• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.65-72
• /
• 1992

It is believed that the lower cold water is formed by winter cooling in the north of the East(Japan) Sea. To examine its effect on the general circulation of the East Sea, we performed a two-layer numerical model with realistic bottom topography. First a circulation is generated by imposing only an inflow and an outflow which is then modified by adding the cooling effect in the north. The interface between the two layers rises due to cooling and propagates along the coast as internal Kelvin waves. About 7 months after the cooling starts, all coastal areas of the basin have higher elevation than that in offshore region. This induces baroclinic currents resulting in clockwise(anticlockwise) circulation in upper (lower) layer of the basin. It is concluded that the East Korean Warm Current strengthens as a result of lower cold water formation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.53-57
• /
• 2003

Low salinity water appears by outflow of fresh water from the Yangtze River in southwestern sea of the Korean peninsula. The water volume discharged form the Yangtze River is not constant with year, according to the time series data recorded in the past, the maximum value of the discharged volume is two times as high asr minimum value. Therefore, the distribution of low salinity water over study area with different discharged fresh water volume is studied using numerical model, Princeton Ocean Model (POM). POM is three dimensional circulation model selecting a $\sigma$­coordinate. According to the result of numerical simulation by the Model, current velocity on the continental slope is faster than those in other regions, current which flows toward the central part of the Yellow Sea through western part of Jeju exists, and also, southward flow along the coastal region exists. the greater discharged volume from the Yangrze River is. the lower salinity water appears closer to Jeju.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.409-425
• /
• 2019

Marine terraces, a step-like landform, are important geologic markers that provide tectonic information during the Quaternary Period. Marine terraces are well developed along all coastlines(East, West, and South) of the Korean Peninsula, those along the East coastline are the most distinctive. The marine terraces of the East coastline are classified into 4-6 flights that are several meters or several tens of meters above the present sea level. It is believed that these terraces, except for the lowest one, were formed in the middle Pleistocene. In the base of the OSL age dating results and Blake excursion events of magnetostratigraphy, the $2^{nd}$ and $3^{rd}$ terraces are correlated to the last interglacial stage. Considering the marine terraces linked to a sea-level curve of the Pleistocene, it is thought that regional tectonic movements have uplifted the East coastal area since the middle Pleistocene. Besides, former shorelines of each terrace have varied elevations from Gangreung to Busan bay, which can be divided into four regions, namely, Gangreung-Yonghanri(I), Homikot-Najung(II), Najung-Bangeojin(III), and Waesung-Busan Bay(IV). The former shorelines of each terrace at both Gangreung-Yonghanri(I) and Najung-Bangeojin(III) are higher than those in the other two regions, due to block movements by regional faults such as the Ocheon Fault or its subsidiaries, the Gampo Lineament and Ulsan Fault. Uplift rate of the East coast ranges from 0.2 m/ky to 0.3 m/ky, but each region shows different uplift rate.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.212-215
• /
• 2003

There were so many Asparagus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr. in the past in Korea. Now a day, it is under diminishing circumstance because of over exploitation for pharmacy materials. The amount of domestic market demand of it was imported. The autochthonous planting areas were mainly surveyed along coastal region and island. Autochthonous A. cochinchinensis was mainly distributed in sea shore below 1km from sea and founded 26 regions among 45 surveyed regions. Northern and eastern limited distribution of A. cochinchinensis was $N36^{\circ}15'$ in the west coast and $E128^{\circ}02'$ in the south coast of Korean peninsula, respectively. But it was not founded in the east coastal region. Dominant vegetation of surveyed area was pine with shrub. The number of tuberous roots of A. cochinchinensis growing in good light penetration was more than growing in bad light penetration.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.29 no.9
• /
• pp.885-905
• /
• 2020

This study described the characteristics of the upstream migration of salmon (Chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta) along Yeon-gok Stream in the eastern coastal region of Korea from October 24 to November 9, 2018 using radio tag and data storage tag loggers for the detection of the locations of tagged salmon and measurement of water temperature. Tracking experiments were conducted and classified into four types (case 1 to case 4) depending on the release time and the number of salmon tracked. Experiments from case 1 to case 3 were classified depending on the number of salmon tracked into cases in which a single tagged salmon was tracked (case 1), a pair of tagged salmon was tracked (case 2), and salmon were tracked by different sex ratios (case 3). Experiments from cases 1 to 3 were conducted between 10 AM and 1 PM, and case 4 was conducted after 3:30 PM. Salmon moved and spawned in the downstream region of the Yeon-gok, where water temperature is higher than in other rivers and salmon return in Canada, Russia, Japan, and the U.S.A. Most of the radio-tagged salmon swam in deep and shaded areas during the day but actively moved upstream close to sunset, regardless of the release time. Females showed relatively more active movements than males during upstream migration.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.19-40
• /
• 2023

To investigate the role of water masses in the Jeju Strait in summer on the shallow coastal region and the characteristics of water properties in the strait, temperature and salinity were observed across the Jeju Strait in June, July, and August 2019. The cold water pool, whose temperature is lower than 15℃, was observed in the mid-depths of the central Jeju Strait and on the northern bottom slope of the strait. The cold water pools have the lowest temperature in the strait. To identify water masses comprising the cold water pool in the Jeju Strait, mixing ratios of water masses were calculated. The mid-depth cold water pool of the Jeju Strait consists of 54% of the Kuroshio Subsurface Water (KSSW) and 33% of the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water (YSBCW). Although the cold water pool is dominantly affected by the KSSW, the YSBCW plays a major role to make the cold water pool maintain the lowest temperature in the Jeju Strait. To find origin of the cold water pool, temperature and salinity data from the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Korea Strait in the summer of 2019 were analyzed. The cold water pool was generated along the thermohaline frontal zone between the KSSW and YSBCW in the East China Sea where intrusion and mixing of water masses are active below the seasonal thermocline. The cold water in the thermohaline frontal zone had similar mixing ratio to the cold water pool in the Jeju Strait and it advected toward the Korea Strait and shallow coastal region off the south coast of Korea. Intrusion of the mid-depth cold water pool made temperature inversion in the Jeju Strait and affected sea surface temperature variations at the coastal region off the south coast of Korea.

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

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.42 no.3 s.120
• /
• pp.368-387
• /
• 2007

In order to explain geomorphological characteristics of the Korean Peninsula, it is necessary to understand the spatial distribution of tectonic movements and its causes. Even though geomorphological elements which might have been formed by tectonic movements(e.g. tilted overall landform, erosion surface, river terrace, marine terraces, etc.) have long been considered as main geomorphological research topics in Korea, the knowledge on the spatial distribution of tectonic movement is still limited. This research aims to identify the spatial distributions of tectonic movement via sequential analyses of Digital Elevation Model(DEM). This paper first developed a set of terrain analysis techniques derived from theoretical interrelationships between tectonic uplifts and landsurface denudation processes. The terrain analyses used in this research assume that elevations along major drainage basin divides might preserve original landsurfaces(psuedo-landsuface) that were formed by tectonic movement with relatively little influence by denudation processes. Psuedo-landsurfaces derived from a DEM show clear spatial distribution patterns with distinct directional alignments. Lines connecting psuedo-landsufaces in a certain direction are defined as psuedo-landsurface axes, which are again categorized into two groups: the first is uplift psuedo-landsurface axes that indicate the axis of landmass uplift; and the second is denudational psuedo-landsurface axes that cross step-shaped pusedo-landsurfaces formed via surface denudation. In total, 13 axes of pusedo-landsurface are identified in the Korean Peninsula, which show distinct direction, length, and relative uplift rate. Judging from the distribution of psudo-landsurfaces and their axes, it is concluded that the Korean Peninsula ran be divided into four tectonic regions, which are named as the Northern Tectonic Region, Center Tectonic Region, Southern Tectonic Region, and East Sea Tectonic Region, respectively. The Northern Tectonic Region had experienced a regional uplift centered at the Kaema plateau, and the rate of uplift gradually decreased toward southern, western and eastern directions. The Center Tectonic Region shows an arch-shaped uplift. Its uplift rate is the highest along the East Sea and the rate decreases towards the Yellow sea. The Southern Tectonic Region shows an asymmetric uplift centered a line connecting Dukyu and Jiri Mountains in the middle of the region. The eastern side of the Southern Regions shows higher uplift rate than that of the western side. The East Sea Tectonic Region includes south-eastern coastal area of the peninsula and Gilju-Myeongchun Jigudae, which shows relatively recent tectonic movements in Korea. Since this research visualizes the spatial heterogeneity of long-term tenonic movement in the Korean peninsula, this would provide valuable basic information on long-term and regional differences of geomorphological evolutionary processes and regional geomorphological differences of the Korean Peninsula.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.269-289
• /
• 2010

In Summer 2008, a multidisciplinary survey was conducted onboard R/V Haeyang 2000 to understand plankton response to the three distinct physico-chemical settings that developed in the Ulleung Basin of the East Sea. Baseline settings of hydrographic conditions included the presence of the thin (<20 m) Tsushima Surface Water (TSW) on top of the Tsushima Middle Water (TMW). It extends from the Korea Strait to $37^{\circ}N$ along the $130^{\circ}E$ and then turns offshore and encompasses the relatively saline (T>$26^{\circ}C$, S>33.7) Ulleung Warm Eddy surface water centered at $36.5^{\circ}N$ and $131^{\circ}E$. A relatively colder and saline water mass appeared off the southeastern coast of Korea. It was accompanied by higher nutrient and chlorophyll-a concentrations, suggesting a coastal upwelling. Most of the offshore surface waters support low phytoplankton biomass (0.3 mg chl-a $m^{-3}$). A much denser phytoplankton biomass (1-2.3 mg $m^{-3}$) accumulated at the subsurface layer between 20-50 m depth. The subsurface chlorophyll-a maximum (SCM) layer was closely related to the nutricline, suggesting an active growth of phytoplankton at depth. The SCM developed at shallow depth (20-30 m) near the coast and deepened offshore (50-60 m). A fucoxanthin/zeaxanthin ratio was high in coastal waters while it was low in offshore waters, which indicated that diatoms dominate coastal waters while cyanobacteria dominate offshore waters. The community structure and biomass of phytoplanktonare closely related to nitrogen availability. Zooplankton biomass was higher in the coastal region than in the offshore region while species richness showed an opposite trend. Zooplankton community structure retained a coastal/offshore contrast. These suggest that summer hydrography is a stable structure, lasting long enough to allow a hydrography-specific plankton community to evolve.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.691-699
• /
• 2021

The global surface temperature has risen critically over the past century and according to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report 2014, existing risks in natural and human systems will worsen. Coastal erosion is mostly caused by climate change and among all the coastal areas at risk, Benin, which is part of the Gulf of Guinea, has been ranked very highly as a vulnerable region. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the evolution of coastline change in Cotonou of Benin, summarizing its resultant impacts and applied measures around the coast area by reviewing previous studies. Signs of coastal erosion in Cotonou appeared in 1963. After 39 years, the east shoreline of Cotonou has retreated by 885 m, resulting in the disappearance of more than 800 houses. To solve this problem, Benin authorities built seven groynes in 2013, and have increased the number of the structure as a way to interrupt water flow and limit the movement of sediment. Over the region, shorelines appeared preserved accordingly. In contrast, areas located further east, where groynes were not installed, have suf ered from intensive erosion at a rate of 49 m/yr. In the future, as a next step, the effectiveness of groynes should be studied with local and broader perspectives.