• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.559-572
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• 2021

A survey was conducted to analyze water masses and spatial distributions of phytoplankton communities at 15 stations on the surface and chlorophyll a maximum layers (CML) in the western South Sea of Korea from September 8 to 9, 2021. As a result, water masses were classified into Coastal Waters (CW) with relatively low salinity, the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) with high water temperature and high salinity, and mixed waters (MW) showing a mixture of these two water masses. Turbidity showed high concentration in both the surface and CML. The chlorophyll a concentration was as low as 0.90±0.43 ㎍ L^-1 in the surface, more than 1.1 ㎍ L^-1 in CW, around 1.0 ㎍ L^-1 in MW, and less than 0.5 ㎍ L^-1 in the TWC. CML was 1.64±0.54 ㎍ L^-1. Regarding species composition of phytoplankton communities, there were 57 species in 31 genera(diatoms, 57.8%; dinoflagellates, 35.1%; and other phytoflagellates, 7.1%). The phytoplankton standing crop had 4.6±7.6 cells mL^-1 in the surface, more than 30 cells mL^-1 in the CW, 2-5 cells mL^-1 in the MW, and less than 2 cells mL^-1 in the TWC. CML was slightly higher than the surface with a variation of 5.7±8.4 cells mL^-1. Dominant species were found to be Rhizosolenia flagilissima f. flagilissima, Skeletonema costatum-ls, and Nitzschia sp./ small size in the surface. For the CML Rh. flagilisima f. flagilissima showed a dominance of 12.0%. For the surface, the diversity variation was 2.36±0.40, which was high for TWC but low for MW. For CML, the diversity variation was 2.29±0.52, which was slightly lower than that of the surface. The dominance in the surface was 0.50±0.15, with a fluctuation range of more than 0.5 in MW and less than 0.5 in the TWC, which was different from the diversity. According to correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), the presence of phytoplankton standing crops was high in CW but low in MW and TWC. That is, phytoplankton communities in early autumn were strongly affected by the expansion and mixing of water masses in western South Sea.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.305-311
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• 1999

This study aims to decipher surface water mass interaction in summer in the South China Sea and East China Sea by radium isotope distribution pattern. Salinity and activity ratio of radium ($^{228}Ra/^{226}Ra$) showed gradual changes, which were adequate to apply simple two end-member mixing between Kuroshio surface water and Changjiang Dilute Water for the East China Sea and the former and Nearshore Diluted Watermass (NDW) for the South China Sea. Two tracer methods, salinity and Ra isotope ratio, were compared for East China Sea. Results showed remarkable consistency for waters near Kuroshio, however, discrepancy were noticeable after Tsushima Warm Current branching. Mixing with subsurface waters may cause the discrepancy. When mixed with subsurface waters, salts and radium isotope ratio are expected to be biased in opposite direction, i. e. prone to underestimate the fraction of less saline water in the case of salts and vice versa for Ra isotope ratio. Taking the mean values of two different results seems more realistic to estimate fraction of end-members.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.90-103
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• 2014

Distribution characteristics of water masses, dissolved inorganic and organic nutrients were investigated in the southern part of the East Sea of Korea in September, 2011. On the basis of the vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen, water masses in the study area were divided into 4 major groups, such as WM (water mass)-I, WM-II, WM-III, WM-IV. Their characteristics were similar to Tsushima Surface Water (TSW), Tsushima Middle Water (TMW), North Korea Cold Water (NKCW) and East Sea Proper Water (ESPW), respectively. In the vertical profiles of dissolved nutrients, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) concentrations were highest in the WM-IV, followed by WM-III, WM-II, WM-I. On the contrary, distribution of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) were highest in the WM-I, followed by WM-II, WM-III, WM-IV. Although the DIN : DIP ratio in all of the water masses was similar to Redfield ratio(16), the DIN : DIP ratio in mixed layer was about 5.3, indicating that inorganic nitrogen is the limiting factor for the growth of phytoplankton. However, the DON proportion in dissolved total nitrogen (DTN) was about 70% in the mixed layer where inorganic nitrogen is limiting factor. Thus, enriched DON may play an important source of the nutrient for the growth of phytoplankon in the East Sea.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 1987

The fluctuations of sea surface temperatures (SST) and their anomalies in the Tsushima Current region are studied by means of empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of the monthly SST data for 30 years (1941-1970) at 8 coastal stations. The overall features of the seasonal variation of SST are described by the first EOF mode, which explains $97.2\%$ of the total variance. Annual ranges of seasonal variation of SST and root-mean-square amplitudes of SST anomalies in the downstream of the Tsushima Current are larger than those in the upstream. The SST anomalies in the Tsushima Current region consist of simultaneous fluctuations, which explain $40.9\%$ of the total variance, and 'see-saw' fluctuations of which rise and fall in the upstream are opposite to those in the downstream. The latter second EOF mode explains $19.3\%$ of the total variance. We generated the low-pass (periods longer than 24 months), band-pass (periods between 6 and 24 months) and high-pass (periods shorter than 6 months) SST anomaly series and analyzed them by EOF method. The spatial distributions of the first and second EOF modes of all filtered SST anomalies are similar to each other.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.618-623
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• 1999

A relationship between SST (Sea Surface Temperature) fronts and formation of fishing grounds was examined using the data on fishing conditions obtained from 41 Korean purse-seiners during the period of 1991 to 1996. Good fishing grounds observed in the southern sea of Korea and the nothern area of the East China Sea were yearly found around the frontal zone and around the marginal area of Tsushima Current which was the periphery of fronts, Also, there were several fishing grounds, which are not related to the fronts. They can be classified into the following four types : The first type was found in the warm water pocket located in the western area of Cheju Island in winter. The second type was made in a intensive bending of isobathytherm with a higher temperature in the main stream of Tsushima Current between Cheju Island and the Goto Islands in winter. The third type was formed by the topographical vortex motion near the Tsushima Island in winter and spring. The fourth type was found at the area of the reflow Sea Warm Current in southwest sea of Korea between the costal front zone and the Yellow Bottom Cold Waters in summer and autumn.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.177-184
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• 1991

We have investigated geographical distribution and physico-chemical properties of water masses or water types at mid-bottom depth in the neighbouring sea of Cheju Island in August 1986. In 50m layer the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water(YSBCW) below $12^{\circ}C$ was observed in the northwestern area of Cheju Island, while the Tsushima Warm Water(TWW) with relatively high temperature$(>16^{\circ}C)$ and salinity more than 34.0 in its southeastern area extended as far as the coast of about 15km. Also, 50m layer at the outside stations of its southwestern area indicated relatively cold water temperature$(11-30^{\circ}C)$, probably due to southward transport of the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water(YSBCW . The Yellow Sea Warm Water(YSWW), the mixed water of the YSBCW and the TWW, ranged $13^{\circ}C$ to $16^{\circ}C$ in water temperature and was appeared mainly in the coastal and intermediate area of Cheju Island. And the relatively cold water in the southwestern area and the Tsushima Warm Water were more extensively distributed in 50m layer than the deeper layer. Horizontal distributions of nitrate and phosphate showed a pattern similar to that of water temperature. As it were, the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water had the highest concentration of nutrients, while southwestern outside stations had the lowest nutrient contents. Especially, the concentration of nitrate in the latter was remarkably low compared with the value at the other stations. It may be attributed to intensive vertical mixing by collision of the northward driven Tn with the southward driven YSBCW. Also, it was particular that the Tsushima Warm Water indicated relatively high silicate content corresponding to that of the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water. Based on the data of $\Delta Si/\Delta P$ ratio, it seems that the mid-bottom waters in this study area are younger than the surface or intermediate water in the Korean East Sea.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.111-128
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• 1994

The distributions of sea surface temperature across the Cheju Strait and the Korea Strait have been measured by using a thermometer installed on board No.1 Cheju, a ferry that operates regularly between Pusan and Seogwipo. The data from 14 October 1991 to 15 August 1992 were analyzed in this paper. A clear temperature front is wormed at the adjacent sea of Geomundo, and its position is not fixed and moves north and south. The slow northward movement of the front can easily be traced, but the southward movement from March to October is obscure. The temperature contrast in the Cheju Soait and the Korea Strait is very we in this period. Some periodical fluctuations with a period of several tens of days are observed in the region of the temperature front from November to February. This fluctuation seems to be caused by winter heat flux exchange and the strong southeastward wind force. The result shows that continous observation of the sea surface temperature distribution across the Cheju Strait and the Korea Strait yields a good method for monitoring the presence of Tsushima Warm Current and the fluctuations of South Korea Coastal Water. The formation and structure of shelf front in the Cheju Strait and the Korea Strait was analysed based on the detailed oceanographic data observed during the period of 1990-1992. The analysis shows that well-defined fronts were formed through yearly around the Chuja Island, particularly, in summer. In nature, its structure and formation position can be changed easily from year % year and by season. But, in region of the Korea Strait this front is relatively weak.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.219-229
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• 1984

Physical and chemical survey on western channel of the Korea Strait was made using oceanographic data from July 25 to July 31, 1983. Four water types were distinguished at western channel: runoff of the Nakdong River, Tsushima Current Waters, Keoje Coastal Waters, and Ulsan Coastal Waters. Influence of the Nakdong River was greater at Southern East Coast near Yeong-Do Island in Pusan than at Keoje Coast. General characteristics of these four water types were as follows : For runoff of the Nakdong River, transparency was within 3 m, water colour chinese yellow (number 11), surface temperature $18{\sim}19^{\circ}C$, salinity less than $31\%0$, surface dissolved oxygen (D.O.) $4.5{\sim}5.0ml/l$, contents of phosphate $0.25{\sim}0.5{\mu}g-at./l$ ; these values were the highest among these four water types. For Tsushima Current waters, transparency was greater than 15 m, waters color blue (number $2{\sim}4$), surface temperature about $23^{\circ}C$, salinity $32{\sim}33\%0$, and surface D.O. greater than 5,0 ml/l. Phosphate, nitrate and silicate were less than 0.25, 2.0, and $2.5{\mu}g-at./l$, respectively; these values were the lowest among these four water types. Keoje Coastal Waters had low temperature ranging $20{\sim}21^{\circ}C$ at surface, and high salinity greater than $33\%0$. D.O. was less than 5.0 ml/l, phoshpate, $0.5{\mu}g-at./l$ nitrate and silicate were less than $3.5{\mu}g-at./l$. Ulsan Coastal Waters had the lowest surface temperature among these four types; surface temperature was less than $16^{\circ}C$, salinity greater than $33.5\%0$, and D.O., phosphate and nitrate had very high values. It seems that these high values resulted from upwelling phenomena.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 1999

The latest-Quaternary paleoceanographic history of the Ulleung Basin, the East Sea (the Sea of Japan) is reconstructed on the base of planktonic foraminifera, oxygen and carbon isotopes, and accelerator mass spectrometer radiocarbon (AMS-$^{14}$C) data from two cores. Sinistral populations of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma are dominant during the last glacial period while dextral forms of Neogloboquadrina pachydeyma are abundant in the Holocene. An abrupt increase in ${\delta}^{18}$O values in both cores that began about 11 ka B.P may indicate the Younger Dryas cooling episode. A low-salinity event, marked by light ${\delta}^{18}$O values (0-1 %), is observed before the Younger Dryas event. As previous works suggested, the low-salinity event is probably due to the freshening of surface water caused by fresh water input from Huang Ho river and/or the excess of precipitation over evaporation. The lowest salinity water in the Ulleung Basin was probably continued from approximately 18 ka B.P. to 15 ka B.P. The ${\delta}^{18}$O values have gradually decreased since the Younger Dryas as a result of the continuous inflow of the warm Tsushima Current into the East Sea.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2004

In order to understand the water masses and their distribution in the eastern Yellow Sea from winter to spring, a cluster analysis was applied to the temperature and salinity data of Korea Oceanographic Data Center from 1970 to 1990. From December to April, Yellow Sea Cold Water (YSCW) dominates the eastern Yellow Sea, whereas Eastern Yellow Sea Mixed Water (MW) and Yellow Sea Warm Water (YSWW) are found in the southern part of the eastern Yellow Sea. MW appears at the frontal region around $34^{\circ}N$ between YSCW in the north and YSWW in the south. On the other hand, Tshushima Warm Water (TWW) is found around Jeju Island and the South Sea of Korea. These water masses are relatively well-mixed throughout the water column due to the winter monsoon. However, the water column begins to be stratified in spring due to increased solar heating, the diminishing winds and fresh water discharge, and the water masses in June may be separated into surface, intermediate and bottom layers of the water column. YSWW advances northwestward from December to February and retreats southeastward from February to April. This suggests a periodic movement of water masses in the southern part of the eastern Yellow Sea from winter to spring. YSWW may continue to move eastward with the prevailing eastward current to the South Sea from April to June. Also, the front relaxes in June, but the mixed water advances to the north, increasing salinity. The salinity is also higher in the nearshore region than offshore. This indicates an influx of oceanic water to the north in the nearshore region of the eastern Yellow Sea in spring in the form of mixed water.