• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.311-321
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• 2007

The diffuse attenuation coefficient for down-welling irradiance $K_d({\lambda})$, which is the propagation of down-welling irradiance at wavelength ${\lambda}$ from surface to a depth (z) in the ocean, and underwater visibility are important optical parameters for ocean studies. There have been several studies on $K_d({\lambda})$ and underwater visibility around the world, but only a few studies have focused on these properties in the Korean sea. Therefore, in the present study, we studied $K_d({\lambda})$ and underwater visibility around the coastal area of the Yellow Sea, and developed $K_d({\lambda})$ and underwater visibility algorithms for ocean color satellite sensor. For this research we conducted a field campaign around the Yellow Sea from $19{\sim}22$ September, 2006 and there we obtained a set of ocean optical and environmental data. From these datasets the $K_d({\lambda})$ and underwater visibility algorithms were empirically derived and compared with the existing NASA SeaWiFS $K_d({\lambda})$ algorithm and NRL (Naval Research Laboratory) underwater visibility algorithm. Such comparisons over a turbid area showed small difference in the $K_d({\lambda})$ algorithm and constants of our result for underwater visibility algorithm showed slightly higher values.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2004

The evolution of intricate and striking patterns of suspended sediments (SS), which are created by certain physical dynamics in the East China and Yellow Seas, has been investigated using satellite ocean color imageries and vertical profiles of particle attenuation and backscattering coefficients. The structure of these patterns can reveal a great deal about the process underlying their formation. Sea surface temperature (SST) analyzed from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) thermal infrared data were used to elucidate the physical factors responsible for the evolution of suspended sediment patterns in the East China Sea. The concomitant patterns of suspended sediments were tracked from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color data. The detailed examination about these patterns gave birth to the definition of the evolution of suspended sediments (SS) into four stages: (1) Youth or Infant stage, (2) Younger stage, (3) Mature stage, and (4) Old stage. We describe about the three directional forces of the tidal currents, ocean warm currents and estuarine circulations that lead to occurrence of various stages of the evolution of suspended sediments that increase turbidity at high levels through out the water column of the inner and outer shelf areas during September to April. The occurrence of these four stages could be repeatedly observed. In contrast, vertical profiles of the particle attenuation ($c_{p}$) and backscattering ($b_{bp}$) coefficients displayed obvious patterns of the propagation of suspended sediment plume from the southwestern coastal sea that leads to eventual collision with the massive sediment plume originating from the Yangtze banks of the East China Sea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.235-258
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to investigate climatological variations from the temporal and spatial surface particulate organic carbon (POC) estimates based on SeaWiFS spectral radiance, and to determine the physical mechanisms that affect the distribution of pac in the Gulf of Mexico. 7-year monthly mean values of surface pac concentration (Sept. 1997 - Dec. 2004) were estimated from Maximum Normalized Difference Carbon Index (MNDCI) algorithm using SeaWiFS data. Synchronous 7-year monthly mean values of remote sensing data (sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind (SSW), sea surface height anomaly (SSHA), precipitation rate (PR)) and recorded river discharge data were used to determine physical forcing factors. The spatial pattern of POC was related to one or more factors such as river runoff, wind-derived current, and stratification of the water column, the energetic Loop Current/Eddies, and buoyancy forcing. The observed seasonal change in the POC plume's response to wind speed in the western delta region resulted from seasonal changes in the upper ocean stratification. During late spring and summer, the low-density river water is heated rapidly at the surface by incoming solar radiation. This lowers the density of the fresh-water plume and increases the near-surface stratification of the water column. In the absence of significant wind forcing, the plume undergoes buoyant spreading and the sediment is maintained at the surface by the shallow pycnocline. However, when the wind speed increases substantially, wind-wave action increases vertical motion, reducing stratification, and the sediment were mixed downward rather than spreading laterally. Maximum particle concentrations over the outer shelf and the upper slope during lower runoff seasons were related to the Loop Current/eddies and buoyancy forcing. Inter-annual differences of POC concentration were related to ENSO cycles. During the El Nino events (1997-1998 and 2002-2004), the higher pac concentrations existed and were related to high runoffs in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, but the opposite conditions in the western Gulf of Mexico. During La Nina conditions (1999-2001), low Poe concentration was related to normal or low river discharge, and low PM/nutrient waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, but the opposite conditions in the western Gulf of Mexico.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2000

Even though recurring eddies at the terminal end of the East Korean Warm Current have been identified in the thermal infrared imagery from the NOAA/AVHRR sensor and ocean color data from Orbview-2/SeaWiFS sensor, it is difficult to make observation in the field regarding recurring eddies located around the Wonsan coastal area in North Korea. But we could get in situ data related to an eddy from an ARGOS satellite tracking drifter trapped in the eddy on January 4th, 1999. An ARGOS drifter, a NOAA satellite tracked buoy was trapped by the eddy during January 4th.March 18, 1999. The ARGOS drifter rotated 10 times per 72 days on the edge of the eddy located at $39^{\circ}N$, $129^{\circ}E$. The diameter of the eddy was about 100 km. The horizontal rotation velocity of the recurring cold-core anti-cyclonic eddy was 1.53 km/h(42 cm/sec). The sea surface temperatures of the eddy varied from $14.7^{\circ}C$ on January 5, 1999 to $9.6^{\circ}C$ on March 18,1999. To study the mechanism of the recurring eddy. we tried to find out the relationship between the vector of the drifter moving in the eddy and the wind vector in Sokcho and Ulleung Island located near the eddy in southern Korea, and the difference in sea level between Ulleung Island and Mukho. We hope the results of this study would be useful for calibration and validation data of simulation and numerical modeling studies of the recurring eddy.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.67-78
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• 2005

Complex physical, chemical and biological interactions off the Korean coast created several striking patterns in the phytoplankton blooms, which became conspicuous during the measurements of ocean color from space. This study concentrated on analyzing the spatial and temporal aspects of phytoplankton chlorophyll variability in these areas using an integrated dataset from a Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), Advanced Very High Resolution (AVHRR) sensor, and Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) sensor. The results showed that chlorophyll concentrations were elevated in coastal and open ocean regions, with strong summer and fall blooms, which appeared to spread out in most of the enclosed bays and neighboring waters due to certain oceanographic processes. The chlorophyll concentration was observed to range between 3 and $54\;mg\;m^{-3}$ inside Jin-hae Bay and adjacent coastal bays and 0.5 and $8\;mg\;m^{-3}$ in the southeast sea offshore waters, this gradual decrease towards oceanic waters suggested physical transports of phytoplankton blooms from the shallow shelves to slope waters through the influence of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) along the Tsushima Strait. Horizontal distribution of potential temperature $(\theta)$ and salinity (S) of water off the southeastern coast exhibited cold and low saline surface water $(\theta and warm and high saline subsurface water $({\theta}>12^{\circ}C; S>34.4)$ at 75dBar, corroborating TWC intrusion along the Tsushima Strait. An eastward branch of this current was called the East Korean Warm Current (EKWC), tracked with the help of CTD data and satellite-derived sea surface temperature, which often influenced the dynamics of mesoscale anticyclonic eddy fields off the Korean east coast during the summer season. The process of such mesoscale anticyclonic eddy features might have produced interior upwelling that could have shoaled and steepened the nutricline, enhancing phytoplankton population by advection or diffusion of nutrients in the vicinity of Ulleungdo in the East Sea.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.118-121
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• 2006

Variations in the extent and dispersal of river plume are important in the study of coastal environment. The objectives of this study are to examine relationship between satellite detected plume area and river discharge and to clarify the temporal and spatial dynamic of plume from Tokachi River, Hokaido, Japan. We used 1.1 km spatial resolution of SeaWiFS normalized water-leaving radiance (nLw) images from 1998 to 2002. Supervised maximum likelihood classification was implemented to define classes of surface water optical properties. Satellite observed plume area was correlated to the amount of river discharge from April to October. First mode (44% of variance) of EOF analysis shows the turbid plume distribution resulting from re-suspension by strong wind mixing along the coast during winter. This mode also shows plume distribution along-shelf direction in spring and late summer. Second mode (17% of variance) shows spring pattern across-shelf direction due to strong discharge of snow melting water.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.53-56
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• 2007

The Korean Geostationary satellite (COMS) to fly in year 2009 will carry a meteorological sensor from which visible channel measurements will be available. We developed a method utilizing satellite-derived BRDFs for the solar channel calibration over the bright desert area. The 6S model has been incorporated to account for directional effects of the surface using MODIS-derived BRDF parameters within the spectral interval in interest. Simulated radiances over the desert targets were compared with MODIS and SeaWiFS measured spectral radiances in order to examine the feasibility of the developed calibration algorithm. We also simulated TOA radiance over ocean targets to verify the consistency and reliability of the result. It was shown that simulated 16-day averaged radiances are in good agreement with the satellite-measured radiances within about ${\pm}5%$ uncertainty range for the year 2005, suggesting that the developed algorithm can be used for calibrating the COMS visible channel within about 5% uncertainty level.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.121-124
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• 2006

Argo drifters provide information of the vertical structure in the water column and have a potential for the improvement of understanding phytoplankton primary production and biogeochemical cycles in combination with ocean color satellite data, which can obtain the horizontal distribution of phytoplankton biomass in the surface layer. Our examples show that using Argo drifters with satellite-measured horizontal distribution of phytoplankton biomass at the sea surface allow an improved understanding of the development of the spring bloom. The other possible uses of Argo drifter are discussed.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.553-556
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• 2004

Spatial and temporal aspects of toxic dinoflagellate Cochlodinium.p blooms and consequences of physical features in complex coastal ecosystems, off the southern Korean coast, have been investigated using data obtained from SeaWiFS and AVHRR as well as in-situ observations. Hydrographic parameters measured using CTD sensors were used to elucidate physical factors affecting the spatial distribution and abundance of Cochlodinium.p blooms. The results show spatial and temporal variations of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature (SST) and reveal significant information about Cochlodinium.p blooms and process underlying their evolution. Satellitederived Chl-a estimates appear to be potential in explicating the evolution, movement and distribution of Cochlodinium.p blooms in the enclosed bays of the South Sea. The existence of thromohaline waters offshore provide favorable conditions for the rapid growth and subsequent southward initiation of Cochlodinium.p blooms that are influenced to flow on the offshore branch (OB) during September. It was observed that there was a significant variation in the sun-induced chlorophyll-a fluorescence signal in the remote sensing fluorescence spectra and its high-intensity was recognized during the period of exponential growth and physical transport. Satellite-derived Chl-a concentration during September 1999 ranged between $3­60mg/m^3$ inside the Jin-hae and adjacent Bays and $1-6mg/m^3$ in offshore waters, with varying Cochlodinium.p abundances 1500 to 26000 cells $ml^{-1}.$ The closely spaced CTD surveys and satellite-derived SST give a complete overview on the initiation of Cochlodinium.p blooms in hydrodynamically active regions of the offshore southern East Sea by the influence of Tsushima Warm Current (TWC).

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.154-159
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• 2002

Satellite remote sensing technology for ocean observation has evolved considerably in these last twenty years. Ocean color is one of the most important parameters of ocean satellite measurements. This paper describes a remote sensing of ocean color data project - Asian I-Lac Project; it also introduces several case studies using satellite images in the Asian waters. The Asian waters are related to about 30 Asian countries, representing about 60% of the world population. The project aims at generating long-term time series images (planned for 10 years from 1996 to 2006) by combining several ocean color satellite data, i.e., ADEOS-I OCTS and SeaWiFS, and some other sensors. Some typical parameters that could be measured include Chlorophyll- a (Chl-a), Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM), and Suspended Material (SSM). Reprocessed OCTS images display spatial variation of Chl-a, CDOM, and SSM in the Asian waters; a short term variability of phytoplankton blooms was observed in the Gulf of Oman in November 1996 by analyzing OCTS and NOAA sea surface temperature (SST)； Chl-a concentrations derived from OCTS and SeaWiFS have also been evaluated in coastal areas of the Taiwan Strait, the Gulf of Thailand, the northeast Arabian Sea, and the Japan Sea. The data system provides scientists with capability of testing or developing ocean color algorithms, and transferring images for their research. We have also analyzed availability of OCTS images. The results demonstrate the potential of long-term time series of satellite ocean color data for research in marine biology, and ocean studies. The case studies show multiple applications of satellite images on monitoring of coastal environments in the Asian Waters.