• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.91-109
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• 2022

The ocean is a significant sink for atmospheric anthropogenic CO₂, absorbing one-third of the total CO₂ emitted by human activities. In return, oceans have experienced significant declines in seawater pH and the aragonite saturation state also called ocean acidification. This study evaluates the distribution of aragonite saturation state, an indicator to assess the potential threat from ocean acidification, by combining newly obtained data from the west coast of South Korea with previous datasets covering the Yellow Sea, East Sea, northern South China Sea, and southeast coast of South Korea. In general, offshore waters absorb atmospheric CO₂; however, most of the collected water samples show aragonite oversaturation. On the southeast coast, the aragonite saturation state was significantly affected by river discharge and associated variables, such as freshwater input with nutrients, seasonal stratification, biological carbon fixation, and bacterial remineralization. In summer, hypoxia and mixing with relatively acidic freshwater made the Jinhae and Gwangyang Bays undersaturated with respect to aragonite, possibly threatening marine organisms with CaCO₃ shells. However, widespread aragonite undersaturation was not observed on the west coast, which receives considerable river water discharge. In addition, occasional upwelling events may have worsened the ocean acidification in the southwestern part of the East Sea. These results highlight the importance of investigating site-specific ocean acidification processes in coastal waters. Along with the above-mentioned seasonal factors, the dissolution of atmospheric CO₂ and the deposition of atmospheric acidic substances will continue to reduce the aragonite saturation state in Korean waters. To protect marine ecosystems and resources, an ocean acidification monitoring program should be established for Korean waters.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2024

The southwestern part of the East Sea is known to have a high primary productivity compared to those in the northern and eastern parts, which is attributed to nutrients supplies either by Tsushima Warm Current or by coastal upwelling. However, research on the biological pump in this area is limited. We developed machine learning models to estimate net community production (NCP), a measure of biological pump, with high spatial and time scales of 4 km and 8 days, respectively. The models were fed with the input parameters of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a, mixed layer depths, and photosynthetically active radiation and trained with observed NCP derived from high resolution measurements of surface O₂/Ar. The root mean square error between the predicted values by the best performing machine model and the observed NCP was 6 mmol O₂ m^-2 d^-1, corresponding to 15% of the average of observed NCP. The NCP in the central part of the Ulleung Basin was highest in March at 49 mmol O₂ m^-2 d^-1 and lowest in June and July at 18 mmol O₂ m^-2 d^-1. These seasonal variations were similar to the vertical nitrate flux based on the ³He gas exchange rate and to the particulate organic carbon flux estimated by the ²³⁴Th disequilibrium method. To expand this method, which produces NCP estimate for spring and summer, to autumn and winter, it is necessary to devise a way to correct bias in NCP by the entrainment of subsurface waters during the seasons.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.13-24
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• 1986

The daily net primary production by phytoplankton in the southeastern sea of Korea in October 1985 ranged from 0.7 to 2.7 gCm$\^$-2/ d$\^$-1/ and averaged to be 1.3 gCm$\^$-2/ d$\^$-1/. Surface total chlorophyll ranged from 0.97 to 3.59mg chlm$\^$-3/. Primary production by nano-phytoplankton(〈20$\mu\textrm{m}$) ranged from 43 to 97% in the surface layer. Optimum light intensity(Iopt)was around 300 to 700${\mu}$Es$\^$-1/m$\^$-1/. Surface primary production from 9:00 to 15:00 h was evidently inhibited by strong light intensity beyond the Iopt. Phytoplankton near the base of euphotic zone(30-40m) showed extremely low Iopt suggesting adaptation to a low light environment. Since Iopt represents the history of light experience of phytoplankton at a given depth, the extent of variation in I of phytoplankton at different depth seems to be related to the in tensity of turbulence mixing in the surface mixed layer. From the present study, ammonium excretion by macrozooplankton (〉350$\mu\textrm{m}$) contributes from 3 to 19% of daily total nitrogen requirement by phytoplandton in this area. Calculation of upward flux of nitrate to the surface mixed layer from the lower layer, based on the simple diffusion model, approximates 3% of nitrogen requirement by phytoplankton. However, large portion of nitrogen requirement by phytoplankton remains unexplained in this area. In upwelling area near the coast, adjective flux might be the major source for the nitrogen requirement by phytoplankton. This study suggests that the major nitrogen source for the phytoplankton growth might come from the pelagic regeneration by nano-and micro-sized heterotrophic plandkon. Enhancement of primary production during the passage of the warm Tsushima Current is discussed in relation with nutrient dynamics and hydrlgraphic processes in this area.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.632-645
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• 2021

Satellite sea surface temperature (SST) composites provide important data for numerical forecasting models and for research on global warming and climate change. In this study, six types of representative SST composite database were collected from 2007 to 2018 and the characteristics of spatial structures of SSTs were analyzed in seas around the Korean Peninsula. The SST composite data were compared with time series of in-situ measurements from ocean meteorological buoys of the Korea Meteorological Administration by analyzing the maximum value of the errors and its occurrence time at each buoy station. High differences between the SST data and in-situ measurements were detected in the western coastal stations, in particular Deokjeokdo and Chilbaldo, with a dominant annual or semi-annual cycle. In Pohang buoy, a high SST difference was observed in the summer of 2013, when cold water appeared in the surface layer due to strong upwelling. As a result of spectrum analysis of the time series SST data, daily satellite SSTs showed similar spectral energy from in-situ measurements at periods longer than one month approximately. On the other hand, the difference of spectral energy between the satellite SSTs and in-situ temperature tended to magnify as the temporal frequency increased. This suggests a possibility that satellite SST composite data may not adequately express the temporal variability of SST in the near-coastal area. The fronts from satellite SST images revealed the differences among the SST databases in terms of spatial structure and magnitude of the oceanic fronts. The spatial scale expressed by the SST composite field was investigated through spatial spectral analysis. As a result, the high-resolution SST composite images expressed the spatial structures of mesoscale ocean phenomena better than other low-resolution SST images. Therefore, in order to express the actual mesoscale ocean phenomenon in more detail, it is necessary to develop more advanced techniques for producing the SST composites.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.266-274
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• 1999

Vertical CTDT measurement at one point near tidewater glacier of fjord-head in Marian Cove, a tributary embayment of Maxwell Bay, South Shetland Islands was performed for 24 hours during the austral summer (January 21-22, 1998) to present water-column properties and SPM (suspended particulate matter) dispersal pattern in subpolar glaciomarine setting. Marian Cove shows three distinct water layers: 1) cold, freshened, and highly turbid surface plume in the upper 2 m, 2) warm, saline, and relatively clean Maxwell Bay water between 15-35 m in water depth, and 3) cold and turbid mid plume between 40-65 m in water depth. The surface plume is composed of silt-sized clastie particles mixed with flocculated biogenic detritus, and appears to originate from either supraglacial discharge by meltwater streams along the coast or water fall of ice cliff. Freshened and turbid mid plume consists exclusively of silt-sized clastic particles, resulting from subglacial discharge beneath the tidewater glacier. The disappearance of the two turbid plumes during the earlier period of measurement seems to be largely due to the breakup of the plumes by upwelling caused by strong easterly wind (> 8 m $sec^{-1}$). Thus, wind coupling over tidal effects regionally plays a major role in dispersal pattern of SPM as well as water exchange in Marian Cove.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.100-110
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• 2005

We carried oui a study on the marine environment and distribution of phytoplankton community, such as chlorophyll a, species composition, dominant species and standing crops in the Northern East China Sea during early summer of 2004. According to the analysis of a T-S diagram, three characteristics of water masses were identified. We classified them into the coastal water mass, the cold water mass and the oceanic water mass. The first was characterized by the low temperature and the low salinity originated from China territory, the secondary was characterized by the low temperature, the low salinity and the high density originated from bottom cold water of Yellow Sea, and the third was done by the high temperature and salinity originated from Tsushima warm current. The internal discontinuous layer among them was farmed at the intermediate depth (about $5{\sim}30m$ layer). And the thermal front by upwelling region between the cold water mass and Tsushima warm current appeared in the central parts of the South Sea of Korea. The Phytoplankton community in the surface and stratified layers was a total of 44 species belonging to 26 genera. Dominant species were Prorocentrum triestinum, Scrippsiella trochoidea, Skeletonema costatum & Leptocylindrus mediterraneus. Standing crops of phytoplankton in the surface layer fluctuated between $0.3{\times}10^3$ cells/L and $10.8{\times}10^3$ cells/L. Diatoms appeared mainly in the Tsushima warm current regions, and flagellates occurred in the frontal zone and the low salinity regions where was the transfer areas of Chinese continental coastal waters. Chlorophyll a concentration by controlled phytoflagellate ratio in the South Sea of Korea was high values in the frontal zone and sub-surface layer. It was high concentration in the upwelling and coastal waters regions, but low concentration in the Tsushima warm current regions. The Chl-a maximum layers appeared in the thermochline depth or sub-surface layer lower than thermocline. The phytoplankton production in the South Sea of Korea was controlled by the expanded coastal waters of Chinese Continent which include a high concentrations of nutrients.