• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.151-166
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• 1999

Both benthic and planktonic foraminifera from Core 97-02 obtained in the northern East China Sea are quantitatively analyzed for reconstructing the paleocenography of late Quaternary. Since the earliest time of the core sediment (last not older than 18000 yr B.P.), the paleo-water depth has changed from less than 20 m to near 100 m at present, which is reflected by the benthic foraminiferal assemblages: before 14000 yr B.P., the water depth was shallower than 20 m; from 14000 to 7500 yr B.P., water depth was 20-50 m; and after 7500 yr B.P., water depth was 50-100 m. The foraminiferal fauna also disclose the water mass history: during the last glacial maximum, the water that dominated the study area might be the coastal water; at the end of the last glacial maximum(14000-9500 yr B.P.), the Yellow Sea Cold Water mostly affected this area; then it gave way to the Yellow Sea Warm Current after 9500 yr B.P.; and finally, the warm water has dominated this area since 9500 yr B.P. because of the westward shift and enhancement of the Kuroshio Current.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.59-61
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• 2014

We conducted eight surveys in the northern East China Sea (ECS) in winter (February - April), summer (July), and autumn (October) 2004-2009, to investigate the seasonal distribution of T. pacificus. A total of 482 paralarvae, ranging in mantle length (ML) from 1.0 - 17.0 mm, were collected at 73 out of 181 stations. There were higher numbers of paralarvae during the winter and summer months than in the autumn. There was significant seasonal variation in the paralarval mantle lengths; mantle lengths were longer in winter (April) than in summer (July). The position of oceanic fronts in the study area played an important role in restricting paralarval distribution along the inshore edge of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC). When the TWC expanded to western Jeju Island in winter and autumn, the paralarval distribution range extended to include western Jeju Island. However, when the TWC was located southeast of Jeju Island in the summer, paralarvae were distributed along the frontal zone off southeast Jeju Island. Sites at which paralarval mantle length was <2.0 mm ML indicated that the spawning ground were likely to be within the northern ECS in winter and summer, but north of the study area in autumn.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.85-95
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• 2008

Temporal and spatial variabilities of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) in the northern East China Sea (ECS) are described, using both 8-day composite images of the SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) and in-situ data investigated in August and September during 2000-2005. Ocean color imagery showed that Chl-a concentrations on the continental shelf within the 50 m depth in the ECS were above 10 times higher than those of the Kuroshio area throughout the year. Higher concentrations (above $5mg/m^3$) of yearly mean Chl-a were observed along the western part of the shelf near the coast of China. The standard deviation also showed the characteristics of the spatial variability near $122-124^{\circ}E$, where the western region of the East China Sea was grater than that of the eastern region. Particularly the significant concentration of Chl-a, up to $9mg/m^3$, was found at the western part of $125^{\circ}E$ in the in-situ data of 2002. The higher Chl-a concentrations of in-situ data were consistent with low salinity waters of below 30 psu. It means that there were the close relationship between the horizontal distribution of Chl-a and low salinity water.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.13-23
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• 2003

Organic carbon and nitrogen contents in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediments in seawater were measured in the Northern East China Sea in summer. The distribution of particulate organic carbon(POC) and particulate organic nitrogen(PON) were in the ranges of 54~481㎍/ℓ and 6~85㎍/ℓ, respectively, with relatively high level of concentrations in the western and southern sides of the study area. Also, there has been a significantly positive correlation between POC and PON, gradually increasing toward the deeper range of depth. Average C:N ratios of POC and PON of SPM were 6 in study area. The ratios of POC to PON of SPM increased as the range of depth increased, indicating nitrogen decomposes more rapidly than carbon and is considered to be influenced by the input of detritus from surface sediments. The distribution of total organic matter(TOM), total organic carbon(TOC) and total organic nitrogen(TON) in surface sediments were in the ranges of 3.1~9.6%, 0.282~0.635% and 0.022~0.069%, respectively, with relatively low range in the western and northern sides of the study area. The ratio of TOC to TON of surface sediments were in the range of 9.8~17.4(average of 13), strongly indicating the active role of the input from the terrestrial organic pollutants.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.125-137
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• 2006

Nutrients, chlorophyll-a, particulate organic carbon (POC), and environmental conditions were extensively investigated in the northern East China Sea (ECS) near Cheju Island during three seasonal cruises from 2003 to 2005. In spring and autumn, relatively high concentrations of nitrate ($2.6{\sim}12.4\;{\mu}mol\;kg^{-1}$) and phosphate ($0.17{\sim}0.61\;{\mu}mol\;kg^{-1}$) were observed in the surface waters in the western part of the study area because of the large supply of nutrients from deep waters by vertical mixing. The surface concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in summer were much lower than those in spring and autumn, which is ascribed to a reduced nutrient supply from the deep waters in summer because of surface layer stratification. While previous studies indicate that upwellings of the Kuroshio Current and the Changjiang (Yangtze River) are main sources of nutrients in the ECS, these two inputs seem not to have contributed significantly to the build-up of nutrients in the northern ECS during the time of this study. The lower nitrate:phosphate (N:P) ratio in the surface waters and the positive correlation between the surface N:P ratio and nitrate concentration indicate that nitrate acts as a main nutrient limiting phytoplankton growth in the northern ECS, contrary to previous reports of phosphate-limited phytoplankton growth in the ECS. This difference arises because most surface water nutrients are supplied by vertical mixing from deep waters with low N:P ratios and are not directly influenced by the Changjiang, which has a high N:P ratio. Surface chlorophyll-a levels showed large seasonal variation, with high concentrations ($0.38{\sim}4.14\;mg\;m^{-3}$) in spring and autumn and low concentrations ($0.22{\sim}1.05\;mg\;m^{-3}$) in summer. The surface distribution of chlorophyll-a coincided fairly well with that of nitrate in the northern ECS, implying that nitrate is an important nutrient controlling phytoplankton biomass. The POC:chlorophyll-a ratio was $4{\sim}6$ times higher in summer than in spring and autumn, presumably because of the high summer phytoplankton death rate caused by nutrient depletion in the surface waters.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2000

Monthly mean chlorophyll concentration in the East Sea was estimated from the ocean color observed by the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) on Nimbus-7 satellite which had performed various remote sensing missions from 1979 to 1986. The areas of high chlorophyll concentration were found in the sea between Siberia coast and Sakhalin Island, in the Donghan Bay and in the Ulleung Basin. In the southwestern East Sea, especially in the area near Ulleung Island, the yearly maximum chlorophyll concentration occurred in December. The chlorophyll concentration in Ulleung Basin in December was about two times higher than during spring bloom in April. The early winter bloom occurred in the warm side of the front that was formed between warm water from the East China Sea and nutrition rich cold water from the northern East Sea.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.695-706
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• 1998

SST (Sea Surface. Temperature) fronts which were found in the South-West Sea of Korea and the northern area of the East China Sea were examined in order to clarify their positions, shapes, seasonal changes and the formation mechanism, For this study used SST data rearranged from the SST IR image during 1991 to 1996 and oceanographical data obtained by National Fisheries Research and Development Institute. Temperature front in the Cheju Strait was analyzed by the data obtained from a fisheries guidance ship of Cheju Provincial Government, The coastal frontal zone in the South-West Sea of Korea and the offshore frontal zone in the northern area of the East China Sea can be divided into several types (Type of Winter, Summer, Spring, Autumn and late Autumn), Short term variations of SST fronts have a tendency not to move to any Bleat extent for several days. The location of the frontal zone in the southwestern sea of Cheju Island changes on a much large scale than that of the one in the southern coast of Korea, The frontal Tone, formed every year in the southern sea of Korea approaches closer to the coastal area in winter, and moves closer to the south in spring and autumn. The frontal zone of the southwestern sea of Cheju Island moves in a westerly direction from the east, and reaches its most westerly point in the winter and its most easterly point in the summer related to the seasonal change of the Tsushima Current. Additionally, the frontal zone of the southwestern sea of Korea becomes extremely weak in March, April and November. SST fronts are formed every year around the line connecting Cheju Island to Yeoseo Island or to Chungsan Island in the Cheju Strait. A Ring-shaped tidal mixing front appears along the coastal area of Cheju Island throughout the year except during the months from November to January. Especially, in May and October fronts are formed between the coastal waters of Cheju Island and the Tsushima currents connecting the frontal zone of the coastal region in the southern sea of Korea with that of the southwestern sea of Cheju Island.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.173-179
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• 2012

The common squid $Todarodes$ $pacificus$ is a dominant species in Korean waters, where it is captured preponderantly by the angling fishery. The spawning and nursery grounds of $T.$ $pacificus$ extend from the southern East Sea to the northern East China Sea. Consequently, the environmental conditions in this area during the spawning and nursery seasons might affect the abundance of $T.$ $pacificus$. This study, analyzed the relationship between the distribution of zooplankton and the abundance of $T.$ $pacificus$ and variation in the squid angling fishing grounds in Korean waters. There was a positive relationship between the fluctuations in zooplankton and the catch per unit effort (CPUE; $kg{\cdot}day^{-1}{\cdot}person^{-1}$) of the angling fishery in the East Sea of Korea. The main fishing season is from July to December and the CPUE was closely related to the zooplankton biomass in April in the East Sea. Recently, the center of the squid jigging ground has moved drastically from the area around Ulleung Island to the northern East Sea. We postulate that the fishing grounds of the squid angling fishery will move farther north with climate change.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.207-218
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• 2017

Seawater with salinity of 32.5 psu or less is observed in the southern Japan/East Sea (JES) every autumn. It is confined to a surface layer 30-45 m in depth that expands to cover the entire JES in October. Two sources of "autumn low-salinity water" have been identified from historical hydrographic data in the western JES: East China Sea (ECS) water mixed with fresh water discharge from the Yangtze River (Changjiang) and seawater diluted with melted sea ice in the northern JES. Low-salinity water inflow from the ECS begins in June and reaches its peak in September. Low-salinity water from the northern JES expands southward along the coast, and its horizontal distribution varies among years. A rare observational study of the entire JES in October 1969 indicated that water with salinity less than 33.0 psu covered the southwestern JES; the lowest salinity water was found near the Ulleung Basin. In October 1995, the vertical distribution of salinity observed in a meridional section revealed that water with salinity of 33.6 psu or less was present in the area north of the subpolar front.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.141-152
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• 2011

This study was investigated the species composition of demersal fishes by a bottom trawler GAYA, in order to be used basic data for resources management of fishery in the jointly controlled waters of the West sea. We caught 39 species, 5,532 individuals and 322.518kg in biomass. The number of species was the fewest of the jointly controlled waters of the East china sea and boundary zone between Busan and Tsushima. The first dominant species in individuals in summer was Oregonia gracilis, and in biomass was angler. But angler was the first dominant species in 7 stations of 12 stations. It was a peculiar phenomenon that cod which lives in a cold current was caught in the northern part of the West sea. In this connection it seems to be needs for oceanographic research. Catch per unit effort (kg/hr) of bottom trawl was the higher in northern part and in right line of all surveyed area respectively.