Lagrangian Observations of Currents in the Coastal Regions off East Coast of Korea

라그랑쥐 측류에 의한 동해 연안역 유동특성 관측

We measured lagrangian currents in the coastal regions off east coast of Korea. The experiment sites are the Ulijin region where Polar Front of the East Sea is formed and the Ulgi region where coastal upwelling occurs frequently in summer. Each drifters are equipped with GPS receiver, and their trajectories are montiored by receiving the data transmitted from drifters through radio signal. The experiment with 'transmitting' GPS is very useful in monitering flows in coastal regions. Trajectories of drifters in the Uljin Polar Front region in October 1994 showed counterclockwise flow pattern. The flow pattern agrees with the SST distributions obtained from NOAA-11 AVHRR image for the same period. The lagrangian trajectories of drifters at 5m and 15m depths in the Ulgi region for normal period of April 1995 showed that the currents at the top 15m layer are almost uniform and their magnitude is 29cm/s. However, the currents, measured by KORDI, during the upwelling period of June 1994 showed that the currents at 5m depth were 1.2 times stronger than those at 15m depth. The current pattern in the Ulgi upwelling region agrees with the horizontal and vertical distributions of seawater temperature measured by NFRDA at the same period.