• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.195-204
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• 2009

In order to estimate sea surface current fields in the East Sea, we examined characteristics of mean dynamic topography (MDT) fields (or mean surface current field, MSC) generated from three different methods. This preliminary investigation evaluates the accuracy of surface currents estimated from satellite-derived sea level anomaly (SLA) data and three MDT fields in the East Sea. AVISO (Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data) provides a MDT field derived from satellite observation and numerical models with $0.25^{\circ}$ horizontal resolution. Steric height field relative to 500 dbar from temperature and salinity profiles in the East Sea supplies another MDT field. Trajectory data of surface drifters (ARGOS) in the East Sea for 14 years provide another MSC field. Absolute dynamic topography (ADT) field is calculated by adding SLA to each MDT. Application of geostrophic equation to three different ADT fields yields three surface geostrophic current fields. Comparisons were made between the estimated surface currents from the three different methods and in-situ current measurements from a ship-mounted ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) in the southwestern East Sea in 2005. For offshore areas more than 50 km away from the land, the correlation coefficients (R) between the estimated versus the measured currents range from 0.58 to 0.73, with 17.1 to $21.7\;cm\;s^{-1}$ root mean square deviation (RMSD). For coastal ocean within 50 km from the land, however, R ranges from 0.06 to 0.46 and RMSD ranges from 15.5 to $28.0\;cm\;s^{-1}$. Results from this study reveal that a new approach in producing MDT and SLA is required to improve the accuracy of surface current estimations for the shallow costal zones of the East Sea.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 1993

To delineate water properties and current patterns in the spawning area of walleye pollock, hydrographic cast and current meter data collected in Strait, Gulf of alaska, were analysed, three water masses are identified in Shelikof Strait. A small amount of cold and dilute water ($<{\;}3^{\circ}C{\;}and{\;}<{\;}31.5\textperthousand$) originates from the lower Cook Inlet and flows southwestward close to the Alaska Peninsula coast. One branch of alaska coastal Current which enters the strait from the northeast comprises the main body of the upper and middle layers of the strait, and flows toward the southwest. Estimation of geostrophic baroclinic currents reveals that comparatively fast flow exists in the surface over the deepest portion of the strait, and most water exits through the southwestern entrance between Semidi and chirikof Is. On the other hand, a relatively slow-moving warm and saline ($>{\;}5^{circ}C{\;}and{\;}>{\;}32\textperthousand$) of the southwestern entrance flows northeasterly, and occupies the bottom layer in Shelikof Strait.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 1989

It has been believed that the circulation in the Japan Sea involves separation of current from the Korean coast and formation of a cold cyclonic gyre in the north. To explain this, a simple quasi-geostrophic linear model is considered. The model is basically of an inflow-outflow system. The local forcings, wind and air-sea heat exchange together with damping (both mechanical and thermal), are imposed upon. The results show that only the buoyancy damping due to perturbations from local thermal adjustment can cause the separation and the gyre. Various types of circulation patterns are possible depending on the intensity of the thermal forcing.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.400-408
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• 2023

The tracking accuracy of buoy-based LBL(Long Base Line) systems can be significantly influenced by sea environmental conditions. Particularly, the position of buoys that may have drifted due to sea currents. Therefore it is necessary to predict and optimize the drifted-buoy positions in the deploying step. This research introduces a free-drift simulation model using ocean data from the European CMEMS. The simulation model's predictions are validated by comparing them to actual sea buoy drift tracks, showing a substantial match in averaged drift speed and direction. Using this drift model, we optimize the initial buoy layout and compare the tracking performance between the center hexagonal layout and close track layout. Our results verify that the optimized layout achieves lower tracking errors compared to the other two layout.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 1999

A two-layer quasi-geostrophic numerical model is used to investigate the temporal variability of the East Korea Warm Current (EKWC), especially the separation from the Korean coast and the generation of warm eddies. An attention is given on the active role of the nonlinear boundary layer process. For this, an idealized flat bottom model of the East Sea is forced with the annual mean wind curl and with the inflow-outflow specified at the Korea (Tsushima) and Tsugaru Straits. Two types of separation mechanisms are identified. The first one is influenced by the westward movement of the recirculating leg of the EKWC (externally driven separation),the second one is solely driven by the boundary layer dynamics (internally driven separation). However, these two processes are not independent, and usually coexist. It is hypothesized that 'internally driven separation' arises as the result of relative vorticity production at the wall, its subsequent advection via the EKWC, and its accumulation up to a critical level characterized by the separation of the boundary flow from the coast. It is found that the sharp southeastern corner of the Korean peninsula provides a favorable condition for the accumulation of relative vorticity. The separation of the EKWC usually accompanies the generation of a warm eddy with a diameter of about 120 km. The warm eddy has a typical layer-averaged velocity of 0.3 m/s and its lifespan is up to a year. In general, the characteristics of the simulated warm eddy are compatible with observations. A conclusion is therefore drawn that the variability of the EKWC is at least partially self-excited, not being influenced by any sources of perturbation in the forcing field, and that the likely source of the variability is the barotropic instability although the extent of contribution from the baroclinic instability remains unknown. The effects of the seasonal wind curl and inflow-outflow strength are also investigated.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.25-44
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• 2005

Long-term, continuous, and real-time ocean monitoring has been undertaken in order to evaluate various oceanographic phenomena and processes in the East/Japan Sea. Recent technical advances combined with our concerted efforts have allowed us to establish a real-time monitoring system and to accumulate considerable knowledge on what has been taking place in water properties, current systems, and circulation in the East Sea. We have obtained information on volume transport across the Korea Strait through cable voltage measurements and continuous temperature and salinity profile data from ARGO floats placed throughout entire East Sea since 1997. These ARGO float data have been utilized to estimate deep current, inertial kinetic energy, and changes in water mass, especially in the northern East Sea. We have also developed the East Sea Real-time Ocean Buoy (ESROB) in coastal regions and made continual improvements till it has evolved into the most up-to-date and effective monitoring system as a result of remarkable technical progress in data communication systems. Atmospheric and oceanic measurements by ESROB have contributed to the recognition of coastal wind variability, current fluctuations, and internal waves near and off the eastern coast of Korea. Long-tenn current meter moorings have been in operation since 1996 between Ulleungdo and Dokdo to monitor the interbasin deep water exchanges between the Japanese and Ulleung Basins. In addition, remotely sensed satellite data could facilitate the investigation of atmospheric and oceanic surface conditions such as sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height, near-surface winds, oceanic color, surface roughness, and so on. These satellite data revealed surface frontal structures with a fairly good spatial resolution, seasonal cycle of SST, atmospheric wind forcing, geostrophic current anomalies, and biogeochemical processes associated with physical forcing and processes. Since the East Sea has been recognized as a natural laboratory for global oceanic changes and a clue to abrupt climate change, we aim at constructing a 4-D continuous real-time monitoring system, over a decade at least, using the most advanced techniques to understand a variety of oceanic processes in the East Sea.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.437-449
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• 1991

Time series of barometrically adjusted sea level at Pusan, Izuhara and Hakada are analyzed to study the fluctuations of the Tsushima Current through the Korea Strait. Variability of sea levels and their differences is divided into two parts with respect to the frequency of 0.01 or 0.02 cycles per day(cpd) At lower frequency, both of sea levels and sea level difference(SLD) are coherent and in phase to each other. Pusan has smaller seasonal variations in sea level than other two stations because the effects of geostrophic current and prevailing wind have a negative influence on the seasonal thermosteric contribution to sea level change. Low frequency variability of SLD thus of the Tsushima Current is much greater in the western channel. For higher frequency parts, SLD in the eastern channel has larger variability and is not coherent with that of the western channel. Sea levels at Pusan and Izuhara are $180^{\circ}$ out of phase with SLD in the western and eastern channel respectively, whereas the Hakada level is in phase. This result indicates that eastern channel has a normal response to the along-channel winds and cross-channel geostrophy because Izuhara faces the eastern channel.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.117-122
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• 2004

In order to investigate the initial stage of deep water formation between Vladivostok and the subpolar front in the East Sea, the factors, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, measured by multi-ship surveys in 1969 have been used Deep water formation in the East Sea occurs in essentially two different forms: near continent and open ocean formation the position of eddy derived from potential vorticity matches well with that of deep water formation. The vertical and horizontal distributions of potential vorticity, geostrophic current, temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen give clues for the preconditioning phase of open ocean formation like a doming of isotherm, associated with a cyclonic circulation

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.703-719
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• 2016

We investigated the changes with temporal and spatial movements of cold water events in summer season around the East Sea of Korea. Several data analyses were performed based on the various environmental factors using satellite and in-situ (winds, air/sea surface temperatures) data in the summer season during 2013. For analyzing the influence of cold water life cycle we employed AVISO geostrophic current and daily Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) chlorophyll concentration (chl) data. Also, we used daily Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer-Sea Surface Temperature (AVHRR-SST) data to trace the movements of cold water events. We found out the cold water events occurred in the early summer season and disappeared in the late summer season, and the cold water life cycle is repeated in this period. Additionally, we could show that the chl were increased in late summer season due to the inertial influence of cold water zone.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.282-297
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• 2019

Detection of mesoscale oceanic eddies using satellite data can utilize various ocean parameters such as sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a pigment concentration in phytoplankton, and sea level altimetry measurements. Observation methods vary for each satellite dataset, as it is obtained using different temporal and spatial resolution, and optimized data processing. Different detection results can be derived for the same oceanic eddies; therefore, fundamental research on eddy detection using satellite data is required. In this study, we used ocean color satellite data, sea level altimetry data, and infrared SST data to detect mesoscale eddies in the East Sea and compared results from different detection methods. The sea surface current field derived from the consecutive ocean color chlorophyll-a concentration images using the maximum cross correlation coefficient and the geostrophic current field obtained from the sea level altimetry data were used to detect the mesoscale eddies in the East Sea. In order to compare the eddy detection from satellite data, the results were divided into three cases as follows: 1) the eddy was detected in both the ocean color and altimeter images simultaneously; 2) the eddy was detected from ocean color and SST images, but no eddy was detected in the altimeter data; 3) the eddy was not detected in ocean color image, while the altimeter data detected the eddy. Through these three cases, we described the difficulties with satellite altimetry data and the limitations of ocean color and infrared SST data for eddy detection. It was also emphasized that study on eddy detection and related research required an in-depth understanding of the mesoscale oceanic phenomenon and the principles of satellite observation.