• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 1996

A comparative study between geostrophic currents and directly measured currents was conducted for the upper layer to 200 m depth by using data from eleven observations of CTD and ADCP between March 1992 and November 1993 in the southwestern part of the East Sea. First-order linear relationship was found between calculated geostrophic currents and measured currents with the correlation coefficient of 0.83. On the average, 68.7% of directly measured current can be explained by geostrophic current obtained by dynamic method. The correlation coeflicients increased with total geostrophic transport, which suggests that geostrophic balance is good in areas of strong current.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.610-614
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• 2002

Time-mean and absolute geostrophic velocities of the Kuroshio current south of Japan are derived from TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data using a Gaussian jet model. When compared with simultaneous measurements from a shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) at two intersection points, the altimetric and ADCP absolute velocities correlate well with the correlation of 0.55 to 0.74. The time-mean velocity is accurate to 1 cm s$^{-1}$ to 5 cm s$^{-1}$. The errors in the absolute and the mean velocities are similar to those reported previously far other currents. The comparable performance suggests the Gaussian jet model is a promising methodology for determining absolute geostrophic velocities, noting that in this region the Kuroshio does not meander sufficiently, which provides unfavorable environment for the performance of the Gaussian jet model.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.243-253
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• 2002

Time-mean and absolute geostrophic velocities of the Kuroshio current south of Japan are derived from TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data using a Gaussian jet model. When compared with simultaneous measurements from a shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) at two intersection points, the altimetric and ADCP absolute velocities correlate well with the correlation coefficient of 0.55 to 0.74. The accuracy of time-mean velocity ranges from 1 cm s$^{-1}$ to 5 cm s$^{-1}$. The errors in the absolute and the mean velocities are similar to those reported previously for other currents. The comparable performance suggests the Gaussian jet model is a promising methodology for determining absolute geostrophic velocities, noting that in this region the Kuroshio does not meander sufficiently and thus provides unfavorable environment for the performance of the Gaussian jet model.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.352-355
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• 2006

In this study, the seasonal and inter-annual variation of sea surface current in the Gulf of Thailand were revealed through the use of WOD temperature and salinity data and monthly sea surface dynamic heights (SSDH) from TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-2 altimetry data during 1995-2001. The mean dynamic height and mean geostrohic current were derived from the climatological data while SSDH data gave monthly dynamic heights and their geopstrophic currents. The mean geostrophic current showed strong southward and westward flow of South China Sea water along the gulf entrance. Counterclockwise eddy in the inner gulf and the western side of the gulf entrance associated with upwelling in the area. Seasonal geostrophic currents show basin-wide counterclockwise circulation during the southwest monsoon season and clockwise circulation during the northeast monsoon season. Upwelling was enhanced during the southwest monsoon season. The circulation patterns varied seasonally and inter-annually probably due to the variation in wind regime. And finally we found that congregation, spawning, and migration routes of short-bodied mackerel conform well with coastal upwelling and surface circulation in the gulf.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.225-242
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• 2012

This is the first attempt to produce simultaneous surface current field from satellite altimeter data for the entire East Sea and to provide surface current information to users with formal description. It is possible to estimate surface geostrophic current field in near real-time because satellite altimeters and coastal tide gauges supply sea level data for the whole East Sea. Strength and location of the major currents and meso-scale eddies can be identified from the estimated surface geostrophic current field. The mean locations of major surface currents were explicated relative to topographic, ocean-surface and undersea features with schematic representation of surface circulation. In order to demonstrate the practical use of this surface current information, exemplary descriptions of annual, seasonal and monthly mean surface geostrophic current distributions were presented. In order to objectively classify surface circulation patterns in the East Sea, empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was performed on the estimated 16-year (1993-2008) surface current data. The first mode was associated with intensification or weakening of the East Korea Warm Current (EKWC) flowing northward along the east coast of Korea and of the anti-cyclonic circulation southwest of Yamato Basin. The second mode was associated with meandering paths of the EKWC in the southern East Sea with wavelength of 300 km. The first and second modes had inter-annual variations. The East Sea surface circulation was classified as inertial boundary current pattern, Tsushima Warm Current pattern, meandering pattern, and Offshore Branch pattern by the time coefficient of the first two EOF modes.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2001

Ocean currents estimated from sea height anomalies derived from inter-calibrated TP/ERS are compared with daily mean currents measured with satellite-tracked drifters. The correlation coefficient between the geostrophic current from TP/ERS and surface current at 15 m depth from drifter tracks was found to be about 0.5. Due to the limitation of satellite ground tracks, small scale eddies less than 80 km are poorly resolved from TP/ERS. One of the interesting results of this study is that coastal currents along the eastern coast of Korea were well reproduced from sea height anomalies when the coastal currents were developed in association with eddies near the South Korean coast. The eddy kinetic energy (EKE) estimated from drifters, TP/ERS, and a numerical model are also compared. The EKE estimated from drifters was about 22 % higher than EKE calculated from TP/ERS. The pattern of low EKE level in the northern basin and high EKE level in the southern East Sea is shown in the EKE estimates derived from both the drifters and TP/ERS.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 2005

A simple analytical model is considered in an attempt to demonstrate a formation mechanism of the abyssal current in the East Sea. In this model, the abyssal currents are driven by wind through an outcrop region and flow along closed geostrophic contours. A rough estimate of the abyssal currents, arrived at by applying this model to the region of deep mixing in the East Sea, gives currents comparable to those observed, although there is an uncertainty in the surface area of the outcrop region. It seems that the spin-up of deep water by wind forcing through the region of deep winter mixing is, at least partly, an important contribution to the formation of the abyssal currents in the East Sea.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.161-169
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• 2016

The interannual variability of the water masses was analyzed from the CTD data measured in the tropical northwestern Pacific from 2006 to 2014. There are two typical water masses NPTW and NPIW that reveal the interannual variability in the survey area, in addition to two other water masses; the surface water mass TSW with a large seasonal variability and the deep water mass AACDW with a constant temperature-salinity characteristic at the depths deeper than 2,000 meters. In 2012 and 2014 NPTW was the most widely extended horizontally and thicker than 100 meters vertically, which was found over the entire survey area. However, NPTW was reduced and became much narrower in 2009 than in the other years. NPIW seemed to expand southwards from the north of $21^{\circ}N$ to $15^{\circ}N$ in 2008 and in 2012, which showed the salinity minimum in 2013 (< 34.15 psu). The sea surface height estimated by Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT) approximately along $135^{\circ}E$ section showed the high peaks (> $1.45dyn{\cdot}m$) between $16^{\circ}N$ and $18^{\circ}N$ during the periods between 2007 and 2009 and between 2012 and 2013; the former peak lasted wider and longer in latitude and time (about three times) than the latter. The vertical section of the geostrophic currents in the upper 1,000 meters shows that there was a mesoscale pattern of repeated eastward and westward flows a few times in some years (2010 and 2014), which seemed to disappear in some other years (2008 and 2012); the former was closely related to the mesoscale eddies and the latter implied the pattern with the permanent currents. The persistent eastward flow between $17^{\circ}N$ and $19^{\circ}N$ seems to be related to the Subtropical Countercurrent (STCC).

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1385-1395
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• 2010

Harmful dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms have been frequently occurred in coastal areas of the East Sea since 1995. We compared the oceanic conditions in years 1995, 2001 and 2003 when the C. polykrikoides bloom was strong, and in years 1998 and 2004 when the C. polykrikoides bloom was not appeared. We studied temporal and spatial variation of upwelling and geostrophic currents on the western channel of Korean Strait, an entrance of the East Sea. The period and occurrence area of C. polykrikoides bloom was depended on variation of upwelling in summer. In the distributions of geostrophic current, southward current was dominant near the coast in August, 1998 and 2000. Whereas northward current was dominant near and off the coast in August, 1995 and 2003 which the C. polykrikoides bloom was strong. When compared dominant phytoplankton of the coastal areas in each year, Kuroshio indicator species Proboscia alata and Chaetoceros affine were dominant, respectively, in 2001 and 2003 at every stations. However, the dominant species was variable at each coastal area in 1998 and 2000. In 2003, the abundance of Sagitta elegans which is known as the cold water indicator was low, but the abundance of S. enflata, warm water indicator, was very high in Gangneung compared to Sokcho. It seemed that the distribution of S. elegans is restricted by strong warm water current. In conclusion, it was estimated that the distribution of C. polykrikoides bloom in the coastal area of the East Sea was closely related with the strength of East Korea Warm Current and upwelling.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.23-29
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• 2010

Korean shipbuilding companies have sometimes carried out sea trials to measure a vessel's speed performance around the western channel of the Straits of Korea, where the flow fields are very complicated because of the effect of various flows such as sea, tidal, geostrophic, and wind-driven currents. Because these flows seem to present significant interference to a ship, the numerical reproduction of the flow-fields in the vicinity of the target sites could provide a better understanding of the sea environments while performing sea trials. In this study, we used the MEC ocean model to simulate the tidal currents around Tsushima Island and compared the simulated tidal amplitudes and currents with the measurements of Teague et al. (2001). The tidal amplitudes of the present simulation results agreed well with the observations. Based on the numerical simulation, the optimal direction and proper sites for a speed trial are described.