• 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.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.279-290
• /
• 2012

Plecoglossus altivelis (ayu) is an amphidromous fish widely distributed in Northeastern Asia from the East China Sea to the northern Japanese coastal waters, encompassing the Korean Peninsula within its range. The shore lines of northeastern region in Asia have severely fluctuated following glaciations in the Quaternary. In the present study, we investigate the population genetic structure and historical demographic change of P. altivelis at a population level in East Asia. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) based on 244 mitochondrial control region DNA sequences clearly showed that as the sampling scope extended to a larger geographic area, genetic differentiation began to become significant, particularly among Northeastern populations. A series of hierarchical AMOVA could detect the genetic relationship of three closely located islands between Korea and Japan that might have been tightly connected by the regional Tsushima current. Neutrality and mismatch distribution analyses revealed a strong signature of a recent population expansion of P. altivelis in East Asia, estimated at 126 to 391 thousand years ago during the late Pleistocene. Therefore it suggests that the present population of P. altivelis traces back to its approximate demographic change long before the last glacial maximum. This contrasts our a priori expectation that the most recent glacial event might have the most crucial effect on the present day demography of marine organisms through bottleneck and subsequent increase of effective population size in this region.

• Journal of National Security and Military Science
• /
• s.13
• /
• pp.687-738
• /
• 2016

To prepare for the complicated international relationship regarding Korean Peninsula after reunification, this thesis started off with the awareness that Unified Korea should build its international posture and national security at an early stage by determining its appropriate military strength for independent defense and military strategies that Unified Korea should aim. The main theme of this thesis is 'The research on appropriate military strength of the Unified Korean military'. To derive appropriate military strength of Unified Korea, this research focuses on conflict scenario and relative balance strategy based on potential threats posed by neighboring countries, and this is the part that differentiates this research from other researches. First of all, the main objective of the research is to decide appropriate military strength for Unified Korea to secure defense sufficiency. For this, this research will decide efficient military strategy that Unified Korea should aim. Than by presuming the most possible military conflict scenario, this research will judge the most appropriate military strength for Unified Korea to overcome the dispute. Second, after deciding appropriate military strength, this research will suggest how to operate presumed military strength in each armed force. The result of this thesis is as in the following. First, Unified Korea should aim 'relative balance strategy'. 'Relative balance strategy' is a military strategy which Unified Korea can independently secure defense sufficiency by maintaining relative balance when conflicts occur between neighboring countries. This strategy deters conflicts in advance by relative balance of power in certain time and place. Even if conflict occurs inevitably, this strategy secures initiative. Second, when analyzing neighboring countries interest and strategic environment after unification, the possibility of all-out war will be low in the Korean Peninsula because no other nation wants the Korean Peninsula to be subordinated to one single country. Therefore appropriate military strength of the Unified Korean military would be enough when Unified Korea can achieve relative balance in regional war or limited war. Third, Northeast Asia is a region where economic power and military strength is concentrated. Despite increasing mutual cooperation in the region, conflicts and competition to expand each countries influence is inherent. Japan is constantly enhancing their military strength as they aim for normal statehood. China is modernizing their military strength as they aspire to become global central nation. Russia is also enhancing their military strength in order to hold on to their past glory of Soviet Union as a world power. As a result, both in quality and quantity, the gap between military strength of Unified Korea and each neighboring countries is enlarged at an alarming rate. Especially in the field of air-sea power, arms race is occurring between each nation. Therefore Unified Korea should be equipped with appropriate military strength in order to achieve relative balance with each threats posed by neighboring countries. Fourth, the most possible conflicts between Unified Korea and neighboring countries could be summarized into four, which are Dokdo territorial dispute with Japan, Leodo jurisdictional dispute with China, territorial dispute concerning northern part of the Korea Peninsula with China and disputes regarding marine resources and sea routes with Russia. Based on those conflict scenarios, appropriate military strength for Unified Korea is as in the following. When conflict occurs with Japan regarding Dokdo, Japan is expected to put JMSDF Escort Flotilla 3, one out of four of its Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Escort Fleet, which is based in Maizuru and JMSDF Maizuru District. To counterbalance this military strength, Unified Korea needs one task fleet, comprised with three task flotilla. In case of jurisdictional conflict with China concerning Leodo, China is expected to dispatch its North Sea fleet, one out of three of its naval fleet, which is in charge of the Yellow Sea. To response to this military action, Unified Korea needs one task fleet, comprised with three task flotilla. In case of territorial dispute concerning northern part of the Korean Peninsula with China, it is estimated that out of seven Military Region troops, China will dispatch two Military Region troops, including three Army Groups from Shenyang Military Region, where it faces boarder with the Korean Peninsula. To handle with this military strength, Unified Korea needs six corps size ground force strength, including three corps of ground forces, two operational reserve corps(maneuver corps), and one strategic reserve corps(maneuver corps). When conflict occurs with Russia regarding marine resources and sea routes, Russia is expected to send a warfare group of a size that includes two destroyers, which is part of the Pacific Fleet. In order to balance this strength, Unified Korea naval power requires one warfare group including two destroyers. Fifth, management direction for the Unified Korean military is as in the following. Regarding the ground force management, it would be most efficient to deploy troops in the border area with china for regional and counter-amphibious defense. For the defense except the border line with china, the most efficient form of force management would be maintaining strategic reserve corps. The naval force should achieve relative balance with neighboring countries when there is maritime dispute and build 'task fleet' which can independently handle long-range maritime mission. Of the three 'task fleet', one task fleet should be deployed at Jeju base to prepare for Dokdo territorial dispute and Leodo jurisdictional dispute. Also in case of regional conflict with china, one task fleet should be positioned at Yellow Sea and for regional conflict with Japan and Russia, one task fleet should be deployed at East Sea. Realistically, Unified Korea cannot possess an air force equal to neither Japan nor China in quantity. Therefore, although Unified Korea's air force might be inferior in quantity, they should possess the systematic level which Japan or China has. For this Unified Korea should build air base in island areas like Jeju Island or Ullenong Island to increase combat radius. Also to block off infiltration of enemy attack plane, air force needs to build and manage air bases near coastal areas. For landing operation forces, Marine Corps should be managed in the size of two divisions. For island defense force, which is in charge of Jeju Island, Ulleung Island, Dokdo Island and five northwestern boarder island defenses, it should be in the size of one brigade. Also for standing international peace keeping operation, it requires one brigade. Therefore Marine Corps should be organized into three divisions. The result of the research yields a few policy implications when building appropriate military strength for Unified Korea. First, Unified Korea requires lower number of ground troops compared to that of current ROK(Republic of Korea) force. Second, air-sea forces should be drastically reinforced. Third, appropriate military strength of the Unified Korean military should be based on current ROK military system. Forth, building appropriate military strength for Unified Korea should start from today, not after reunification. Because of this, South Korea should build a military power that can simultaneously prepare for current North Korea's provocations and future threats from neighboring countries after reunification. The core of this research is to decide appropriate military strength for Unified Korea to realize relative balance that will ensure defense sufficiency from neighboring countries threats. In other words, this research should precisely be aware of threats posed by neighboring countries and decide minimum level of military strength that could realize relative balance in conflict situation. Moreover this research will show the path for building appropriate military strength in each armed force.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.395-405
• /
• 2006

We measured the fugacity of $CO_2$ $(fCO_2)$, temperature, salinity, nutrients and chlorophyll a in the surface water of the western North Pacific $(4^{\circ}30'{\sim}33^{\circ}10'N,\;144^{\circ}20'{\sim}127^{\circ}35'E)$ in September 2002. There were zonally several major currents which have characteristics of specific temperature and salinity (NECC, North Equatorial Counter Current; NEC, North Equatorial Current; Kuroshio etc.). Surface $fCO_2$ distribution was clearly distinguished into two groups, tropical and subtropical areas of which boundary was $20^{\circ}N$. In the tropical Int surface $fCO_2$ was mainly controlled by temperature, while in the subtropical area, surface $fCO_2$ was dependent on total inorganic carbon contents. Air-sea $CO_2$ flux showed a large spatial variation, with a range of $-0.69{\sim}0.79 mmole\;m^{-2}day^{-1}$. In the area of AE (Anticyclonic Eddy), SM(Southern Mixed region) and NM (Northern Mixed region), the ocean acted as a weak source of $CO_2$ $(0.6{\sim}0.79 mmole\; m^{-2}day^{-1})$. In NECC, NEC, Kuroshio and ECS (East China Sea), however, the fluxes were estimated to be $-0.3mmole\; m^{-2}day^{-1})$ for the first three regions and $-1.2mmole\; m^{-2}day^{-1})$ for ECS respectively, indicating that these areas acted as sinks of $CO_2$. The average air-sea flux in the entire study area was $0.15mmole\;m^{-2}day^{-1})$, implying that the western North Pacific was a weak source of $CO_2$ during the study period.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.206-213
• /
• 2013

Glass eels (Anguilla japonica) are caught in the west coast of Korea on their migratory route from the breeding grounds in the Mariana Trench along the North Equatorial Current and the Kuroshio Current. To identify the food source of natural glass eels, we analyzed the stable C and N isotopes of glass eels caught in April 2012 and investigated possible food sources in the survey area. In particular, with respect to the stable C and N isotopes of particulate organic matter, we extended the surveying area to the northern parts of East China Sea as well as the west coast of Korea. The stable C and N isotope ratios of the glass eels caught in the west coast were found to be $-20.7{\pm}0.1$‰ and $5.0{\pm}0.2$‰, respectively. The stable C and N isotope ratios of the particulate organic matter in the west coast of Korea, in which the glass eels are assumed to eat the particulate organic matter as food source, were estimated to be $-24.0{\pm}0.3$‰ and $2.8{\pm}0.4$‰, respectively. Similar data were obtained from the northern part of the East China Sea, $-24.5{\pm}0.5$‰ and $0.8{\pm}0.3$‰. The stable isotope ratios showed values differing from the stepwise increasing rates up the food web in natural aquatic ecosystem, showing that particulate organic matter in the west coast of Korea and East China Sea was not served as the glass eels food source. This result suggested that the glass eels caught in the west coast might not assimilate nutrition from the marine environment during long migration.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.194-210
• /
• 2022

The monthly inventory of dissolved inorganic carbon (C_T) and its fluxes were simulated using a box-model for the southeastern Yellow Sea, bordering the northern East China Sea. The monthly C_T data was constructed by combining the observed data representing four seasons with the data adopted from the recent publications. A 2-box-model of the surface and deep layers was used, assuming that the annual C_T inventory was at the steady state and its fluctuations due to the advection in the surface box were negligible. Results of the simulation point out that the monthly C_T inventory variation between the surface and deep box was driven primarily by the mixing flux due to the variation of the mixed layer depth, on the scale of -40~35 mol C m^-2 month^-1. The air to sea CO₂ flux was about 2 mol C m^-2 yr^-1 and was lower than 1/100 of the mixing flux. The biological pump flux estimated magnitude, in the range of 4-5 mol C m^-2 yr^-1, is about half the in situ measurement value reported. The C_T inventory of the water column was maximum in April, when mixing by cooling ceases, and decreases slightly throughout the stratified period. Therefore, the total C_T inventory is larger in the stratified period than that of the mixing period. In order to maintain a steady state, 18 mol C m^-2 yr^-1 (= 216 g C m^-2 yr^-1), the difference between the maximum and minimum monthly CT inventory, should be transported out to the East China Sea. Extrapolating this flux over the entire southern Yellow Sea boundary yields 4 × 10⁹ g C yr^-1. Conceptually this flux is equivalent to the proposed continental shelf pump. Since this flux must go through the vast shelf area of the East China Sea before it joins the open Pacific waters the actual contribution as a continental shelf pump would be significantly lower than reported value. Although errors accompanied the simple box model simulation imposed by the paucity of data and assumptions are considerably large, nevertheless it was possible to constrain the relative contribution among the major fluxes and their range that caused the C_T inventory variations, and was able to suggest recommendations for the future studies.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.345-358
• /
• 2017

The decadal change in rainfall for Changma period over the South Korea in early-2000s is detected in this study. The Changma rainfall in P1 (1992~2002) decade is remarkably less than in P2 (2003~2013) decade. The much rainfall in P2 decade is associated with the increase of rainy day frequency during Changma period, including the frequent occurrences of rainy day with a intensity of 30 mm/day or more in P2 decade. This decadal change in the Changma rainfall is due to the decadal change of atmospheric circulation around the Korean Peninsula which affects the intensity and location of Changma rainfall. During P2 decade, the anomalous anti-cyclone over the south of the Korean Peninsula, which represents the expansion of the North Pacific high with warm and wet air mass toward East Asia, is stronger than in P1 decade. In addition, the upper level zonal wind and meridional gradient of low-level equivalent potential temperature in P2 decade is relatively strengthened over the northern part of the Korean Peninsula than in P1 decade, which corresponds with the intensification of meridional gradient between air mass related to the East Asian summer monsoon nearby the Korean Peninsula in P2 decade. The enhanced meridional gradient of atir mass during P2 decade is favorable condition for the intensification of Changma rainfall band and more Changma rainfall. The atmospheric conditions related to enhanced Changma rainfall during P2 decade is likely to be influenced by the teleconnection linked to the suppressed convection anomaly over the southern part of China and South China Sea in P2 decade.

• Proceedings of the Korea Port Economic Association Conference
• /
• 2007.07a
• /
• pp.255-270
• /
• 2007

In North-East Asia, Port traffic in Asia-North America sea route has been rapidly increasing due to economic growth in China and ASEAN. Furthermore, the major shipping companies directly call at northern chinese ports like Qingdao, Dalian and Tianjin without passing through Korean ports on Asia-North America sea route. To acquire a port traffic and develop a hub port, governments in North-East Asia have intensively invested in the development of port. Therefore, Busan new port and Gwangyang port have been developed in Korea. According to the medium-long term development planning, the port should give a enormous budget investment for the port facilities construction. So the inaccurate estimation may lead to the unreasonable port development policy. Firstly, based on the estimation of Chiang Bong-Gyu & Yang Hang Jin(2005), this study gave a comparison with the estimation of Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries(2001) and OSC/Glori(2005). Secondly, taking into account the influence factors for port traffic, this study made an estimation of port traffic for Busan new port. On the basis of this estimation, this study is compared with the estimation of Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries(2001) and OSC/Glori(2005). In conclusion, in case of the development of Busan new port, based on the estimation of Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries(2001), this study should the high possibility that the Busan new port will be serious lack of the port facilities in the year of 2011. And according to the OSC/Glori(2005)'s estimation result, there is a lack of the port facilities, though we have modified the port investment plan.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.214-224
• /
• 2010

Gravity and Magnetic survey data were analyzed to investigate the geophysical characteristics and regional geological structures of the southwestern Yellow Sea. The set of data about the southwestern part of the Yellow Sea in Korea was one collected by the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The Yellow Sea has a few basins and the study area also includes parts of the Heuksan Basin and the East China Sea Basin. The bathymetry of the study area ranges from about ?40 m southwestward near China to about 150 m northeastward near Korea. The bathymetry has the gentle rise and fall and the smooth slope. The gravity anomalies, from sea surface gravity and satellite gravity data, reflect the basement rocks rather than the smooth bathymetry. The gravity anomalies are higher on Northeastern part of the study area and lower over the South of the Heuksan Basin. The analytic signal from the Bouguer anomaly shows higher anomalous zones near the boundaries of the basins. The magnetic anomalies and the analytic signal, from the magnetic data, suggest that the complex anomalies on the Northern part are attributed to the volcanic intrusions and that the smooth patterns in the Southern part are based on the lack of the intrusions. The power spectrum analysis of the Bouguer anomalies and the magnetic anomalies indicate that the depth to the Moho discontinuity varies from about 30.2 to 28.3 km and that the depths of the basement rocks and the Eocene discontinuity range from about 8.4 to 8 km and from about 1.5 to 1.7 km, respectively. The inversion of the Bouguer anomaly shows that the Moho depth to the Western part of the study area near China is slightly deeper than the Eastern part near Korea. The result of 2-D gravity modeling has a good coherence with the results of the analytic signal, the power spectrum analysis, and the inversion.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.19-40
• /
• 2023

To investigate the role of water masses in the Jeju Strait in summer on the shallow coastal region and the characteristics of water properties in the strait, temperature and salinity were observed across the Jeju Strait in June, July, and August 2019. The cold water pool, whose temperature is lower than 15℃, was observed in the mid-depths of the central Jeju Strait and on the northern bottom slope of the strait. The cold water pools have the lowest temperature in the strait. To identify water masses comprising the cold water pool in the Jeju Strait, mixing ratios of water masses were calculated. The mid-depth cold water pool of the Jeju Strait consists of 54% of the Kuroshio Subsurface Water (KSSW) and 33% of the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water (YSBCW). Although the cold water pool is dominantly affected by the KSSW, the YSBCW plays a major role to make the cold water pool maintain the lowest temperature in the Jeju Strait. To find origin of the cold water pool, temperature and salinity data from the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Korea Strait in the summer of 2019 were analyzed. The cold water pool was generated along the thermohaline frontal zone between the KSSW and YSBCW in the East China Sea where intrusion and mixing of water masses are active below the seasonal thermocline. The cold water in the thermohaline frontal zone had similar mixing ratio to the cold water pool in the Jeju Strait and it advected toward the Korea Strait and shallow coastal region off the south coast of Korea. Intrusion of the mid-depth cold water pool made temperature inversion in the Jeju Strait and affected sea surface temperature variations at the coastal region off the south coast of Korea.