• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.115-131
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• 2020

The effective range of surface current data observed by high-frequency radar (HFR) operated in the northern coastal area of Jeju Island by Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology was estimated and the distribution and variability of the M₂ tidal current of the Jeju Strait was analyzed. To evaluate the HFR data, the M₂ tidal current corrected from 25 hours current data observed by the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency (KHOA) was compared with the M₂ tidal current in the Jeju Strait analyzed from the surface currents of HFR. The reliability of HFR data was confirmed by analyzing the characteristics of the tide components of these two data sets, and the effective range of HFR data was estimated through temporal and spatial analysis. The observation periods of HFR used in the analysis were from 2012 to 2014, and it was confirmed that there is a difference in the effective range of HFR data according to the observation time. During the analysis periods, the difference between the M₂ current ellipses from the data of KHOA and the HFR was greater in the eastern than in the western part of the Jeju Strait, and represented a high reliability in the western and central parts of the Jeju Strait. The tidal current of the Jeju Strait analyzed using the HFR data revealed a seasonal variability a relatively weak in summer and a strong in winter, about a 17% fluctuations between the summer and winter based on the length of the semi-major axis of tidal ellipse. Appraisals and results of regarding the characteristics and seasonal variability of the M₂ tidal current in the Jeju Strait using HFR data have not been previously reported, so the results of this study are considered meaningful.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.771-780
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• 2014

We installed HF Radar of Array type in Site A and Site B, observing the real-time wave and current in the central East coast of Korea. WERA(WavE RAdar) in this research uses HF Radar of Array Type with frequency range of 24.525 MHz, developed by Helzel, Germany. Each site is a 8-Channel system consisting of four transmitters and eight receivers, generating wave and current data, being observed every thirty minutes at the present time. HF Radar has grid resolution of an interval of 1.5 km using bandwidth of 150 kHz; The wave data covers an observation range of about 25 km, and the current data covers the maximum observation range of about 50 km. The Wave data observed by HF Radar was compared and verified with the AWAC data observed in the research sites. MIT also compared the Current data observed by HF Radar with Monthly the East sea average surface current and current flow pattern provided by KOHA(Korea Hydrographic and oceanographic Administration). The regression line and deviation of the comparison data of Wave was calculated by Principal Component Analysis, which showed correlation coefficient 0.86 and RMSD 0.186. Besides, data analysis of long-term changes of the current in the East coast showed that, during August and September, the North Korean Cold Current flow into the southward direction and the East Korean Warm Current flow into the northward direction in the coast.

• Atmosphere
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.247-260
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• 2010

A recent dramatic increase of natural hazards in the Korean peninsular (KP) due to typhoons have raised necessities for the accurate typhoon prediction. Ieodo ocean research station (IORS) has been constructed in June 2003 at the open ocean where typhoons pass frequently, aiming to observe typhoons before the landfall to the KP and hence to improve the prediction skill. This paper investigates the importance of measurements at the IORS in the typhoon research and forecast. Analysis of the best track data in the N. W. Pacific shows that about one typhoon passes over the IORS per year on the average and 54% of the KP-landfall typhoons during 59 years (1950-2008) passed by the IORS within the range of the 150-km radius. The data observed during the event of typhoons reveals that the IORS can provide useful information for the typhoon prediction prior to the landfall (mainland: before 8-10 hrs, Jeju Island: before 4-6 hrs), which may contribute to improving the typhoon prediction skill and conducting the disaster prevention during the landfall. Since 2003, nine typhoons have influenced the IORS by strong winds above 17m/s. Among them, the typhoon Maemi (0314) was the strongest and brought the largest damages in Korea. The various oceanic and atmospheric observation data at the IORS suggest that the Maemi (0314) has kept the strong intensity until the landfall as passing over warm ocean currents, while the Ewiniar (0603) has weakened rapidly as passing over the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water (YSBCW), mainly due to the storm's self-induced surface cooling. It is revealed that the IORS is located in the best place for monitering the patterns of the warm currents and the YSBCW which varies in time and space.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.187-193
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• 2017

This study evaluated tidal stream energy resources according to tidal flow properties around Uido off the west coast of, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. A feasibility study was first carried out through the collection of bathymetry data and tidal phase information. For this simulation, a depth-averaged 2D ADCIRC (Advanced Circulation) model for real sea situations was applied to a Finite Element Method (FEM) approach for tides given the variation of tidal current speed. Hydrodynamics were simulated with 4 major tidal constituents (M2, S2, K1, and O1) after setting up 4 observation points. From the real depth-averaged model simulation results, it was found that the spring tide Higher High Water (HHW) and tidal current speed values at the 4 observation points were about 2.2 m and 1.33 m/s, respectively. The ADCIRC model results were analyzed with reference to the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency's (KHOA) observed data for verification. Furthermore, using topographical characteristics via the Tidal Flux Method (TFM), tidal energy density distribution was calculated, indicating a maximum tidal energy density of about $1.75kW/m^2$ for the 5 assessment areas around Uido. The tidal energy density was evaluated with consideration given to topographical characteristics as well as tidal elevation and tidal current speed to determine an optimum tidal farm candidate.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.307-326
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• 2021

Real-time sea level observations from tide gauges include missing and erroneous values. Classification as abnormal values can be done for the latter by the quality control procedure. Although the 3𝜎 (three standard deviations) rule has been applied in general to eliminate them, it is difficult to apply it to the sea-level data where extreme values can exist due to weather events, etc., or where erroneous values can exist even within the 3𝜎 range. An artificial intelligence model set designed in this study consists of non-annotated recurrent neural networks and ensemble techniques that do not require pre-labeling of the abnormal values. The developed model can identify an erroneous value less than 20 minutes of tide gauge recording an abnormal sea level. The validated model well separates normal and abnormal values during normal times and weather events. It was also confirmed that abnormal values can be detected even in the period of years when the sea level data have not been used for training. The artificial neural network algorithm utilized in this study is not limited to the coastal sea level, and hence it can be extended to the detection model of erroneous values in various oceanic and atmospheric data.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2023

High-Frequency Radar (HF-Radar) data of surface currents in Yeongil Bay (a semi-enclosed sea area of the East Sea) was used to investigate the between wind and horizontal surface currents The variation in horizontal and vertical flow of surface currents correlated closely to the water temperature time-series data of densely spaced (1 to 2 m) layers. During the time-series observation period, when the northeast wind prevailed over the entire Yeongil Bay area, a rapid rise in water temperature was recorded across all the layers. Moreover, currents parallel to the wind direction were clearly observed in low-frequency currents of the surface layer. Time-delayed correlation analysis between wind and surface current confirmed that if northeasterly wind blows in Yeongil Bay and continues unidirectionally, a southwestward surface current occured within a short period of time (1 to 2 hours). Convergence and divergence were calculated from the daily average values of low-frequency surface currents. A rapid rise in temperature occurred in the lower layers of water at the observation points, due to the convergence (downwelling) of the surface seawater (relatively high temperature water) associated with the northeasterly wind.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.351-373
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• 2019

The cold eddies around the Ulleung Basin in the East Sea were identified from satellite altimeter sea level data using the Winding-Angle method from 1993 to 2015. Among the cold eddies, the Dokdo Cold Eddies (DCEs), which were formed at the first meandering trough of the East Korea Warm Current (EKWC) and were pinched off to the southwest from the eastward flow, were classified and their migration patterns were analyzed. The vertical structures of water temperature, salinity, and flow velocity near the DCE center were also examined using numerical simulation and observation data provided by the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model and the National Institute of Fisheries Science, respectively. A total of 112 DCEs were generated for 23 years. Of these, 39 DCEs migrated westward and arrived off the east coast of Korea. The average travel distance was 250.9 km, the average lifespan was 93 days, and the average travel speed was 3.5 cm/s. The other 73 DCEs had moved to the east or had hovered around the generated location until they disappeared. At 50-100 m depth under the DCE, water temperature and salinity (T < $5^{\circ}C$, S < 34.1) were lower than those of ambient water and isotherms made a dome shape. Current faster than 10 cm/s circulates counterclockwise from the surface to 300 m depth at 38 km away from the center of DCE. After the EKWC separates from the coast, it flows eastward and starts to meander near Ulleungdo. The first trough of the meander in the east of Ulleungdo is pushed deep into the southwest and forms a cold eddy (DCE), which is shed from the meander in the south of Ulleungdo. While a DCE moves westward, it circumvents the Ulleung Warm Eddy (UWE) clockwise and follows U shape path toward the east coast of Korea. When the DCE arrives near the coast, the EKWC separates from the coast at the south of DCE and circumvents the DCE. As the DCE near the coast weakens and extinguishes about 30 days later after the arrival, the EKWC flows northward along the coast recovering its original path. The DCE steadily transports heat and salt from the north to the south, which helps to form a cold water region in the southwest of the Ulleung Basin and brings positive vorticity to change the separation latitude and path of the EKWC. Some of the DCEs moving to the west were merged into a coastal cold eddy to form a wide cold water region in the west of Ulleung Basin and to create a elongated anticlockwise circulation, which separated the UWE in the north from the EKWC in the south.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.211-217
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• 2001

Physical oceanographic environments in the coastal sea of Chung-Moon located in the south coast of Cheju Island, Korea, where water pollutions by growing tourism complex possibly start to influence on the ecological system, are studied with hydrographic data observed monthly during July 1997 to June 2000. Winter and summer characteristics are shown in December to April and June to October, respectively, and transitional characteristics are shown in May and November. Waters show 14{\sim}16^{\circ}C$ and 34${\sim}$34.7 psu in winter and $15{\sim}27^{\circ}C$ and 32${\sim}$34.3 psu in summer. It tells that Tsushima water distributes in the whole column in winter and in the lower layer in summer, and Yangtze coastal water appears in the surface water in summer. When the influence of Yangtze coastal water is strong, salinities below 30psu are shown. Stratification is formed in the depth of about 20 m from June to October, so that it is not shown in the near shore stations, of which the depth is about10 m. Isotherms and isohalines sometimes tend to be perpendicular to the coast line in the surface, which seems to show influences from the steam power plant near St. 1 and the sewage disposal plant near St. 3. During the observation period, temperatures in St. 1 are a little higher than those in St. 2 and St. 3 except for a couple of months in summer and salinities in St. 3 are mostly a little lower than those in St. 1 and St. 2. Their effects seem to be no more than $0.4^{\circ}C$ in a distance of 300 m and no more than 0.1 psu within a distance of 30 m.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.225-242
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• 2012

This is the first attempt to produce simultaneous surface current field from satellite altimeter data for the entire East Sea and to provide surface current information to users with formal description. It is possible to estimate surface geostrophic current field in near real-time because satellite altimeters and coastal tide gauges supply sea level data for the whole East Sea. Strength and location of the major currents and meso-scale eddies can be identified from the estimated surface geostrophic current field. The mean locations of major surface currents were explicated relative to topographic, ocean-surface and undersea features with schematic representation of surface circulation. In order to demonstrate the practical use of this surface current information, exemplary descriptions of annual, seasonal and monthly mean surface geostrophic current distributions were presented. In order to objectively classify surface circulation patterns in the East Sea, empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was performed on the estimated 16-year (1993-2008) surface current data. The first mode was associated with intensification or weakening of the East Korea Warm Current (EKWC) flowing northward along the east coast of Korea and of the anti-cyclonic circulation southwest of Yamato Basin. The second mode was associated with meandering paths of the EKWC in the southern East Sea with wavelength of 300 km. The first and second modes had inter-annual variations. The East Sea surface circulation was classified as inertial boundary current pattern, Tsushima Warm Current pattern, meandering pattern, and Offshore Branch pattern by the time coefficient of the first two EOF modes.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1998

The hydrographic data collected at three different times July, 1994, May, 1995 and June, 1996 around Taean peninsula in the mid-Yellow Sea off Korea, well known for the well-defined surface thermal fronts in summer, were analyzed. In the vertically well-mixed area where water depths varied from 15 m depth to 60 m depth, the temperature difference in the water column was less than $1^{\circ}C$. The temperature observed in the vertically well-mixed area was reversely related with the water depths and the coldest surface water was always observed over the deep channel with the depth of more than 50m, which developed southwestward off the promontory of Taean peninsula, irrespective of the observation period. The strengths of surface thermal front observed in June were much stronger than those in July, even though the surface temperature of stratified area were nearly the same as in July. These observed features could be explained as follows: A major physical process for the formation of the surface thermal front is the vertical mixing of water column but the detailed thermal structure in the study area depend on the physical parameters such as the water depth in the vertically well-mixed side and the vertical thermal structure in the stratified side.