• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.187-198
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• 2018

The monthly salinity maps from Aquarius satellite covering the entire East Sea were produced to analyze the low-salinity water appearing in fall every year. The low-salinity water in the northern East Sea began to appear in May-June, spreading southward along the coast and eastward north of the subpolar front. Low-salinity water from the East China Sea entered the East Sea through the Korea Strait from July to September and was mixed with low-salinity water from the northern East Sea in the Ulleung Basin. The strength of the low-salinity water from the East China Sea was dependent on the strength of the southerly wind of the East China Sea in July-August. The salinity reaches a minimum in September with a distribution parallel to the latitude of $37.5^{\circ}N$. In October, low salinity water is distributed along the mean current path and subpolar front and the entire East Sea is covered with the low salinity water in November. Water with salinity larger than 34 psu starts to flow into the East Sea through the Korea Strait in December and it expands gradually northward up to the subpolar front in January- February.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.207-218
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• 2017

Seawater with salinity of 32.5 psu or less is observed in the southern Japan/East Sea (JES) every autumn. It is confined to a surface layer 30-45 m in depth that expands to cover the entire JES in October. Two sources of "autumn low-salinity water" have been identified from historical hydrographic data in the western JES: East China Sea (ECS) water mixed with fresh water discharge from the Yangtze River (Changjiang) and seawater diluted with melted sea ice in the northern JES. Low-salinity water inflow from the ECS begins in June and reaches its peak in September. Low-salinity water from the northern JES expands southward along the coast, and its horizontal distribution varies among years. A rare observational study of the entire JES in October 1969 indicated that water with salinity less than 33.0 psu covered the southwestern JES; the lowest salinity water was found near the Ulleung Basin. In October 1995, the vertical distribution of salinity observed in a meridional section revealed that water with salinity of 33.6 psu or less was present in the area north of the subpolar front.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.801-806
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• 2014

Long-term change in sea level along the eastern coast of Korea was illustrated using four tide-gauge station (Pohang, Mukho, Sokcho, Ulleung) data, water temperature and salinity. Seasonal variation in the sea level change was dominant. The sea level change by steric height derived from water temperature and salinity was relatively lower than that measured from the tide-gauge stations. Sea level rising rate per year by steric height increased with latitude. The effect of salinity(water temperature) on the sea level change is greater in winter(in summer).

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.714-724
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• 2005

The East Sea, a semi-enclosed marginal sea with shallow straits in the northwest Pacific, is marked by the nearly geographic isolation and the low sea surface salinity during the last glacial maximum (LGM). The East Sea might have the only connection to the open ocean through the Korea Strait with a sill depth of 130 m, allowing the paleo-Tsushima Water to enter the sea during the LGM. The low paleosalinity associated with abnormally light $\delta^{18}O$ values of planktonic foraminifera is interpreted to have resulted from river discharge and precipitation. Nevertheless, two LGM features in the East Sea are disputable. This study attempts to estimate volume transport of the paleo-Tsushima Water via the Korea Strait and further examines its effect on the low sea surface salinity (SSS) during the lowest sea level of the LGM. The East Sea was not completely isolated, but partially linked to the northern East China Sea through the Korea Strait during the LGM. The volume transport of the paleo-Tsushima Water during the LGM is calculated approximately$(0.5\~2.1)\times10^{12}m^3/yr$ on the basis of the selected seismic reflection profiles along with bathymetry and current data. The annual influx of the paleo-Tsushima Water is low, compared to the 100 m-thick surface water volume $(about\;79.75\times10^{12}m^3)$ in the East Sea. The paleo-Tsushima Water influx might have changed the surface water properties within a geologically short time, potentially decreasing sea surface salinity. However, the effect of volume transport on the low sea surface salinity essentially depends on freshwater amounts within the paleo-Tsushima Water and excessive evaporation during the glacial lowstands of sea level. Even though the paleo-Tsushima Water is assumed to have been entirely freshwater at that time period, it would annually reduce only about 1‰ of salinity in the surface water of the East Sea. Thus, the paleo-Tsushima Water influx itself might not be large enough to significantly reduce the paleosalinity of about 100 m-thick surface layer during the LGM. This further suggests contribution of additional river discharges from nearby fluvial systems (e.g. the Amur River) to freshen the surface water.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2004

In order to understand the water masses and their distribution in the eastern Yellow Sea from winter to spring, a cluster analysis was applied to the temperature and salinity data of Korea Oceanographic Data Center from 1970 to 1990. From December to April, Yellow Sea Cold Water (YSCW) dominates the eastern Yellow Sea, whereas Eastern Yellow Sea Mixed Water (MW) and Yellow Sea Warm Water (YSWW) are found in the southern part of the eastern Yellow Sea. MW appears at the frontal region around $34^{\circ}N$ between YSCW in the north and YSWW in the south. On the other hand, Tshushima Warm Water (TWW) is found around Jeju Island and the South Sea of Korea. These water masses are relatively well-mixed throughout the water column due to the winter monsoon. However, the water column begins to be stratified in spring due to increased solar heating, the diminishing winds and fresh water discharge, and the water masses in June may be separated into surface, intermediate and bottom layers of the water column. YSWW advances northwestward from December to February and retreats southeastward from February to April. This suggests a periodic movement of water masses in the southern part of the eastern Yellow Sea from winter to spring. YSWW may continue to move eastward with the prevailing eastward current to the South Sea from April to June. Also, the front relaxes in June, but the mixed water advances to the north, increasing salinity. The salinity is also higher in the nearshore region than offshore. This indicates an influx of oceanic water to the north in the nearshore region of the eastern Yellow Sea in spring in the form of mixed water.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.153-162
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• 2004

In the summer of 1998-2001, a huge flood occurred in the Yangtze River in the eastern China. Low salinity water less than 28 psu from the river was detected around the southwestern part of the Jeju Island, which is located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. We studied how to detect low salinity water from the Yangtze River, that cause a terrible damage to the Korean fisheries. We established a relationships between low salinity at surface, turbid water from the Yangtze River and digital ocean color remotely sensed data of SeaWiFS sensor in the northern East China Sea, in the summer of 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The salinity charts of the northern East China Sea were created by regeneration of the satellite ocean color data using the empirical formula from the relationships between in situ low salinity, in situ measured turbid water with transparency and SeaWiFS ocean color data (normalized water leaving radiance of 490 nm/555 nm).

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.74-82
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• 1982

The study on the variation coefficient of water temperature and salinity was comducted during the year from 1968 to 1980 in the Southern Sea of Korea. The results obtaland from the study as followes; 1. The variation coefficient of water temperature and salinity wewe large either at the front area or the thermocline and malocline area. 2. The variation coefficient of water temperature was the largest at the time when the power was strong ty each water mass(The largest value in Tsushima and Yellow Sea Warm Current area was occurred at the 50m layer in the Summer, and that in the South Korean Coastal Water area and the Southern Part of Yellow Sea was at all layer in the Winter). 3. The variation coefficient of salinity was the largest at the surface layer in warm current area that was influenced by the low salinity of the East China Coastal Water in the Summer ,and that of salinity in the South Korean Coastal Water area and Soutern Part of Yellow Sea was nearly half of the value of the warm current area.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.649-654
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• 2002

In summer season of 1998, a huge flood occurred around the Yangtze River in the eastern China. The low salinity water less than 28 psu from the river was detected around the southeastern part of the Jeju Island which is located in the southern part of the Korean peninsula. We studied how to detect low salinity water from the Yangtze River, which gives terrible damages to the Korean fisheries. We got the relationships between low surface salinity, turbid water from the Yangtze River and digital ocean color using remote sensing of SeaWiFS satellite in the northern East China Sea in summer seanson of 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The charts of salinity in the northern East China Sea were made by the regenerating of the satellite ocean color data with the formula from the relationships between low salinity, in situ turbid water (transparency) and satellite ocean color.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2023

The salinity of sea water is known as a less influencing variable in the calculation of the sound speed of the sea water. This study investigated how the low salinity of sea water affects the vertical structure of the sound speed near the mouth of the Yangtze (Changjiang) River when the diluted fresh water extends toward the East China Sea in the summer. As a result of comparing two types of sound speeds considered measured and fixed salinity, sound speeds appeared distinguishable when the halocline formed steeper than the thermocline due to Yangtze-River Diluted Water (YRDW). In addition, unlikely with fixed salinity conditions, when measured salinity was considered, an underwater sound channel appeared in the middle of the thermocline of which the source depth is located. Accordingly, considering the salinity, this study suggests using Expendable Conductivity Temperature Depth (XCTD) and Expendable Sound Velocimeter (XSV) rather than Expandable Bathy Thermograph (XBT) when calculating sound speed because of the strong halocline due to YRDW in the summer.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.153-161
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• 2006

To investigate inflow path of the East Sea Intermediate Water (ESIW) into the Ulleung Basin, hydrographic data surveyed in July 2005 were analyzed. The ESIW was characterized by the Salinity Minimum Layer (SML) within a depth range of 100 to 360 meters. Averaged potential temperature and salinity of the SML were $1.835^{\circ}C$ and 34.049 psu, respectively. Mean potential density $({\sigma}_{\theta})$ of the SML was 27.221 with a standard deviation of 0.0393. On isopycnal surfaces of 27.14 and 27.18 $({\sigma}_{\theta})$ which correspond to upper layers of the ESIW, the coastal low salinity water was separated from the offshore low salinity water by the relatively warm and saline water which might be affected by the Tsushima Warm Current Water. Relatively cold and fresh water, however, intruded into the Ulleung Basin from the region of Korean coast on isopycnal surfaces of 27.22 and 27.26 which was lower layer of the ESIW. The salinity distribution in the isopycnal layer of $27.14{\sim}27.26$ with acceleration potential on 27.22 up surface also showed clearly that the low salinity water flowed from the coastal area and intruded into the Ulleung Basin. This implies that the ESIW flows ken the north to the south along the east coasts of Korea and spreads into the Ulleung Basin in summer.