• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.133-142
• /
• 2009

In order to understand the present environmental condition and future impingement of Changjiang(Yangtze River) outflow upon the adjacent seas after the scheduled completion of the Sanxia (Three Gorges) Dam in 2009, we tried to estimate the mixing ratios among surface waters of three end-members: Changjiang Water (CW), Kuroshio Water (KW), and East China Sea Water (ECSW) using $^{228}Ra/^{226}Ra$ activity ratio and salinity as tracers. Water samples were collected from 32 stations in November 2005 (R/V Tamgu 3), from 20 stations in July 2006 (R/V Ocean 2000) and from 17 stations in August 2006 (R/V Ieodo) in the northern part of the East China Sea. Radium isotopes in ~300 liters of surface seawater were extracted onboard by filtering through manganese impregnated acrylic fibers and following coprecipitation as $Ba(Ra)SO_4$. Activities of radium isotopes were determined by a high purity germanium detector. Results show that the fraction of CW was in the range of 1-23% in the study area, while KW was in the range of 0-30 % and ECSW 58-100 %. The eastward plume of Changjiang outflow, commonly observed in satellite images during summer and also displayed by the eastward-decreasing CW fraction in this study, could be attributed to Ekman transport caused by the SE monsoon prevailing in this region during summer. Results of this study showed that in the drought season, there was a little or no fraction of CW in the study area. Concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) showed strong positive relationship with the fraction of CW, suggesting Changjiang as the major source of nitrogen. The mixing curve of DIN indicates the removal of nitrate by biological uptake during the mixing of CW with ambient seawater in the study area.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.235-247
• /
• 2019

The Central South Sea Mud (CSSM), developed in the Seomjin River estuary, is known to be supplied with sediments from Heuksan Mud Belt (HMB) and Seomjin River. However, in order to form a mud belt, more sediments must be supplied than supplied in the above areas. Therefore, research on additional sources should be conducted. In this study, clay minerals, major elements analyzes were performed on cores 16PCT-GC01 and 16PCT-GC03 in order to investigate the transition in the provenance and transport pathway of sediments in CSSM. The Huanghe sediments are characterized by higher smectite and the Changjiang sediments are characterized by higher illite. Korean river sediments contain more kaolinite and chlorite than those of chinese rivers. Korean river sediments have higher Al, Fe, K concentraion than Chinese river sediments and Chinese rivers have higher Ca, Mg, Na than those of Korean rivers. Therefore, clay minerals and major elements can be a useful indicator for provenance. Based on our results, CSSM can be divided into three sediment units. Unit 3, which corresponds to the lowstand stage, is interpreted that sediments from Huanghe were supplied to the study area by coastal or tidal currents. Unit 2, which corresponds to the transgressive stage, is interpreted to have a weaker Huanghe effect and a stronger Changjiang and Korean rivers effect. Unit 1, which corresponds to the highstand stage when the sea level is the same as present and current circulation system is formed, is interpreted that sediments from Changjiang and Korean rivers are supplied to the research area through the current.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2004

The clay minerals of thirty-four bottom sediments collected from the northwestern continental shelf of the East China Sea have been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The clay mineral distribution is mainly controlled by the sediment source and the dominant circulation pattern. The predominant clay mineral in our study area is illite comprising more-than 70% of whole clay fraction. The highest concentration of illite (>72%) is found in the southeastern offshore parts beyond the reach of terrigenous input from the Cheju Island. It means that these illites are largely transported by the Kuroshio Current from the South China Sea. Smectite is highly concentrated in the northwest middle part and in the outer-shelf mud patch. It seems to be due to the high supply of smectite transported from China where the fine-grained sediments are discharged from the modern and ancient Huanghe River. The relatively high abundance of kaolinite is likely derived from the Changjiang River via Taiwan ·Warm Current. In contrast, the large amounts of chlorite and high chlorite/kaolinite ratios occur in the northwestern are, reflecting the transportation by the Huanghai Sea Coastal Current from the southern Yellow Sea.

• Ocean Science Journal
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.125-137
• /
• 2006

Nutrients, chlorophyll-a, particulate organic carbon (POC), and environmental conditions were extensively investigated in the northern East China Sea (ECS) near Cheju Island during three seasonal cruises from 2003 to 2005. In spring and autumn, relatively high concentrations of nitrate ($2.6{\sim}12.4\;{\mu}mol\;kg^{-1}$) and phosphate ($0.17{\sim}0.61\;{\mu}mol\;kg^{-1}$) were observed in the surface waters in the western part of the study area because of the large supply of nutrients from deep waters by vertical mixing. The surface concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in summer were much lower than those in spring and autumn, which is ascribed to a reduced nutrient supply from the deep waters in summer because of surface layer stratification. While previous studies indicate that upwellings of the Kuroshio Current and the Changjiang (Yangtze River) are main sources of nutrients in the ECS, these two inputs seem not to have contributed significantly to the build-up of nutrients in the northern ECS during the time of this study. The lower nitrate:phosphate (N:P) ratio in the surface waters and the positive correlation between the surface N:P ratio and nitrate concentration indicate that nitrate acts as a main nutrient limiting phytoplankton growth in the northern ECS, contrary to previous reports of phosphate-limited phytoplankton growth in the ECS. This difference arises because most surface water nutrients are supplied by vertical mixing from deep waters with low N:P ratios and are not directly influenced by the Changjiang, which has a high N:P ratio. Surface chlorophyll-a levels showed large seasonal variation, with high concentrations ($0.38{\sim}4.14\;mg\;m^{-3}$) in spring and autumn and low concentrations ($0.22{\sim}1.05\;mg\;m^{-3}$) in summer. The surface distribution of chlorophyll-a coincided fairly well with that of nitrate in the northern ECS, implying that nitrate is an important nutrient controlling phytoplankton biomass. The POC:chlorophyll-a ratio was $4{\sim}6$ times higher in summer than in spring and autumn, presumably because of the high summer phytoplankton death rate caused by nutrient depletion in the surface waters.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.4 no.3
• /
• pp.120-129
• /
• 2001

Thirty-six dinoflagellate cysts, representing 15 genera were identified in the surface sediments obtained from the northwestern East China Sea. Three cyst morphotypes found in this survey have not previously been described in the East China Sea and adjacent waters: Seleno­pemphix sp. 2, Selenopemphix sp. 3 and Trinovantedinium sp. 1. In the northwestern East China Sea, Operculodinium centrocarpum, Spiniferites bulloideus and ellipsoidal cysts of Alexandrium were commonly observed. Moreover, it was recognized that the ellipsoidal cysts of Alexandrium, whose motile cells of A tamarense and/or A catenella are responsible to paralytic shellfish poisoning, distributed not only restricted to the coastal areas but also to the offshore stations far from the Changjiang River mouth.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.175-182
• /
• 1998

Recently it is reported that anomalously low saline surface waters (salinity < 32) occurred at the Ulleung Basin in the East Sea-Japan Sea, during early September to November 1996. Apparent source of such a low saline watermass seems remotely linked to the Changjiang Dilute Water (CDW), which expands to the vicinity of Cheju Island during a flood season. Based on the assumption that waters passing through the Western Channel of the Korea Strait are formed by a mixing of Kuroshio Water and CDW, simplified two end-member mixing model using $^{228}Ra/^{226}Ra$ as a conservative tracer is applied to calculate the contribution of each end member for the formation of low saline surface seawater. Model calculations show CDW contributes $58{\pm}3%$ in September 1996 (S=32.17) and $10{\pm}3%$ in February 1997 (S=34.53) in the formation of surface water flowing into the Western Channel of the Korea Strait. Although results arc deduced from a simplified model with limited data, this study demonstrates that Changjiang discharge is clearly traceable to the interior of the East Sea-Japan Sea in fall season. Undergoing Three Valley Dam construction in the Changjiang River would invoke inevitable changes in the nature and discharge of CDW and its impacts on the marine environment might be significant in the northern East China Sea and even in the Ulleng Basin for coming decades.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.225-234
• /
• 2006

Using the data from the sea water monitoring system installed at the Ieodo Ocean Research Station, we have analyzed the water properties around the station as well as the characteristics of the fresh water from the Changjiang River and the influence of typhoons on the sea water. In general, the accuracy and stability of the temperature data are high, but those of the salinity data are worse than the specification of the instruments. The daily variation of temperature and salinity is mainly controlled by the vertical motion of a water column due to semi-diurnal tide and diurnal change in the solar insolation. Seasonal change is prominent in temperature data. The freshwater from the Changjiang River is the main cause of large salinity variation. In August 2003 and August 2004, about 10 days before fresh water was observed near the Jeju Island, low salinity water was observed at the Ieodo Station. On the other hand, in July 2005 fresh water was observed at the station but not at around the Jeju Island. In other words, the fresh water observed at the Ieodo Station does not always expand to the Jeju Island. Two strong typhoons passed by the station in September 2003 and August 2004. The effects of the typhoons were lasted for 3 to 4 days.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.16-24
• /
• 2023

The salinity of sea water is known as a less influencing variable in the calculation of the sound speed of the sea water. This study investigated how the low salinity of sea water affects the vertical structure of the sound speed near the mouth of the Yangtze (Changjiang) River when the diluted fresh water extends toward the East China Sea in the summer. As a result of comparing two types of sound speeds considered measured and fixed salinity, sound speeds appeared distinguishable when the halocline formed steeper than the thermocline due to Yangtze-River Diluted Water (YRDW). In addition, unlikely with fixed salinity conditions, when measured salinity was considered, an underwater sound channel appeared in the middle of the thermocline of which the source depth is located. Accordingly, considering the salinity, this study suggests using Expendable Conductivity Temperature Depth (XCTD) and Expendable Sound Velocimeter (XSV) rather than Expandable Bathy Thermograph (XBT) when calculating sound speed because of the strong halocline due to YRDW in the summer.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.207-218
• /
• 2017

Seawater with salinity of 32.5 psu or less is observed in the southern Japan/East Sea (JES) every autumn. It is confined to a surface layer 30-45 m in depth that expands to cover the entire JES in October. Two sources of "autumn low-salinity water" have been identified from historical hydrographic data in the western JES: East China Sea (ECS) water mixed with fresh water discharge from the Yangtze River (Changjiang) and seawater diluted with melted sea ice in the northern JES. Low-salinity water inflow from the ECS begins in June and reaches its peak in September. Low-salinity water from the northern JES expands southward along the coast, and its horizontal distribution varies among years. A rare observational study of the entire JES in October 1969 indicated that water with salinity less than 33.0 psu covered the southwestern JES; the lowest salinity water was found near the Ulleung Basin. In October 1995, the vertical distribution of salinity observed in a meridional section revealed that water with salinity of 33.6 psu or less was present in the area north of the subpolar front.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.219-229
• /
• 2009

In order to establish annual variations in the marine ecosystem of the East China Sea, suspended solids (SSs) and particulate organic carbon (POC) were extensively investigated in the northern part of the East China Sea from August 2003 to April 2008. Surface SS concentrations showed large spatial variations in spring and fall, but not in summer. Surface SS concentrations in spring were lower than those in summer and fall. In summer, SSs discharged from Changjiang were mostly deposited in the coastal areas and did not reach our study area which was located about 260 km from the river mouth. High SS concentrations were observed near the bottom, which resulted from resuspension of bottom sediments by the bottom currents. Surface POC concentrations did not exhibited large seasonal variations. Phytoplankton biomass was a main factor controlling surface POC concentrations. POC/chlorophyll ratios showed large seasonal variations, with maximum numbers in summer. POC/PON ratios were higher in summer than the Redefied ratio (6.6), while they were lower in spring and fall. In summer, higher POC/chlorophyll and POC/PON ratios were probably attributed to the high phytoplankton mortality caused by nutrient depletion in surface waters.