of a circulation cell at the intermediate depth of the East Sea. The estimated volume of each water types inferred from the OMP results show that the deep waters (ESIW + ESPW) fill up ca. 90% of the East Sea basins. Consequently the formation and circulation of deep waters are the key factors controlling environmental condition of the East Sea.