• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2006

High concentration of chlorophyll a occurred around the Ulleung Warm Eddy off Ulleung Island in the East Sea of Korea in spring season. The abnormal distributions of chlorophyll a were captured by satellite remote sensing and measured field data. The temporal and spatial scale of the abnormal distributions were around 20days and 50km diameter off Ullung Island. The anomalies were quantified b)'estimated chlorophyll a derived from OCM and SeaWiFS ocean color data from 2000 to 2004. The origin of abnormal hish concentrations was estimated by this study. It was that suspended material discharged from the Nakdong River and the coastal water located in the southeastern part of Korean Peninsula moved to northeastern coast, and then moved to off Ullung island, The high chlorophyll a concentrations including inorganic materials were accumulated by anticyclonic eddy such as the Ullung Warm Eddy around Ullung island in the East Sea of Korea in spring season.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.152-163
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• 1994

The characteristics and fluctuations of structures and spatial distributions of warm eddies (anticyclonic eddies) in the southwestern part of the East Sea (the Japan Sea) are discussed based on the data gathered y the Fisheries Research and Development Agency, Korea from 1967 to 1968. The warm eddies existed very often in the southwest of the Ullung Island. The warm eddies are elliptical in shape and the mean size is about 130 km in diameter. Bimonthly distributions of warm eddies, the largest value of observed frequency and diameter in August and the least in June, indicate that the generation of the warm eddy is related with the development of the East Korean Warm Current. The warm eddies move west, north or southward with 0.80∼2.50 cm/sec or stay over a few months at the same place southwest of the Ullung Island. Movement of warm eddies may be influenced by the neighboring currents, the Rossby wave and the topography. The relationship between the position of warm eddies and the bottom topography suggests that the development and the movement of warm eddies are controlled by the Ullung Basin. The warm eddies should be divided into two groups. One group is the shallow warm eddy with strong baroclinic characteristics and the other is the deep one with strong Barotropic characteristics. The shallow group seems to be closely related with positive values (in summer) of the sea level difference between Pusan and Mozi (the Tsushima Current), while the deep group has no relation with that.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.170-183
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• 1995

Eddies and surface current field in the southwestern part of the East Sea were investigated using satellite-tracked drifters, CTD, and ADCP from November 1992 to September 1993. Trajectories of surface drifters provided information for the first time on the meandering motion of the East Korean Warm Current in the Ullung Basin (referred as UB) and clearly indicated the existence of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies of various scales. Anticyclonic eddies persisting for a relatively long period were observed in UB and the southwestern corner of the Northern (Japan) Basin (SNB), while a cyclonic eddy was found in the coastal area between Sokcho and Donghae during the summer. Analysis shows that the eddy in UB behaved as a stationary eddy at least during the observation period and the cyclonic eddy was closely related to the existence of a cold water mass. The anticyclonic eddy in SNB was larger than that in UB, but much elongated in shape. The eddy in UB is characteristic of major and minor axes of about 120 and 70 km, revolution period of 13.6 days, mean swirl velocity of about 24 cm/s, and mean eddy kinetic energy of 392 cm$\^$2//s$\^$2/. The eddy in SNB is described as follows; major and minor axes of 168 and 86 km, period of 14.9 days, mean swirl velocity of 29 cm/s and mean eddy kinetic energy of 629 cm$\^$2//s$\^$2/. The mean translational speed is about 3 cm/s for both eddies. The agreement of the surface current pattern in UB observed by ADCP with the geostrophic flow pattern may suggest that the eddy in UB was nearly in geostrophic balance. The eddy was found to be strongly bottom-controlled.