• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2024

An analysis of the coastal water temperature in the Tongyeong waters, the eastern sea of the South Sea of Korea, revealed that the water temperature rose sharply before the typhoon made landfall. The water temperature rise occurred throughout the entire water column. An analysis of the sea surface temperature data observed by NOAA(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) satellites, indicated that sea water with a temperature of 30℃ existed in the eastern waters of the eastern South Sea of Korea before the typhoon landed. The southeastern sea of Korea is an area where ocean currents prevail from west to east owing to the Tsushima Warm Current. However, an analysis of the satellite data showed that seawater at 30℃ moved from east to west, indicating that it was affected by the Ekman transport caused by the typhoon before landing. In addition, because the eastern waters of the South Sea are not as deep as those of the East Sea, the water temperature of the entire water layer may remain constant owing to vertical mixing caused by the wind. Because the rise in water temperature in each water layer occurred on the same day, the rise in the bottom water temperature can be considered as owing to vertical mixing. Indeed, the southeastern sea of Korea is a sea area where the water temperature can rise rapidly depending on the direction of approach of the typhoon and the location of high temperature formation.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.907-916
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to compare community structure of larval fish species in the northern East China Sea during normal meteorological conditions in autumn 2009, during the El Ni$\tilde{n}$o period in 2009-2010, and during the La Nina period in 2010. Fifty taxa were recorded during the study period; the most dominant species were Benthosema pterotum and Gobiidae spp. In October 2008 during the normal period, warm water from the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) intruded more into the surface and middle layers, and cold water affected by the Yellow Sea Cold Water (YSCW) intruded into the bottom layer. In October 2009 during the El Ni$\tilde{n}$o period, intrusion of the China Coastal Water (CCW), which has low salinity (<32.2 psu), was more apparent than intrusion of the TWC or YSCW. In October 2010 during the La Nina period, intrusion of the TWC and CCW was relatively weak, resulting in the lowest temperature and highest salinity observed during the study period in the eastern part of the study area. Hierarchical cluster, one-way ANOSIM (analysis of similarities), and SIMPER (similarity-percentages procedure) analyses provided two main results. First, the abundance of the most dominant larval fish species in autumn of the normal period was greater than that in autumn of the El Ni$\tilde{n}$o/La Nina periods, resulting in a significant difference in ichthyoplankton community structure between the periods. The abundance of Benthosema pterotum increased in the normal period, possibly influenced by the intrusion of cold water from the YSCW; the abundance of species residing in Korean waters (e.g., Gobiidae spp.) probably decreased during the El Ni$\tilde{n}$o/La Nina periods. The second finding was that the abundance of subtropical larval fish in autumn of the normal period was generally larger than that during autumn of the El Ni$\tilde{n}$o/La Nina periods. This could have been induced by the stronger intrusion of warm water from the TWC during the normal period. Although differences in oceanographic conditions between El Ni$\tilde{n}$o and La Nina periods were observed, the differences in ichthyoplankton community structure between the two periods were not significant.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.15-28
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• 1989

A study on quantitative phytoplankton samples, hydrographic conditions (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen), and nutrients has been performed in the southern waters of the Korean East Sea in early spring. Phytoplankton community showed close correlation with hydrographic conditions. This study area could be divided into three phytohydrographic regions; 1) East Korean Warm Water Region (a branch of Tsushima Current), 2) North Korean Cold Water Region, and 3) offshore water region not affected by other two water regions. Vertical distribution of phytoplankton is dependent upon stability of water column and nutrient concentration. Nutrient concentration shows characteristic distribution according to water masses. N/P ratio of ca. 3 in surface layer indicates that nitrogen is the major limiting nutrient in this area. N/P removal ratio was 12.54 ($r^2$ = 0.96), consistent with the Redified ratio. Primary nitrite maxima at the nitracline depths are thought to be formed by phytoplankton exudation. Secondary nitrite maximum was observed in coastal area with dissolved oxygen content of >5.2 ml/l much higher than <0.25 ml/l in other areas. The mechanism of secondary maximum is different from that of other regions, and whether it may be due to in situ degradation of organic matter by bacterial activity is still open to discuss.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.301-313
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• 2006

Abundance and distribution of phytoplankton in seawater at southwestern East/Japan Sea near Gampo were investigated by HPLC analysis of photosynthetic pigments during summer of 1999. Detected photosynthetic pigments were chlorophyll a, b, $c_{1+2}$ (Chl a, Chl b, Chl $c_{1+2}$), fucoxanthin (Fuco), prasinoxanthin (Pras), zeaxanthin (Zea), 19'-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin (But-fuco) and beta-carotene (B-Car). Major carotenoid was fucoxanthin (bacillariophyte) and minor carotenoids were Pras (prasinophyte), Zea (cyanophyte) and But-fuco (chrysophyte). Chl a concentrations were in the range of $0.16-8.3\;{\mu}g/land$ subsurface chlorophyll maxima were observed at 0-10m at inshore and 30-50 m at offshore. Thermocline and nutricline tilted to the offshore direction showed a mild upwelling condition. Results from size-fraction showed that contribution from nano+picoplankton at Chl a maximum layer was increased from 18% at inshore to 69% at offshore on average. The maximum contribution from nano+picoplankton was found as 87% at St. E4. It was noteworthy that contribution from nano+picoplanktonic crysophytes and green algae to total biomass of phytoplankton was significant at offshore. Satellite images of sea surface temperature indicated that an extensive area of the East/Japan Sea showed lower temperature ($<18\;^{\circ}C$) but the enhanced Chi a patch was confined to a narrow coastal region in summer, 1999. Exceptionally high flux of low saline water from the Korea/Tsushima Strait seemed to make upwelling weak in summer of 1999 in the study area. Results of comparisons among Chi a from SeaWiFS, HPLC and fluorometric analysis showed that presence of Chi b cause underestimation of Chi a about 30% by fluorometric analysis but overestimation by satellite data about 30-75% compared to HPLC data.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.135-147
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• 2011

Zooplankton is an important constituent in assessing ecosystem responses to global warming. The northern East China Sea is an important ecosystem for carbon cycling with a net sink of carbon dioxide. Despite their importance as a major component in carbon cycling, relatively little is known about zooplankton biomass structure and its regulating factors in the northern East China Sea. This study examined zooplankton biomass distribution pattern in the region from multiple cruises encompassing various seasons between 2004 and 2009. Results showed that zooplankton biomass exhibits less cross-shelf gradient in general with declining biomass to the eastern shelf towards the Tsushima Current Water. Size-fractionated biomass showed that the 1.0~2.0 mm size group, mostly copepods, dominated zooplankton biomass, comprising 38 to 48% of total biomass. Smaller zooplankton (0.2~1.0 mm) biomass, consisting mainly of Paracalanus spp, a particle eating herbivorous copepod, was positively related to chlorophyll-a concentration, but no relationship was established for larger zooplankton (1.0~5.0 mm). Spatially-averaged mean total zooplankton biomass was also highly related to chlorophyll-a concentration. These result suggest that the long-term trend of zooplankton biomass increase in this region is partly accounted for by the increases of phytoplankton biomass and productivity underway in the region. However, the underlying mechanisms of how sea surface warming in the study area leads to increased phytoplankton biomass and productivity remains unclear.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.424-430
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• 2014

Two major temperature fronts, the Subpolar (Gosung, Gang-won-do; $38^{\circ}-41^{\circ}N$) and Thermal (Jukbyun, Gyeong-sang-buk-do; $36^{\circ}-37^{\circ}N$) fronts, are found in the East Sea along the east coast of Korea. These are located roughly where the Tsushima Warm Current and North Korea Cold Current intersect. To clarify the effect of the Thermal Front, we investigated seasonal variation in fish species composition using set nets in two areas located north (Jangho, Gang-won-do) and south (Hupo, Gyeong-sang-buk-do) of Jukbyun, Gyeong-sang-buk-do, and compared the sea water temperature and salinity. We collected a total of 38 fish species in Hupo and 25 in Jangho. Trachurus japonicus was the most common species at both sites, but the subdominant species differed. At Hupo, the subdominant species were Konosirus punctatus and Diodon holocanthus, whereas Clupea pallasii and Scomber japonicus were subdominant at Jangho. Based on Froese and Pauly (2014), subtropical fishes accounted for 55% of fish in Hupo but only for 33% in Jangho. The difference in fish species composition was most obvious in May and August. According to the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Administration, sea surface temperature and salinity were slightly higher at Hupo than at Jangho. Our findings suggest that the oceanographic boundary resulting from the Thermal Front near Jukbyun, Gyeong-sang-bukdo may have a major effect on the distribution of migratory fish species.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.1141-1149
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• 2011

The three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was simulated to understand coastal sea front of formation and seasonal variation in the Southern Sea of Korea. In this study, we used to concept of stratification factor, to realize seasonal distribution of stratification coefficient which of seasonal residual flow, considered with, tide, wind and density effect. Tidal current tends to flow westward during the flood and eastward during ebb. The current by the wind stress showed to be much stronger the coastal than the offshore area in the surface layer. And the current by the horizontal gradient of water density showed to be relatively weak in the coastal area, with little seasonal differences. On the other hand, the flow in the offshore area showed results similar to that of the Tsushima Warm Current. The stratification factor (SHv) was calculated by taking into account the total flow of tide, wind and density effect. In summer, the calculated SHv distribution ranged from 2.0 to 2.5, similar to that of the coastal sea front. The horizontal temperature gradient showed to be strong during the winter, when the vertical stratification is weak. On the other hand, the horizontal gradient became weak in summer, during which vertical stratification is strong. Therefore, it is presume that the strength of vertical stratification and the horizontal temperature gradient affect the position of the coastal sea front.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.68-77
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• 2002

We investigated the outbreak, maintenance, and decline of the red tide dominated by C. polykrikoides in the coastal waters off Southern Korea from August to October, 2000, by combining field data and NOAA satellite images. In general, the C. polykrikoides blooms, which have occured annually in Korean coastal waters from 1995 to 1999, initiate between late August and early September around Narodo Island and expand to the whole area of the southern coast. However, initiation and short-term change of the bloom of 2000 were quite different from the pattern observed previously. In mid-August, thermal fronts in sea surface temperature(SST) were formed: 1) between the Tsushima Warm Current Water (TWCW) and the Southern Korean Coastal Waters (SKCW), 2) between the jindo cold water mass and the southwestern coastal waters, and 3) between the upwelled cold waters in the southeast coast and the offshore warm waters. Free-living cells of C. polykrikoides were concentrated in these frontal regions. In late August, the thermal front TWCW-SKCW approached the mouth of Yeosuhae Bay where Seomjin River water and anthropogenic pollutants from the Industrial Complex of Gwangyang Bay are discharged. In the blooms of 2000 initiated in Yeosuhae Bay in late August, the dominant species, C. polykrikoides, co-occured with Alexandrum tamarense, Gymnodinium mikimotoi, Skeletonema coastatum, and Chaetoceros spp. Two typhoons, 'Prapiroon' and 'Saomai' during and the C. polykrikoides bloom probably affected the abundance of this species. After the former typhoon passed the Korean Peninsula, cell growth of C. polykrikoides was maximal, but after the latter typhoon, the C. polykrikoides bloom disappeared (20 September). On 5 October, the blooms dominated by C. polykrikoides broke out within the coastal waters of Jinhae Bay and Hansan-Keoje Bay. NOAA satellite images showed that the isothermal line of 22$^{\circ}C$ extended into Jinhae Bay. In this bloom, C. polykrikoides also occurred simultaneously with Akashiwo sanguinea(=Gym-nodinium sangunium), a common red tide-forming dinoflagellate species in fall and winter in these coastal bays.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.475-486
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• 2009

Harmful algal blooms (HAB) caused by the dominant species Cochlodinium polykrikoides (C. polykrikoides) appear in the South Sea of Korea and are particularly present in summer and fall seasons. Environmental factors such as water temperature, weather conditions (air temperature, cloud cover, sunshine, precipitation and wind) influence on the initiation and subsequent development of HAB. The purpose of this research was to study spatial and temporal variations of HAB in the Yeosu area using environmental (oceanic and meteorological) and satellite data. Chlorophyll-a concentrations were calculated using Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) images by an Ocean Chlorophyll 4 (OC4) algorithm, and HAB were estimated using the Red tide index Chlorophyll Algorithm (RCA). We also used the surface velocity of sequential satellite images applying the Maximum Cross Correlation method to detect chlorophyll-a movement. The results showed that the water temperature during HAB occurrences in August 2002-2008 was $19.4-30.2^{\circ}C$. In terms of the frequency of the mean of cell density of C. polykrikoides, the cell density of the HAB found at low (<300 cells/ml), medium (300-1000 cells/ml), and high (>1000 cells/ml) levels were 27.01%, 37.44%, and 35.55%, respectively. Meteorological data for 2002-2008 showed that the mean air temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and sunshine duration were $22.39^{\circ}C$, 6.54 mm/day, 3.98 m/s (southwesterly), and 1-11.7 h, respectively. Our results suggest that HAB events in the Yeosu area can be triggered and extended by heavy precipitation and massive movement of HAB from the East China Sea. Satellite images data from July to October 2002-2006 showed that the OC4 algorithm generally estimated high chlorophyll-a concentration ($2-20\;mg/m^3$) throughout the coastal area, whereas the RCA estimated concentrations at $2-10\;mg/m^3$. The surface velocity of chlorophyll-a movement from sequential satellite images revealed the same patterns in the direction of the Tsushima Warm Current.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.198-210
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• 2022

The southern strait of Jeju is a divergence point of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC), and it is the starting point of the thermohaline circulation in the waters of the Korean Peninsula, affecting the size and frequency of marine disasters such as typhoons and tsunamis, and has a very important oceanographic impact, such as becoming a source of harmful organisms and radioactively contaminated water. Therefore, for an immediate response to these maritime disasters, real-time ocean observation is required. However, compared to other straits, in the case of southern Jeju, such wide area marine observations are insufficient. Therefore, in this study, surface current field of the southern strait of Jeju was calculated using High-Frequency radar (HF radar). the large surface current field is calculated, and post-processing and data improvement are carried out through APM (Antenna Pattern Measurement) and FOL (First Order Line), and comparative analysis is conducted using actual data. As a result, the correlation shows improvement of 0.4~0.7 and RMSE of about 1~19 cm/s. These high-frequency radar observation results will help solve domestic issues such as response to typhoons, verification of numerical models, utilization of wide area wave data, and ocean search and rescue in the future through the establishment of an open data network.