• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.296-301
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• 1998

The physical and chemical characteristics were examined in the southern sea of Korea including the Cheju Strait, and the entrance of the Korea Strait in the period of May 30 to June 8, 1995. The results are as follows. Firstly, the variation ranges of the temperature and salinity at the Cheju Stratit during 24 hours observation were larger in the surface layer than that in the deep layers. Secondly, daily variations of nutrients show that total inorganic nitrogen, phosphate phosphorous, and silicate silicon concentration are higher at night than at day. Thirdly, water temperature and salinity distributions show highest values at the entrance of Korea Strait, which is thought to be influenced directly by Tsushima Warm Current, while they show the lowest values in Cheju Strait. This means that the surface waters in Korea Strait are greatly influenced from the entrance of Korea Strait and bottom waters is greatly influenced from Cheju Strait. Fourthly, nutrients distribution shows highest values in Korea Strait but dissolved oxygen shows lowest values in the area. These seem to be caused by the oxygen consumption used in the inorganization of nutrients to decompose organisms and the liquidation of nutrients.