• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.156-164
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• 2018

In order to investigate the upwelling and island effects following the wind storm events in the East Sea (i.e., Uljin-Ulleungdo-Dokdo line) during spring, we assessed the vertical and horizontal profiles of abiotic and biotic factors, including phytoplankton communities. The assessment was based on the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) and field survey data. A strong south wind occurred on May 3, when the lowest sea level pressure (987.3 hPa) in 2016 was observed. Interestingly, after this event, huge blooms of phytoplankton were observed on May 12 along the East Korean Warm Current (EKWC), including the in the offshore waters of Ulleungdo and Dokdo. Although the diatoms dominated the EKWC area between the Uljin coastal waters and Ulleungdo, the population density of raphidophytes Heterosigma akashiwo was high in the offshore waters of Ulleungdo-Dokdo. Based on the vertical profiles of Chlorophyll-a (Chl. a), the sub-surface Chl. a maximum appeared at 20 m depths between Uljin and Ulluengdo, whereas relatively high Chl. a was distributed equally across the entire water column around the waters of Ulleungdo and Dokdo islands. This implies that the water mixing (i.e., upwelling) at the two islands, that occurred after the strong wind event, may have brought the rapid proliferation of autotrophic algae, with nutrient input, to the euphotic layer. Therefore, we have demonstrated that a strong south wind caused the upwelling event around the south-eastern Korean peninsula, which is one of the most important role in occurring the spring phytoplankton blooms along the EKWC. In addition, the phytoplankton blooms may have potentially influenced the oligotrophic waters with discrete time lags in the vicinity of Ulleungdo and Dokdo. This indicates that the phytoplankton community structure in the offshore waters of Ulleungdo-Dokdo is dependent upon the complicated water masses moving related to meandering of the EKWC.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 1982

In order to analyze the formation mechanism for the fishing ground of the Gang-dal-i, the relationship between the fish grounds of the Gang-dal-i and the oceanographic structure of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea is investigated by using the data of the catches of stow net fishery (Fisheries Research and Development Agency, 1970-1979) and the oceanographic observation data (Japan Meteorological Agency). The main fishing grounds of the Gang-dal-i concentrated in the adjacent seas of Daeheugsan island and Sokotra Rock. In these areas, the fishing conditions are generally stable, because about 70% of the total catch of the Gang-dal-i for the ten years is occupied, CPUE also is relatively great, and the coefficients of variation of the catches are relatively small as 0.9 to 1.4. The main fishing periods are roughly from February to March and June to July, and the years of good catches are from 1974 to 1976. In general, the main fishing grounds are formed in the marginal areas of the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water. They are the frontal areas in which the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water is intermixed with the Yellow Sea Warm Current. The range of the temperature and the salinity in these regions are from 10 to 13$^{\circ}C$ and 32.5 to 34.4$\textperthousand$, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 1982

The East China Sea and the Yellow Sea are abundant in nutritions because of river inflows and are important as the nursery and spawning grounds of demersal and pelagic fishes. The remarkable thermal front between the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water and the Tsushima Warm Current is formed in this region, and the fluctuation of this front may affect the variation of the yellow croaker fishing ground. To investigate the mechanism of the yellow croaker fishing ground, the distribution ana seasonal change of the fishing ground are examined by using catch of stow net fishery (Fisheries Research and Development Agency, 1970-1979) and the water temperature data (Japan Hydrographic Association, 1978). The main fishing ground of yellow croaker was nine sea areas (rectangle of 30' latitude by 30' longitude) located at 40-150 nautical miles west and southwest of Jeju Island, the area of which occupies no more than $11\%$ of all fishing grounds, and it appeared that about $70\%$ of total catch of ten years was concentrated in this area. The main fishing periods were from March to May and September to October. The coefficients of variation of the catch for the main fishing ground were from 0.8 to 2.1 and the condition of all fishing grounds was generally unstable. The mean CPUE was 27kg/haul at the main fishing ground, while it was the largest on boundary area of the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water. It was found that the seasonal movement of fishing ground is related to the expansion and reduction of the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water ($10^{\circ}C$).

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.124-131
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• 2008

This study was conducted around the southwest sea areas of Jeju and coastal sea areas of China in August 2003 and September 2004 to research distribution patterns of dissolved inorganic nutrients, dissolved and particulate organic carbon. Distribution patterns of nutrients in the East China Sea in summer were shown to be influenced by water masses and phytoplankton. Water masses in the East China Sea in summer, except for coastal sea areas of china, showed less vertical mixing process, causing decline in the inflow of nutrients to surface water. Bottom water, however, showed high concentration, since nutrients made by dissolved organic matters from surface water were accumulated at the bottom. Sea areas with high concentration of chlorophyll a showed low concentration of nutrients and vice versa, indicating biological activities control dissolved inorganic nutrients. The distribution of dissolved organic carbon didn't show any correlation with salinity, temperatures, and water masses. Areas around the river mouth of the Changjiang showed high concentration of dissolved organic carbon more than $100{\mu}M$, but relatively low concentration in the southwest sea areas of Jeju, indicating that the river mouth of the Changjiang coastal water has a great influence on dissolved organic carbon in the East China Sea. Distribution patterns of particulate organic carbon in the research areas showed the highest concentration of average $9.23{\mu}M$ in coastal areas of China influenced by the river mouth of the Changjiang coastal water. By comparison, the concentration was relatively low at $3.04{\mu}M$ in the southeast sea areas of Jeju on which the Taiwan warm current has influence, and was $7.23{\mu}M$ in the central sea areas of Jeju. Thus, there is much indication that the river mouth of the Changjiang coastal water serves as a supplier of particulate organic carbon along with autogenous source. In general, if particulate organic carbon has a high correlation with the concentration of Chlorophyll a, it is thought that it is originated from autogenous source. However, the southeast sea areas of Jeju shows low salinity below 30, therefore it is proper to think that its origin is terrestrial source rather than that of autogenesis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.117-134
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• 1998

The study on the Assembling Mechanism of the Hairtail, Trichiurus lenpturus, at the Fishing Grounds of the Cheju Strait had been investigated by analyzing the relationship of the oceanographic conditions and the fishing ground of the Hairtail in the Cheju Strait. 1. The fishing grounds of the hairtail at the Cheju Strait are formed at the bottom of a high temperature of the tidal front at the coast. area of northern Cheju Island, the tip of the linguiform is high in salinity at the eastern and western entrances of Cheju Island, low salinity eddy on the surface and its surrounding front, various water masses in the Strait and coastal waters of the South Sea in Korea. 2. The fishing grounds of the Hairtail at the Cheju Strait begins with the sea surface temperature higher than $15^{\circ}C$ and the incoming of low salinity water now from the East China Sea. 3. Estimation of optimum temperature and salinity per season based upon analysis for relationship between temperature of water and salinity of the bottom layer and the catch is : 15.2~$16.4^{\circ}C$, 34.20~34.40${\textperthousand}$ in spring(June); 14.4~ $17.0^{\circ}C$, 33.70~34.30${\textperthousand}$ in summer(July~September); and 15.7~ $18.6^{\circ}C$, 33.70~34.50$\textperthousand$ in autumn(October~December). Hairtail are mostly caught at the Yellow Sea Warm Current and Tsushima Current with temperature over $14.5^{\circ}C$ and salinity over 33.70${\textperthousand}$ at the bottom layers of the Cheju Strait. 4. Considering the relationship between the amount of hairtail catch and the water temperature of bottom layer, when the bottom water being above $14.0^{\circ}C$ flowed into Cheju Strait through the western entrance of the strait in summer, the ca-h appears to have been abundant. In contrast, the catch has been poor when the temperature of such water was recorded to be below $13^{\circ}C$ Therefore, distribution patterns of water at the bottom layer can be used as a forecast index whether the catch of a certain year will be good or poor.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.185-192
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• 1991

The vertical distribution and chemical characteristics of water masses were measured along two south-north transects in the polar front region of the central Korean East Sea. In February, a thermocline was present at depth between 50m and loom at the southern sites of a landward A-transect, and its depth was gradually deepened northward. At an outside B-transect, a thermocline was observed at significantly deep depth of 300m to 400m at two northern stations(Stn. 10 and 11), though the depth of the southward stations was nearly identical to that at the northward stations on a A-transect. In September, there were vertically more various water masses, i.e. the Tsushima Warm surface water(TWSW) or more than $20^{\circ}C$, the Tsushima Middle water(TMW) with a range of $12{\~}17^{\circ}C$, the North Korea Cold Water(NKCW) with $1{\~}7^{\circ}C$ temperature, the Japan Sea Proper Water(JSPW) of less than $1^{\circ}C$, and the mixed water. The North Korea Cold Water could be distinguishable from the other waters, especially from the mixed water of the Tsushima Middle Water and the Japan Sea Proper Water by the pattern of $T-O_2$ diagram. For instance, the North Korea Cold Water had higher oxygen by $1{\~}2ml/l$ than those in the mixed water, although both the two water masses ranged $1{\~}7^{\circ}C$ in water temperature. AOU value was the highest in the JSPW and the lowest in the TWSW. Also, AOU indicated a nearly linear and negative correlation with water temperature. However, AOU data for two masses, the NKCW and the TMW, in September departed remarkably from a regression line. Moreover, the ratio of $$\Delta P/\Delta AOU)$ in September was about $0.45{\mu}g-at/ml$ and higher than the value observed in the open sea. This high value could be elucidated by two factors; intrusion of the NKCW with high oxygen and molecular diffusion of dissolved oxygen from the surface into the lower layer. AOU would be a useful tracer for water masses in the polar front area of the Korean East Sea.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.17-32
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• 2022

The buffer capacity of southern Korean waters in summer was quantified using data set of temperature, salinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity obtained from August 2020 cruise. The geographical distribution and variability of six buffer factors, which amended the existing Revelle factor, are discussed their relationship with the hydrological parameters of temperature and salinity. The calculated results of six buffer factors showed the spatial variations according to the distributions of various water masses. The buffer capacity was low in the East Sea Surface Mixed Water (ESMW) and South Sea Surface Mixed Water (SSMW) where upwelling occurred, and showed an intermediate value in the Yellow Sea Surface Water (YSSW). In addition, the buffer capacity increased in the order of high temperature Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) and Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW). This means that the Changjiang discharge water in summer strengthens the buffer capacity of the study area. The highest buffer capacity of CDW is due to its relatively higher temperature and biological productivity, and a summer stratification. Temperature showed a good positive correlation (R²=0.79) with buffer capacity in all water masses, whereas salinity exhibited a poor negative correlation (R²=0.30). High temperature strengthens buffer capacity through thermodynamic processes such as gas exchange and distribution of carbonate system species. In the case of salinity, the relationship with buffer capacity is reversed because salinity of the study area is not controlled by precipitation or evaporation but by a local freshwater input and mixing with upwelled water.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.504-519
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• 2020

Oceanic fronts, which are areas where sea water with different properties meet in the ocean, play an important role in controlling weather and climate change through air-sea interactions and marine dynamics such as heat and momentum exchange and processes by which properties of sea water are mixed. Such oceanic fronts have long been described in secondary school textbooks with the term 'Jokyung water zone (JWC hereafter) or oceanic front', meaning areas where the different currents met, and were related to fishing grounds in the East Sea. However, higher education materials and marine scientists have not used this term for the past few decades; therefore, the appropriateness of the term needs to be analyzed to remove any misconceptions presented. This study analyzed 11 secondary school textbooks (5 middle school textbooks and 6 high school textbooks) based on the revised 2015 curriculum. A survey of 30 secondary school science teachers was also conducted to analyze their awareness of the problems. An analysis of the textbook contents related to the JWC and fishing grounds found several errors and misconceptions that did not correspond with scientific facts. Although the textbooks mainly uses the concept of the JWC to represent the meeting of cold and warm currents, it would be reasonable to replace it with the more comprehensive term 'oceanic front', which would indicate an area where different properties of sea water-such as its temperature, salinity, density, and velocity-interact. In the textbooks, seasonal changes in the fishing grounds are linked to seasonal changes in the North Korean Cold Current (NKCC), which moves southwards in winter and northwards in summer; this is the complete opposite of previous scientific knowledge, which describes it strengthening in summer. Fishing grounds are not limited to narrow coastal zones; they are widespread throughout the East Sea. The results of the survey of teachers demonstrated that this misconception has persisted for decades. This study emphasized the importance of using scientific knowledge to correct misconceptions related to the JWC, fishing grounds, and the NKCC and addressed the importance of transferring procedures to the curriculum. It is expected that the conclusions of this study will have an important role on textbook revision and teacher education in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.202-211
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• 2010

The variations of physico-chemical factors and the species compositions of phytoplanktons were investigated to analyze the marine ecosystem at the depths during summer in the coast of Dokdo (stations DOK 1-3). The mean values of conductivity (48.9 mS $cm^{-1}$), salinity (32.9 psu) and total suspended solids (57.9 mg $L^{-1}$) were the highest in DOK 1. The biomass (Chl-a) of phytoplanktons was the highest in the surface of DOK 1 (2.61 ${\mu}gL^{-1}$). By the means of physicochemical factors (salinity, turbidity, Chl-a, TN, TP and Si), the water estimated in the coast of Dokdo was more eutrophicated than that in 2008. The phytoplanktons were a total of 42 species in Dokdo, which were composed of 33 species (78.6%) for Bacillariophyceae and 9 species (21.4%) for Dinophyceae. The standing crops of phytoplanktons were the highest ($18{\times}10^3$ cells $L^{-1}$) in the surface of DOK 2 and in the surface of DOK 3, while they were the lowest ($2{\times}10^3$ cells $L^{-1}$) at depth of 40 m of DOK1 and at depth of 30 m of DOK 3. The dominant species of phytoplanktons were Chaetoceros castracanei ($6{\times}10^3$ cells $L^{-1}$) in the surface, Rhizosolenia alata f. gracillima ($3{\times}10^3$ cells $L^{-1}$) at depth of 20 m and Protocentrum compressum ($4{\times}10^3$ cells $L^{-1}$) at the depth of 30 m of DOK 1. At the surface of DOK 2, the dominant species was Bacillaria paxillifer ($6{\times}10^3$ cells $L^{-1}$), while it was Hemiaulus indicus ($12{\times}10^3$ cells $L^{-1}$) at the surface of DOK 3. The DOK 1, which is affected by upwelling, whirlpool and circulation due to the East Korean Warm Current, was the most eutrophicated water body among three stations. The monitoring of marine ecosystem in the coast of Dokdo should be continued to propose the alternatives for water quality and species conservation and to purify the eutrophicated water body due to artificial pollutants as well as natural effectors by the global warming, the climatic change, etc.