• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.12 no.9
• /
• pp.943-948
• /
• 2003

Variation of the polar front in the East Sea is studied using temperature and dissolved oxygen data obtained from Japan Meteorological Agency from 1972 to 1999. Variation of the polar front in the East Sea has a close relation to the variation of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC). When the TWC spreads widely in the East Sea, polar front moves northward. The spatial variation of the polar front is greater in the southwestern area of the East Sea and the northern area of Tsugaru Strait where the variation of the TWC's distribution area is greater than those in others of the East Sea. Hence, in the southeastern area of the East Sea, that is, between near Noto peninsula and Tsugaru Strait, the spatial variation of the polar front is not so wide as in the southwestern area because the flow of TWC is stable.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.159-165
• /
• 2006

This paper deals with the estimation of geostrophic current using the sea surface topography calculated from the geoidal height from EGM96 geopotential model and the mean sea surface height from CLS_SHOM mean sea surface model. The CLS_SHOM model was developed using the altimetry data set. The estimation of geostrophic current is available in the characteristic research of ocean in many country, while for East Sea a few studies were done. The goal of this study is basically to provide the characteristics of geostrophic current in East Sea. The results show that the mean sea surface topography (SST) in East Sea is about 0.37 m and the mean geostrophic velocity is -0.028 m/sec. The Pacific water enters into the East Sea through the Korea Strait and after passing the strait, this inflow splits into two branches: one flows northward along the Korean coast and another outflows into Pacific ocean through Tsugaru and Soya strait passing the east-northeastward along the Japanese outer shelf, and outflows into Okhotsk ocean.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.95-112
• /
• 1999

To investigate a phytoplankton community structure and its biomass distribution in the Korea Strait, phytoplankton pigments were quantitatively measured by HPLC method, with hydro-graphic conditions in August and October, 1996. The measured chi. a concentrations were in the range of 7.1-1,280.7 ng/1. Horizontal distribution pattern of chi. a in summer (August) was very different from that of autumn (October). High concentration of chi. a occurred near the coast with relatively low salinity (< 33%). Vertically, the highest concentrations of pigments at most of the stations were found near the surface and above the thermocline. The maximum concentration of chi. a in October was four times higher than in August. It was notable to measure relatively high concentration of chi. b up to 190.8 ng/1 in the study area, since chi. bcontaining green algae and prochlophytes have been ignored because of their minute size and sensitivity to common preservatives. Major carotenoids detected were fucoxanthin, zeaxanthin, 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, and prasinoxanthin. Diatoms were the dominant group with secondary important groups as pryrnnesiophytes and cyanobacteria for the biomass of phytoplankton for both cruises. The dominant species of diatoms in summer were Thalassiosira sp. and Chaetoceros peruvianus. As minor groups, prasinophytes, crysophytes, and cryptophytes were confirmed by their marker pigments and dinoflgellates by microscopical observation. Degradation products of chi. a was minor. Interestingly, at 200 m depth of St A4, the deepest station in the western channel of the Korea Strait, substantial amounts of chi. a including fucoxanthin, 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, chi. b, and degradation products of chi. a was measured from both cruises. Higher concentration (2-3 times) of those pigments were detected from samples in summer than in autumn. Small decrease in concentration of phosphate at this depth of St. A4 was also observed. It suggested that this bottom cold water was transported from the subsurface water with biomass of active phytoplankton, which was sunk and flowed southward.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.271-281
• /
• 2002

Interpretation of high-resolution seismic profiles collected from the inner shetf of the Korea Strait reveals that the shelf sequence in this area consists of three sedimentary units (I, II, and III in a descending order) formed after the last glacial maximum. Lower two units (II and III) represent the transgressive systems tract formed during the Holocene transgression, Unit III above the sequence boundary is interpreted to be the transgressive estuarine deposit, whereas Unit ll above the ravinement surface forms a thin transgressive sand which consists of the sediment produced through shoreface erosion and winnowing during the transgression. Unit I above the maximum flooding surface is the highstand systems tract consisting mainly of recent muds derived from the Nakdong River.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.259-268
• /
• 2003

The damage of water quality like red tide occurs every year inspite of the total load regulation of pollutant inflows from land such as COD, phosphorus and so on around Seto inland sea in Japan. It is attributed to the increase of primary production due to eutrophication. and the rising and settling from the sediment containing nutrient salt. Furthermore, the recent research shows that nutrient salt such as nitrogen and phosphorus, flows into Kii channel from land as well as the Pacific ocean. To investigate the distribution of water quality and flow and residual current in Kitan strait, the field observations were carried out. The field data were obtained a time each season from 1999 to 2002. The results of observations and data of other research institution are used to understand the mechanism of pollution in the strait.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.26 no.7
• /
• pp.714-724
• /
• 2005

The East Sea, a semi-enclosed marginal sea with shallow straits in the northwest Pacific, is marked by the nearly geographic isolation and the low sea surface salinity during the last glacial maximum (LGM). The East Sea might have the only connection to the open ocean through the Korea Strait with a sill depth of 130 m, allowing the paleo-Tsushima Water to enter the sea during the LGM. The low paleosalinity associated with abnormally light $\delta^{18}O$ values of planktonic foraminifera is interpreted to have resulted from river discharge and precipitation. Nevertheless, two LGM features in the East Sea are disputable. This study attempts to estimate volume transport of the paleo-Tsushima Water via the Korea Strait and further examines its effect on the low sea surface salinity (SSS) during the lowest sea level of the LGM. The East Sea was not completely isolated, but partially linked to the northern East China Sea through the Korea Strait during the LGM. The volume transport of the paleo-Tsushima Water during the LGM is calculated approximately$(0.5\~2.1)\times10^{12}m^3/yr$ on the basis of the selected seismic reflection profiles along with bathymetry and current data. The annual influx of the paleo-Tsushima Water is low, compared to the 100 m-thick surface water volume $(about\;79.75\times10^{12}m^3)$ in the East Sea. The paleo-Tsushima Water influx might have changed the surface water properties within a geologically short time, potentially decreasing sea surface salinity. However, the effect of volume transport on the low sea surface salinity essentially depends on freshwater amounts within the paleo-Tsushima Water and excessive evaporation during the glacial lowstands of sea level. Even though the paleo-Tsushima Water is assumed to have been entirely freshwater at that time period, it would annually reduce only about 1‰ of salinity in the surface water of the East Sea. Thus, the paleo-Tsushima Water influx itself might not be large enough to significantly reduce the paleosalinity of about 100 m-thick surface layer during the LGM. This further suggests contribution of additional river discharges from nearby fluvial systems (e.g. the Amur River) to freshen the surface water.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2002

Cable voltage was measured simultaneously at Hamada, Japan and Pusan, Korea, using an inservice telephone cable from March to December 1990. The spectral and harmonic analyses of these data sets show that tidal signals are dominant, and that tidal constituents $M_2$ and $O_1$, which are not affected by solar geomagnetic variations, have almost the same amplitude and are of opposite phase to each other. comparing the voltage difference in 1990 with that measured using the now abandoned cable in 1998, there are dominant tidal signals at the same periods in both data sets. They have approximately the same amplitude and phase for $M_2andO_1$. The relationship between the observed voltage and the volume transport through the Korea Strait can be considered robust and stable over time. The conversion factor from voltage to transport is estimated to be $11.9{\times}10^6m^3S^{-1}volt^{-1}$ by comparing the amplitude of model-derived $M_2$ tidal transport with that of the voltage difference in 1998. This value changes to $8.6{\times}10^6m^3S^{-1}volt^{-1}$ when taking into consideration the horizontal electric current effect. This effect depends on the downstream length scale of the flow. To obtain a more reliable and stable conversion factor from voltage to transport, the voltage should be compared with observed sub-tidal transports, which may have long downstream length scales.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.27-40
• /
• 2002

The circulation of sea water was simulated by two dimensional tide model using the main four tidal components and permanent current driven by inflow/outflow across open boundaries. According to the residt of tide model, the maximum speed of eastward flow on the Cheju Strait is twice higher than that of westward flow. According to the result of permanent current, the flow of permanent current showing semi-circle pattern in the southern part of Kojedo was due to variation of topography. According to the result of circulation model in the Cheju Strait, eastward flow entering in the southern waters from the Yellow Sea of Korea were dominant, but outflows westward were weak. These results suggest that it was difficult to move for suspended particulate matter into the Yellow sea from the southern waters through Cheju Strait.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.241-250
• /
• 1999

Reflection coefficients of the seafloor have been calculated from the amplitude ratio of secondary to primary water bottom reflection in seismic data obtained from Bransfield Strait, Antarctic Peninsula. Test processing for the coefficients shows that moving average is effective to reduce severe fluctuation of the coefficient measured at each point. Relationship between the coefficients and the properties of water bottom is analyzed to illuminate geological environment. In the central Bransfield Basin, the magnitude of reflection coefficients decreases as it is distant from the sedimentary sources. Reflection coefficients range from 0.12 to 0.2 near the continental slope of the basin, and from 0.1 to 0.12 in the basin floor. In the western Bransfield basin, reflection coefficients between 0.2 to 0.3 are obtained from the area eroded by glacial movement. On the volcanic structures near Deception Island, the coefficients show relatively high values more than 0.2. Paleo-geological structures uplifted by tectonic movement and outcropped by glacial erosion have relatively high coefficients.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.79-93
• /
• 1993

The relative geostrophic velocity is estimated by using the MCSST(Multi-Channel Sea Surface Temperature) from a NOAA/AVHRR image and applied to the Korea Strait. Remote sensing technique can play a useful role to research for oceanic phenomena because of its synoptic, simultaneous and repetitive viewing. The high resolution data of AVHRR can determine the geostrophic flow more precisely than the hydrographic data on shipboard. As a result of research, the relative geostrophic velocity in the weatern channel of the Korea Strait is the strongest in the trough area and its maximum speed is about 23.8cm/sec in April, 1992. But this results include the error due to neglecting the effect of salinity in estimation the geopotential anomaly. The geostrophic volume transport through the western channel of the Korea Strait is the largest between trough area and the Tsushima Island.