• Title/Summary/Keyword: Sea Surface Topography

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Seasonal Changes of Water Properties and Current in the Northernmost Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

  • Manasrah, Riyad;Zibdah, Mohammad;Al-Ougaily, Firas;Yusuf, Najim;Al-Najjar, Tariq
    • Ocean Science Journal
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    • v.42 no.2
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    • pp.103-116
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    • 2007
  • Seasonal changes of tide signal(s), temperature, salinity and current were studied during the years 2004-2005 in the northernmost Gulf of Aqaba, which is under developmental activities, to obtain scientific bases for best management and sustainability. Spectrum analysis revealed permanent signals of tide measurements during all seasons, which represented semidiurnal and diurnal barotropic tides. The other signal periods of 8.13, 6.10-6.32, 4.16 and 1.02-1.05 h were not detected in all seasons, which were related to shallow water compound and overtides of principle solar and lunar constituent and to seiches generated in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Spatial and temporal distribution of temperature, salinity and density showed significant differences between months in the coastal and offshore region and no significant differences among the coastal sites, between the surface and bottom waters and between coastal and offshore waters. Therefore, the temporal and spatial variation of water properties in the northernmost Gulf of Aqaba behave similarly compared to other parts. The coastal current below 12 m depth was weak $(3-6\;cms^{-1})$ and fluctuated from east-northeastward to west-southwestward (parallel to the shoreline), which may be related to the effect of bottom topography and/or current density due to differential cooling between eastern and western parts in the study area, and wind-induced upwelling and downwelling in the eastern and western side, respectively. The prevailing northerly winds and stratification conditions during summer were the main causes of the southward current at 6 and 12 m depths with average speed of 28 and $12cms^{-1}$ respectively.

The Distribution and Feeding Characteristics of Some Dominant Polychaetes in the Continental Shelf of the East Sea, Korea (동해 대륙붕에 분포하는 주요 다모류의 서식지 환경)

  • Choi, J.W.;Koh, C.H.
    • 한국해양학회지
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.236-244
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    • 1986
  • This study was carried out for appreciable information on the proper habitats and feeding modes of some dominant polychaetes in the continental shelf of the East Sea during April, 1985. Among 95 polychaete species, we select ed 9 dominant species in terms of their occurring frequency, abundance and population density. These are Terebellides stroemi, Chaetozone setosa, Magelona japonica, Ampharete arctica, Aglaophamus sinensis, Nothria holobranchiata, Lumbrineris japonica, Myriochele gracilis, Notoproctus pacificus. Major food item s of these species are centric diatoms and detritus. The feeding modes of the the m are mainly surtace or subsurface deposit feeding, though two specters, M.holobranchiata and L. japonica, could be assumed to be potential carnivores. To a certain degree, most deposit feeders in the coarse sediments showed selectivity in feeding and tube building. The feeding mode, gut content and the tube structure, and the distribution pattern of dominant polychaetes correspond well with the habitat tharacters, e.g.the bottom topography, the source of food and the sediment composition.

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Distributions of the Temperature and Salinity in Kamak Bay (가막만의 수온과 염분의 분포)

  • LEE Kyu-Hyong;CHO Kyu-Dae
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.25-39
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    • 1990
  • The distributions of the temperature and salinity in Kamak bay which has two channels and three sea bottom topographic parts were studied by taking the detailed hydrographic data at the ebb and flood during four seasons from May, 1988 to Feb., 1989. The general pattern of the distributions of characteristics which the temperature and salinity has in Kamak bay is basically formed by the topography and sea water movement of the bay. The changes of these distributions by seasons mainly come from the heating and cooling of the sea surface and the increase of the run-off. The bay has three remarkable water masses and the their general characteristics are follows: the inner bay water has a stagnation character influenced by the inland and the concave of the sea bottom in the north west, Yosu harbor water has an estuary character of the low salinity caused by the run-off of Somjin river and Yon Tung brooklet in the north east, and the outer bay water has an out-sea character, as it is located near by the big mouth in the south of the bay. The distributions of those water masses at the ebb and flood show some different features due to the flow patterns, and the daily changes of oceanic conditions at the vicinity of Hangdae-ri are so big that it may influence the habitation and production of the living things in the bay.

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Seasonal Circulation and Estuarine Characteristics in the Jinhae and Masan Bay from Three-Dimensional Numerical Experiments (3차원 수치모의 실험을 통한 진해·마산만의 계절별 해수순환과 염하구 특성)

  • JIHA KIM;BYOUNG-JU CHOI;JAE-SUNG CHOI;HO KYUNG HA
    • The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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    • v.29 no.2
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    • pp.77-100
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    • 2024
  • Circulation, tides, currents, harmful algal blooms, water quality, and hypoxic conditions in Jinhae-Masan Bay have been extensively studied. However, these previous studies primarily focused on short-term variations, and there was limited detailed investigation into the physical mechanisms responsible for ocean circulation in the bays. Oceanic processes in the bays, such as pollutant dispersal, changes on a seasonal time scale. Therefore, this study aimed to understand how the circulation in Jinhae-Masan Bay varies seasonally and to examine the effects of tides, winds, and river discharges on regional ocean circulation. To achieve this, a three-dimensional ocean circulation model was used to simulate circulation patterns from 2016 to 2018, and sensitivity experiments were conducted. This study reveals that convective estuarine circulation develops in Jinhae and Masan Bays, characterized by the inflow of deep oceanic water from the Korea Strait through Gadeoksudo, while surface water flows outward. This deep water intrusion divides into northward and westward branches. In this study, the volume transport was calculated along the direction of bottom channels in each region. The meridional water exchange in the eastern region of Jinhae Bay is 2.3 times greater in winter and 1.4 times greater in summer compared to that of zonal exchange in the western region. In the western region of Jinhae Bay, the circulation pattern varies significantly by season due to changes in the balance of forces. During winter, surface currents flow southward and bottom currents flow northward, strengthening the north-south convective circulation due to the combined effects of northwesterly winds and the slope of the sea surface. In contrast, during summer, southwesterly winds cause surface seawater to flow eastward, and the elevated sea surface in the southeastern part enhances northward barotropic pressure gradient intensifying the eastward surface flow. The density gradient and southward baroclinic pressure gradient increase in the lower layer, causing a strong westward inflow of seawater from Gadeoksudo, enhancing the zonal convective circulation by 26% compared to winter. The convective circulation in the western Jinhae Bay is significantly influenced by both tidal current and wind during both winter and summer. In the eastern Jinhae Bay and Masan Bay, surface water flows outward to the open sea in all seasons, while bottom water flows inward, demonstrating a typical convective estuarine circulation. In winter, the contributions of wind and freshwater influx are significant, while in summer, the influence of mixing by tidal currents plays a major role in the north-south convective circulation. In the eastern Jinhae Bay, tidally driven residual circulation patterns, influenced by the local topography, are distinct. The study results are expected to enhance our understanding of pollutant dispersion, summer hypoxic events, and the abundance of red tide organisms in these bays.

Modern Sedimentary Environments Within the Gogunsan Archipelago (고군산군도 내측해역의 현생퇴적환경)

  • Lee, Hee-Jun;Kim, Min-Ji;Kim, Tae-Kyung
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.30 no.4
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    • pp.519-536
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    • 2008
  • The relatively tranquil area within the Gogunsan Archipelago was for the first time investigated preliminarily with respect to modern sedimentological processes in association with the emplacement of the Saemangeum Dyke. Basic sedimentological observations, bathymetry and surface sediments were performed twice during 2006-2008 to compare the results and elaborate changes during that period of time. In addition, sediment dynamical observations were carried out with latest measuring equipment along two transects crossing the entrances of the archipelago, including 12-hour onboard measurements of current, suspended sediments, temperature, and salinity. This dataset was used to reveal hydrodynamic characteristics for spring season April-May and to estimate the direction and relative magnitude of the net flux of suspended sediments. There occurred three depositional areas (A to C) within the archipelago, where sediment texture was also changed. In area A, around Yami Island and the dyke, and area B, in the center of the archipelago, surface sediments became coarsened over the two-year period; sand content increased 5% at the expense of silt content in the former, whereas silt content increased 3% at the expense of clay content in the latter. By comparison, area C in the western entrance of the archipelago shows a textural trend of fining with more silt and clay (combined increase of 5%) at the expense of sand content. The accumulation of sediments in areas A and B is attributable to the sand and silt resuspended from the seabed sediments off sector 4 of the dyke during the winter. The origin of the fine materials depositing on area C is uncertain at present, although suspended sediments moving offshore around the archipelago may be one of the most likely candidates for the source. The temperature of seawater increased rapidly from $9-10^{\circ}C$ in April to $14-16^{\circ}C$ in May, whereas salinity remained more or less constant at 31-32%o during the two months. Both of these parameters showed little variations with depth through a tidal cycle, suggesting good mixing of seawater without any help of significant waves. The consistency of salinity during a tidal cycle also indicates no insignificant effects of freshwater from the rivers Mangyung and Donjin emitting through the opening gap near Sinsi Island. The suspended sediment concentrations were higher at the entrance between Sunyu and Sinsi islands than at the entrance between Hoenggyong and Sinsi islands, ranging from 20 and 30 mg/l and from 5 and 15 mg/l, respectively at the sea surface. Although tidal currents were variable across a transect between Sunyu and Sinsi islands, the currents across the entrance between Hoenggyong and Sinsi islands flowed consistently in the same direction all over the transect during a tidal cycle. The estimation of net flux of suspended sediments indicates that suspended sediments are transferred to the Gogunsan Archipelago mainly through a relatively deep trough adjacent to Sinsi Island toward the shallow area around Yami Island and the dyke.

High-Resolution (3.5kHz) Echo Characters of the Northern South Shetland Continental Margin and the South Scotia Sea, Antarctica (남극 남쉐틀랜드 북부 대륙주변부 및 남스코시아해 지역의 고해상(3.5 kHz)음향 특성)

  • Lee, Sang-Hoon;Jin, Young-Keun;Kim, Kyu-Jung;Nam, Sang-Heon;Kim, Yea-Dong
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.25 no.4
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    • pp.557-567
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    • 2003
  • High-resolution (3.5 kHz) subbottom profiles were analyzed in order to reveal sedimentation pattern of late Quaternary in the northern South Shetland continental margin and the South Scotia Sea, Antarctica. On the basis of clarity, continuity and geometry of surface and subbottom echoes together with seafloor topography, high-resolution echo characters are classified into eight echo types which represent rock basements (echo type III-1), coarse-grained subglacial till or moraine (echo type I-1), slides/slumps (echo type IV), debris-flow deposits (echo types II-3 and III-2), and bottom-current deposits (echo types I-2, II-1 and II-2). Subglacial till or moraine (echo type I-1) is mostly present in the lower continental shelf and upper continental slope of the northern South Shetland continental margin, which changes downslope to slides/slumps (echo type IV) and debris-flow deposits (echo types II-3 and III-2) in the middle to lower continental slope. This distribution suggests that the continental slopes of the northern South Shetland continental margin were mostly affected by downslope gravitational processes. Further downslope, bottom-current sediments (echo type I-2) deposited by the southwestward flowing Antarctic Deep Water (ADW) occur at the South Shetland Trench, reflecting an Interaction between mass flows and bottom currents in the area. In contrast to the northern South Shetland continental margin, the South Scotia Sea is dominated by bottom-current deposits (echo types II-1 and II-2), indicating that the sedimentation was mostly controlled by the westward flowing ADW. Flow intensity of the ADW has increased in the relative topographic highs, forming thin covers of coarse-grained contourites (echo type II-1), whereas it has decreased in the relative topographic lows, depositing thick, fine-grained contourites (echo type II-2). The poor development of wave geometry in the fine-grained bottom-current deposits (echo type II-2) is suggestive of the unsteady nature of the ADW flow.

Recent Geomorphological Changes and late Quaternary Depositional Sequence of Gwangyang Bay, southern coast of Korea (한반도 남해안 광양만의 최근 지형변화 및 후기 제4기 퇴적층서 발달)

  • 최동림;현상민;이태희
    • The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.35-43
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    • 2003
  • Recent geomorphological changes and late Quaternary depositional sequences of Gwangyang Bay are studied based on bathymetric maps, surface sediments, and seismic profiles. As a result of the reclamation of coastal area for an industrial complex construction, the coastline of Gwangyang Bay has rapidly been changed and the area of it has now been reduced by about 25 % in the last 30 years. In addition, the bottom topography is actively modified by dredging for navigation channels. In surfical sediment distribution, the western part of Gwangyang Bay is dominated by mud facies, whereas the eastern part of the Bay is dominated by sand-mud mixing facies. Depositional sequences above the basement are divided into two units: Unit I in upper layer and Unit II in lower one. These depositional units are unconformably bounded by middle reflector-M. Unit II, mostly occupying the channel areas, is interpreted as fluvial-origin deposits during sea-level lowstand. Unit I typically shows a progradational pattern from the Seomjin River mouth to the Yeosu Strait, which is interpreted as deltaic deposits supplied from the Seomjin River during the Holocene sea-level highstand. The shallow gas within the sediments Is widely distributed in most area, and locally exposed onto the sea-bed due to dredging.

Classification of Tidal Flat Deposits in the Cheonsu-bay using Landsat TM Data and Surface Sediment Analysis (Landsat TM 자료와 표충퇴적물 분석을 통한 천수만 간석지 퇴적물 분류)

  • Jang, Dong-Ho;Chi, Kwang-Hoon;Lee, Hyoun-Young
    • Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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    • v.11 no.4
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    • pp.247-258
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    • 2002
  • This study aimed at verifying the grain-sized distribution of surface deposits in a tidal flat using multi-spectral Landsat TM. In this study, we employed the grain-sized analysis, PCA and unsupervised classification techniques for analyzing the distribution of deposits. As a result in this study, the unsupervised classification method using PCA image was found to be most useful in classifying tidal flat deposits using satellite data. This method is considerably effective in analyzing not only the aspects of distribution in terms of accumulated deposits and erosion, but also the changes in seaside topography and shoreline. The grain-sized distribution analysis indicates that the mud flat inside the Cheonsu-bay tidal flat is distributed, the mixed flat located in the middle, and the sand flat distributed near the sea. The sand flat is dominant around the southern part of Seomot isle and its beach. On the other hand, the mud and mixed flat is dominant on the western part. Likewise, the western coast of Seomot isle and its beach is significantly affected by waves facing the offshore. However, the eastern side of the bay could be a site for the evolution of tidal flat made of fine materials where it is less affected by ocean waves. These results show that multi-spectral satellite data are effective for the classification of distribution materials and environmental impact assessment and continuous monitoring. In particular, the research on environmental deposits can provide important decision-supporting information for decision-making on seaside development, by analyzing the progress of deposits and environmental changes.

Interannual Variability of the Water Masses Observed in the Tropical Northwestern Pacific (북서태평양 열대해역에서 관측된 수괴의 경년변동성)

  • Choi, Eunji;Jeon, Dongchull
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.38 no.2
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    • pp.161-169
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    • 2016
  • The interannual variability of the water masses was analyzed from the CTD data measured in the tropical northwestern Pacific from 2006 to 2014. There are two typical water masses NPTW and NPIW that reveal the interannual variability in the survey area, in addition to two other water masses; the surface water mass TSW with a large seasonal variability and the deep water mass AACDW with a constant temperature-salinity characteristic at the depths deeper than 2,000 meters. In 2012 and 2014 NPTW was the most widely extended horizontally and thicker than 100 meters vertically, which was found over the entire survey area. However, NPTW was reduced and became much narrower in 2009 than in the other years. NPIW seemed to expand southwards from the north of $21^{\circ}N$ to $15^{\circ}N$ in 2008 and in 2012, which showed the salinity minimum in 2013 (< 34.15 psu). The sea surface height estimated by Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT) approximately along $135^{\circ}E$ section showed the high peaks (> $1.45dyn{\cdot}m$) between $16^{\circ}N$ and $18^{\circ}N$ during the periods between 2007 and 2009 and between 2012 and 2013; the former peak lasted wider and longer in latitude and time (about three times) than the latter. The vertical section of the geostrophic currents in the upper 1,000 meters shows that there was a mesoscale pattern of repeated eastward and westward flows a few times in some years (2010 and 2014), which seemed to disappear in some other years (2008 and 2012); the former was closely related to the mesoscale eddies and the latter implied the pattern with the permanent currents. The persistent eastward flow between $17^{\circ}N$ and $19^{\circ}N$ seems to be related to the Subtropical Countercurrent (STCC).

Spatial analysis of Shoreline change in Northwest coast of Taean Peninsula

  • Yun, MyungHyun;Choi, ChulUong
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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    • v.31 no.1
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    • pp.29-38
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    • 2015
  • The coastline influenced naturally and artificially changes dynamically. While the long-term change is influenced by the rise in the surface of the sea and the changes in water level of the rivers, the short-term change is influenced by the tide, earthquake and storm. Also, man-made thoughtless development such as construction of embankment and reclaimed land not considering erosion and deformation of coast has been causes for breaking functions of coast and damages on natural environment. In order to manage coastal environment and resources effectively, In this study is intended to analyze and predict erosion in coastal environment and changes in sedimentation quantitatively by detecting changes in coastal line from data collection for satellite images and aerial LiDAR data. The coastal line in 2007 and 2012 was extracted by manufacturing Digital Surface Model (DSM) with Aviation LiDAR materials. For the coastal line in 2009 and 2010, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) method was used to extract the KOMPSAT-2 image selected after considering tide level and wave height. The change rate of the coastal line is varied in line with the forms of the observation target but most of topography shows a tendency of being eroded as time goes by. Compared to the relatively monotonous beach of Taean, the gravel and rock has very complex form. Therefore, there are more errors in extraction of coastlines and the combination of transect and shoreline, which affect overall changes. Thus, we think the correction of the anomalies caused by these properties is required in the future research.