• 한국해양학회지
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.189-196
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• 1992

A simple quasi-geostrophic model is considered to explain the separation of the East Korean Warm Current(EKWC) and formation of the North Korean Cold Current(NKCC). In this model, the circulation is driven by inflow-outflow condition and modified by local forcing. The solution is decomposed into inflow-outflow and local modes which describe only the effects of inflow-outflow condition and local forcing, respectively. Results of analyses show that both the surface cooling and positive wind stress curl are favorable for the separation of EKWC and formation of NKCC. This fact is compatible with the present knowledge about heat flux and wind stress field over the Sea of Japan.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 2002

Based on the five-year (October 1992 through September 1997) Topex/Poseidon altimeter measurements, we describe the statistical characteristics of the eddy variability in the East Sea in terms of sea surface height anomaly, slope variability, and eddy kinetic energy (EKE). The sea surface height anomalies in the East Sea are produced with standard corrections from Topex/Poseidon measurements. In order to eliminate the high frequency noise in the sea surface height anomaly data, the alongtrack height anomaly data was filtered by about 40 km low-pass Lanczos filter based on Strub et al. (1997) and Kelly et a1. (1998). We find that there exists a distinct spatial contrast of high eddy variability in the south and low eddy energy in the north, bordering the Polar Front. In the northwestern area $(north\;of\;39^{\circ}N\;and\;west\;of\;133^{\circ}E)$ from the Polar Front where the eddies frequently appear, the EKE is also considerabel. The high kinetic energy in the southern East Sea reveals a close connection with the paths of the Tsushima Warm Current, suggesting that the high variability in the south is mainly generated by the baroclinic instability process of the Tsushima Warm Current. This finding is supported by other studies (Fu and Zlontnicki, 1989; Stammer, 1997) wh.ch have shown the strong eddy energy coupled in the major current system. The monthly variation of the EKE in both areas of high and low eddy variability shows a strong seasonality of a high eddy kinetic energy from October to February and a relatively low one from March to September. The sequential pattern of wind stress curl shows resemblance with those of monthly and seasonal EKE and the two sequences have a correlation of 0.82 and 0.67, respectively, providing an evidence that wind stress curl can be the possible forcing for the monthly and seasonal variation of the EKE in the East Sea. The seasonality of the EKE also seems to correlate with the seasonality of the Tsushima Warm Current. There also exists the large spatial and interannual variabilities in the EKE.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2000

Simulation of local external forcing and its response in the rotation table experiment has been investigated. Spatially-uniform external forcings have been applied in many experimental studies, however, based on the fact that the north-south distribution of the wind-stress curl and the existence of local maximum of the sea surface heat loss in the northern part of the East Sea, new method of combined effects of local forcings has been employed in separate experiments. Carefully designed local source or sink at the bottom of the cylindrical container can produce horizontal pressure gradient within the Ekman layer, and consequently the interior also attains the same pressure gradient that produces geostrophic interior circulation. In order to keep free surface during the local-surface cooling, a side-wall cooling method is suggested. For the various type of local forcing including the effects local cooling and the periodic change of local wind-stress curl, western-boundary flow in terms of its strength, position of separation from the boundary have been observed.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.550-564
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• 1995

The temporal and spatial characteristics of wind fields over the neighbouring seas of the Korean peninsula are investigated using 10-years daily wind data during 1978${\sim}$1987 which have been spatially smoothed and low-pass filtered. Long term annual and monthly means are examined for synoptic patterns and spectral analyses are made for temporal variability and spatial coherence. Spatial patterns of the annual mean wind stress and curl have a strong resemblance with those of monthly means during the winter season. Two outstanding periodicities are observed at 1 and 2 cycles per year. The synoptic winds over the study area are highly coherent at both the annual and semi-annual periodicities. However, each basin has its own characteristic spatial pattern. For instance, the prevailing wind during the winter season is northerIy over the northern East Sea (ES), Yellow Sea (YS), and northern East China Sea (ECS), while it is northwesterly over the southern ES and northesterly over the northern ES and southern ECS. At the same time, the wind stress curl is positive over the northern ES and southern ECS, while it is negative over the southern ES, YS and northern ECS. On the other hand, the wind field during the summer season, with its strength being much reduced, is completely different from that during the winter season, and frequent passage of tropical storms provokes large temporal variability over ECS. One remarkable point is that the annual cycle, dominated by the Siberian High, tends to propagate from northeast to southwest, i.e., from northern 25 toward southern ES, YS and ECS, while the semi-annual cycle propagates in the opposite direction, from southwest to northeast. The semi-annual periodicity may reflect development of extratropical cyclones in spring and fall which frequently cross the Korean peninsula. In higher frequencies, there are no dominant periodicities, but local winds over YS and ES are highly correlated for frequencies larger than 0.1 cycles per day and phase difference increases linearly with frequency. This linear increase of phase corresponds to phase speed of 550 and 730 km/d at 0.1 and 0.3 cpd, respectively, The phase speed is apparently coincident with moving speed of extratropical cyclones across the Korean peninsula in the west-east direction.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.15-28
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• 1992

Temporal variations of the path of the East Korea Warm Current(EKWC) which flows northward along the east coast of Korea were analysed to investigate whether the EKWC directly influences the existence of the so-called Warm Core in the Ulreung basin. From the 13 years(1975-1987) data of the Fisheries Research and Development Agency(FRDA), the $10^{\circ}C$ isotherm at the 100m depth and the depth of $2^{\circ}C$ isotherm and the temperature field at the 200m depth were used for identification of the path and the central position of the Warm Core. Sea surface winds computed from the surface pressure charts gave the monthly-averaged wind stress curl over the East Sea which was used for determination of the Sverdrup transport. And the mass transport stream functions were computed by use of the Sverdrup balance. The variations of the path show that the EKWC does not always have a fixed path and fluctuates with time. And the existence of the Warm Core is independent upon the presence of the EKWC even when the EKWC doesn't flow northward along the east coast of Korea. In view of the mass transport stream functions, the influences of the sea surface winds on the branching of the Tsushima Warm Currents and the presence of the EKWC were investigated. The presence of the EKWC may be hindered by the southward flow driven by the sea surface winds when the Tsushima currents are rather weak. A very weak correlation exists between the north-south component of the Sverdrup transport and the position of the Warm Core. However, a small but significant part of the southward transport across the latitudinal line of $38^{\circ}N$ indicates that cold water from the northern part of the East Sea may be driven and be forced to flow beneath the permanent thermocline in such a way that the thermal structure of the Warm Core and its position might be changed.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.103-107
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• 2001

The major studies of an ocean circulation of the East/Japan Sea related to evaluate the feasibility and utilization of deep ocean water are reviewed. The major feature of surface current system of the East/Japan Sea is an inflow of the Tsushima Warm Current through the Korea/Tsushima Strait and the outflow through the Tsugaru and Soya Straits. The Tsushima Warm Current has been known to split into two or three branches in the southern region of the East/Japan Sea. In the cold water region of the East/Japan Sea, the North Korean Cold Current turns to the east near 39$^{\circ}$N after meeting the East Korean Warm Current, then flows eastward. The degree of penetration depends on the strength of the positive wind stress curl, according to the ventilation theory. Various current meter moorings indicate strong and oscillatory deep currents in various parts of the basin. According to some numerical experiments, these currents may be induced by pressure-topography or eddy-topography interaction. However, more investigations are needed to explain clearly the presence of these strong bottom currents. This study concludes the importance of topographical coupling, isopycnal outcropping, different wind forcing and the branching of the Tsushima Warm Current on the circulation of the East/Japan Sea.