• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2002

The detailed structure of a tidal front and its ebb-to flood variation in the main tidal channel of the Kyunggi Bay in the mid-west coast of Korea were investigated by analyzing CTD data and drifter trajectories collected in late July 1999. A typical tidal front was formed in water about 60 m deep at the mouth of the channel. Isotherms and isohalines in the upper layer above the seasonal pycnocline in the offshore stratified zone inclined upward to the sea surface to form a surface front, while those in the lower layer declined to the bottom front. The location of the front is consistent with $100 S^3/cm^2$ of the mixing index H/U defined by Simpson and Hunter (1974), where H is the water depth and U is the amplitude of tidal current. The potential energy anomaly in the frontal zone varied at an ebb-to flood tidal cycle, showing a minimum at slack water after ebb but a maximum at slack water after flood. This ebb-to flood variation in potential energy anomaly is not accounted for by the mixing index. We conclude that on- and offshore displacement of the water column by tidal advection is responsible for the ebb-to-flood variation in the frontal zone.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.84-95
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• 1990

Observations by CTD castings, moored current meters and satellite imageries reveal some physical characteristics of the area around the tidal mixing front found in the mid-Yellow Sea off Korea. Tidal mixing is the greatest at the promontory of Taean Peninsula with a front around it. The front appears in April with the start of solar heating, becomes most clear in August and disappears in November with the start of surface cooling. In the north of the front, tidal fluctuations of temperature and salinity induced by tidal currents manifest the existence of the front, Differently from the usual tidal mixing front, the front in Kyunggi Bay is formed by presence of the water discharged from the Han River which meets the offshore water at the front. Near the surface cold center, vertically well-mixed zone extends to about 50 Km offshore from the coast, Farther south, this structure is generally retained but with lesser degree of vertical mixing. Within the relatively well-fixed coastal zone, the fresh water discharged from the Kum River makes another salinity front of smaller extent. At some places around this salinity front, an Upwelling-like feature is remarked.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.170-175
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• 1995

To investigate the variation of tidal front in the southwestern sea of Korea, tidal currents were simulated. Tidal front proposed by a criterion parameter (log H/U$^3$)=1.5-2.0 was found further offshore by about 30-50 km in spring tide than in neap tide. This variation is comparable with the observed about 20-60km by satellite image of sea surface temperature (SST). Observed front by satellite is further offshore by about 10-30km than calculated region in southwestern region.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.247-256
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• 2009

Characteristics of hydrography and tidal currents were investigated in Hampyung Bay through in situ CTD data, tidal currents and elevations. According to the seasonal weather variability, hydrography showed the lower density with high temperature and low salinity in summer and the higher density with low temperature and high salinity in winter. In particular, the thermal structure like a tidal front was formed along the central channel at the neap tide of summer. The critical value of the parameter $SH(=log_{10}(H/U^3)$ where H is depth and U is $M_2$ tidal current amplitude) representing the formation position of tidal front was estimated from 2.4 to 3.5. In addition, the potential energy anomaly $({\phi})$ was ranged between 0.985 and 6.998 Joule/$m^3$, which gradually increased from the mouth into the inner bay. This front may be caused by the unique topography with wide tidal flat and the local difference of tidal current strength. The observed tidal currents at the mouth of bay showed that the ebb time was shorter than the flood time with the increase of depth. This asymmetric ebb-tide dominance is interpreted as a result of tidal distortion by the development of a shallow-water-constituent in Hampyung Bay with a wide macro-tidal flat.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.121-131
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• 1993

The tidal front forming in the Mid-Yellow Sea off Korea, near Tae-An peninsular, is calculated using a 3-D general circulation model(Semtner, 1974) and the concept of mixing rate, an extension of the concept of mixing efficiency proposed by simpson & Hunter(1974). Along the north and south open boundaries, simple radiation conditions are applied. The model is run with the initial state which represents the winter condition. With imposed uniform heating by solar radiation and spatially-different vertical mixing, the model then generated the tidal front comparable to the observed one.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2009

The appearance and variation of cold water area and its expansion mechanism of tidal front in the south western coast of Korea in summer were studied on the basis of oceanographic data(1966-1995), satellite images from NOAA and SeaWiFs and numerical model. Cold water appearance in southwestern field of Jindo was due to the vertical mixing by strong tidal current. Tidal front where horizontal gradient of water temperature was more than $0.3^{\circ}C$/km parallels to contours of H/$U^3$ parameter 2.0~2.5 and the outer boundary of cold water region corresponds with contours of the parameter 2.5~3.0 in the southwestern sea of Korea during the period between neap and spring tides. The position replacement of tidal front formed in the study ares varies in a range of 25~75km and cold water region extends about 90km. These suggest that the magnitude of variation of frontal position and cold water area was proportionate to the tidal current during lunar tidal cycle. Moreover, it was estimated that the southwestward expansion of cold water region was derived from the southwestward tide-induced residual currents with speed more than 10cm/s.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 1984

The formation and structure of tidal front in the eastern part of the Yellow Sea were studied based on the oceanographic data compiled during the periods of $1982{\sim}1983$ and $1966{\sim}1970$. Well-defined fronts occurring in the Yellow Sea in summer mark the boundary between the stratified and vertically mixed regimes. The occurrence of vertically mixed regimes may be interpreted in terms of available turbulent kinematic energy of tidal currents. The tidal frontal regions were determined by horizontal gradients of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen, and were verified by water colour and transparency. In summer the tidal fronts were found at depths of $15{\sim}25m$ at about 20 miles from the shore. Potential energy of vortical stratification in the tidal frontal region was 10 $Joule/m^3$. The stratification parameter in the frontal region computed from the numerical tidal model was $S_p=1.0.$ Tidal front is formed in regions with $S_p=1-1.5,$ if surface heat flux are constant. Waters in the stratified region have the layer structures of wind-mixed surface layer, thermocline and tidal-mixed bottom layer. In the vertically mixed region, however, sea water is nearly homogeneous. in winter no distinctive tidal front was seen.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.379-399
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• 2008

Spatial-temporal variations in physiochemical water qualities (temperature, salinity, DO, SPM, POC and nutrients) of surface and bottom waters were investigated along the mid-western coastal area (Taean Peninsula to Gomso Bay) of Korea. Spatial distribution patterns of temperature and salinity were mostly controlled by the physical mixing process of freshwater from Geum River and/or Gyunggi Bay with nearby coastal water. A strong tidal front is formed off Taean Peninsula during spring and summer. Seasonal variations in nutrient concentrations, lower in spring and summer and higher in fall and winter, are primarily regulated by magnitude of phytoplankton occurrence rather than freshwater loadings into the bay. Based on seasonal and spatial variability of physicochemical parameters, water quality of the study area can be divided into four water masses; Gyunggi Bay-influenced Water Mass (GBWM), Geum River-influenced Water Mass (GRWM), Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water Mass (YSBCWM) and Cheonsu Bay Water Mass (CBWM). Water quality of the GBWM (Taean Peninsula coastal area), which has relatively low salinity and high concentrations of nutrients, is strongly controlled by the Gyunggi Bay coastal water, which is under influence of the Han River freshwater. In this water mass, the mixed layer is always developed by strong tidal mixing. As a result, a tidal front is formed along the offshore boundary of the mixed layer. Such tidal fronts probably play an important role in the distribution of phytoplankton communities, SPM and nutrients. The GRWM, with low salinity and high nutrients, especially during the flood summer season, is closely related to physiochemical properties of the Geum River. During the flood season, nutrient-enriched Geum River water mass extends up to 60 km away from the river mouth, potentially causing serious environmental problems such as eutrophication and unusual and/or noxious algal blooms. Offshore (<$30{\sim}40m$ in water depth) of the study area, YSBCWM coupled with a strong thermocline can be identified in spring-summer periods, exhibiting abundant nutrients in association with low temperature and limited biological activity. During spring and summer, a tidal front is formed in a transition zone between the coastal water mass and bottom cold water mass in the Yellow Sea, resulting in intensified upwelling and thereby supplying abundant nutrients to the GBWM and GRWM. Such cold bottom water mass and tidal front formation seems to play an important role in controlling water quality and further regulating physical ecosystem processes along mid-western Korean coastal area.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.437-446
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• 1998

The general pattern of the hydrographic conditions and tidal front of the northern coastal area of Cheju Island is investigated using the CTD observation data and a stratification parameter V ($J/m^3$) in $1991\~1993$. 1. The sea water of the northern coastal area of Cheju Island has a lower temperature and higher salinity than that in the central area of the Strait, and local temperature and salinity fronts appears frequently around this area. It seems that they are caused by the upwelling and the tidal front as well as a local topography. 2. A saddle-like distribution of temperature and salinity is formed in the Cheju Strait almost every month with relation to mixing of the different water masses. 3. In the northern coastal area of Cheju Island the stratification parameter V ($J/m^3$) was ranged from 8.4 to 209.8 $J/m^3$ in June, 201.9 to 634.9 $J/m^3$ in August, 0.18 to 680 $J/m^3$ in September, and $2.7\~462\;J/m^3$ in October, respectively. The tidal front was often formed around the place where the horizontal variation of the depth is very large and the potential energy with 10$J/m^3$ appears roughly along 50 m isobath.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 1998.05a
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• pp.632-637
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• 1998

The purpose of this study of this study is to find tide and tidal current variation by three dimensional numerical model of tide and tidal current in the bay of Cheonsu in Korea. On the basis of the observed data on water temperature and salinity data and wind data of summer(July) in the bay of Cheonsu in Korea, water circulation in the bay of Cheonsu is investigated with use of a robust diagnostic numerical model, including calculated co-range and co-tidal charts of M2 tide are similar to the observed ones. The residual flow Pattern at the surface layer during summer formed clockwise circulation in the front coastal the dike of the Sosam A zone(Ganwor island) and Taeju island. The residual flow pattern at the 15m layer during formed clockwise circulation in the front Taeju island. The residual flow Pattern at the surface layer formed anti-clockwise circulation in the upper Sangmok and Naepasu island.