• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.83-107
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• 1994

Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) estimated by using the operational SST derivation equations of NOAA/NESDIS were compared with satellite-tracked drifter temperatures. As a result of eliminating cloud-filled or contaminated pixels through several cloud tests, 69 matchup points between the drifter temperatures and the SSTs estimated with NOAA satellite 9, 10. 11 and 12 data from August, 1993 to July, 1994 were collected. Multi-channel sea surface temperature(MCSST) using a split window technique showed an approximately $1.0{\circ}C$ rms error as compared with the drifting buoy temperatures for 69 coincidences. Accuracies for satellete-derived sea surface temperatures were evaluated for only NOAA-11 AVHRR data which had relatively large matchups of 35points as compared with other satellites. For the comparison of the oberved temperatures with the calculated SSTs, linear MCSST and nonlinear cross product sea surface temperature(CPSST) algorithms by the split, the dual and the triple window technique were used respectively. As a result, the split window CPSSTs showed the smallest rms error of $0.72{\circ}C$. Defferences between the split window SSTs and the drifter temperatures appeared th have a linear tendency against the drifter temperatures and also against the differences between AVHRR channel 4 and 5 brighness temperatures. This indicates some possibilities that satelite-derived SSTs operationally calculated from the NOAA/NESDIS equation in the seas around Korea have been underestimated as compared with actural SSTs in case sea water temperature is relatively low or the atmosphere over the sea surface is very dry like in winter, while overstimated in case of high temperature or very moist atmospheric equations based on local sea measurements around Korea instead of global measurements should be derived.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.663-675
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• 2011

Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) using the equations of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) / NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) were validated over the seas around Korea with satellite-tracked drifter data. A total 1,070 of matchups between satellite data and drifter data were acquired for the period of 2009. The mean rms errors of Multi- Channel SSTs (MCSSTs) and Non-Linear SSTs (NLSSTs) were evaluated to, in most of the cases, less than $1^{\circ}C$. However, the errors revealed dependencies on atmospheric and oceanic conditions. For the most part, SSTs were underestimated in winter and spring, whereas overestimated in summer. In addition to the seasonal characteristics, the errors also presented the effect of atmospheric moist that satellite SSTs were estimated considerably low ($-1.8^{\circ}C$) under extremely dry condition ($T_{11{\mu}m}-T_{12{\mu}m}$ < $0.3^{\circ}C$), whereas the tendency was reversed under moist condition. Wind forcings induced that SSTs tended to be higher for daytime data than in-situ measurements but lower for nighttime data, particularly in the range of low wind speeds. These characteristics imply that the validation of satellite SSTs should be continuously conducted for diverse regional applications.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.589-601
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• 2016

Sea surface currents were estimated by applying the Maximum Cross Correlation (MCC), Zero-mean Sum of Absolute Distances (ZSAD), and Zero-mean Sum of Squared Distances (ZSSD) algorithms to Himawari-8/Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) thermal infrared channel data, and the comparative analysis was performed between the results of these algorithms. The sea surface currents of the Kuroshio Current region that were retrieved using each algorithm showed similar results. The ratio of errors to the total number of estimated surface current vectors had little difference according to the algorithms, and the time required for sea surface current calculation was reduced by 24% and 18%, relative to the MCC algorithm, for the ZSAD and ZSSD algorithms, respectively. The estimated surface currents were validated against those from satellite-tracked surface drifter and altimeter data, and the accuracy evaluation of these algorithms showed results within similar ranges. In addition, the accuracy was affected by the magnitude of brightness temperature gradients and the time interval between satellite image data.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2001

Ocean currents estimated from sea height anomalies derived from inter-calibrated TP/ERS are compared with daily mean currents measured with satellite-tracked drifters. The correlation coefficient between the geostrophic current from TP/ERS and surface current at 15 m depth from drifter tracks was found to be about 0.5. Due to the limitation of satellite ground tracks, small scale eddies less than 80 km are poorly resolved from TP/ERS. One of the interesting results of this study is that coastal currents along the eastern coast of Korea were well reproduced from sea height anomalies when the coastal currents were developed in association with eddies near the South Korean coast. The eddy kinetic energy (EKE) estimated from drifters, TP/ERS, and a numerical model are also compared. The EKE estimated from drifters was about 22 % higher than EKE calculated from TP/ERS. The pattern of low EKE level in the northern basin and high EKE level in the southern East Sea is shown in the EKE estimates derived from both the drifters and TP/ERS.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2000

Even though recurring eddies at the terminal end of the East Korean Warm Current have been identified in the thermal infrared imagery from the NOAA/AVHRR sensor and ocean color data from Orbview-2/SeaWiFS sensor, it is difficult to make observation in the field regarding recurring eddies located around the Wonsan coastal area in North Korea. But we could get in situ data related to an eddy from an ARGOS satellite tracking drifter trapped in the eddy on January 4th, 1999. An ARGOS drifter, a NOAA satellite tracked buoy was trapped by the eddy during January 4th.March 18, 1999. The ARGOS drifter rotated 10 times per 72 days on the edge of the eddy located at $39^{\circ}N$, $129^{\circ}E$. The diameter of the eddy was about 100 km. The horizontal rotation velocity of the recurring cold-core anti-cyclonic eddy was 1.53 km/h(42 cm/sec). The sea surface temperatures of the eddy varied from $14.7^{\circ}C$ on January 5, 1999 to $9.6^{\circ}C$ on March 18,1999. To study the mechanism of the recurring eddy. we tried to find out the relationship between the vector of the drifter moving in the eddy and the wind vector in Sokcho and Ulleung Island located near the eddy in southern Korea, and the difference in sea level between Ulleung Island and Mukho. We hope the results of this study would be useful for calibration and validation data of simulation and numerical modeling studies of the recurring eddy.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.361-372
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• 2008

A satellite tracked drifter experiment was conducted to observe thermal structure and surface circulation in the northeastern East China Sea. For this experiment, four ADOS buoys, assembled with surface float and thermister chain, were deployed on August 2007 in southern Jeju-do, where the Kuroshio Branch Current is separated from the main stream. Thermal structure in the upper layer of the northeastern East China Sea was successfully observed during the following $1{\sim}3$ months. Strong thermo-haline front in a northeast-southwest direction was observed. In the frontal zone, warm and saline Kuroshio origin water intermixes with fresher coastal water and flows toward the Korean Strait. Typhoon Nari, which passed over the East China Sea 20 days after commencement of study, caused distinct signals in the thermal structure and trajectory of buoys. During the typhoon, surface temperature abruptly dropped to about $4^{\circ}C$, while the thermocline formed at $30{\sim}50$ m depth vanished due to strong vertical mixing. Internal inertial oscillation occurred several days after the typhoon. The fortuitous occurrence of typhoon Nari showed that ADOS buoys can provide useful and accurate air-sea interaction data during typhoons.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.89-102
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• 2007

The surface circulation of northern South China Sea (hereafter SCS) for the period 1987-2005 was studied using the data of more than 500 satellite-tracked drifters and wind data from QuikSCAT. The mean flow directions in the northern SCS except the Luzon Strait (here after LS) during the periods October_March was southwestward, and $April{\sim}September$ northeastward. A strong northwestward intrusion of the Kuroshio through the LS appears during the $October{\sim}March$ period of northeasterly wind, but the intrusion became weak between April and September. When the strong intrusion occurred, the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the LS was $388cm^2/s^2$ which was almost 2 times higher than that during the weak-intrusion season. The volume transport of the Kuroshio in the east of the Philippines shows an inverse relationship to that of the LS. There is a six-month phase shift between the two seasonal phenomena. The volume transport in the east of the Philippines shows its peak sis-month earlier faster than that of the LS. The strong Kuroshio intrusion is found to be also related to the seasonal variation of the wind stress curl generated by the north easterly wind. The negative wind stress curl in the northern part of LS induces an anticyclonic flow, while the positive wind stress curl in the southern part of LS induces a cyclonic flow. The northwestward Kuroshio intrusion in the northern part of LS happened with larger negative wind stress curl, while the westward intrusion along $20.5^{\circ}N$ in the center of the LS occurred with weaker negative wind stress curl.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1997

Surface current fields in the eastern East China Sea (ECS) were constructed by analyzing trajectories of 58 satellite-tracked surface drifters released during 1991-1996. Composite trajectories and 20-minute-by-20-minute box-averaged current vectors show that the basic current pattern composes of: the Kuroshio main stream, which turns eastward toward the Tokara Strait; a northward branch current of the Kuroshio on the ECS outer shelf deeper than 100 m; and an anticyclonic circulation in the northern Okinawa Trough west of Kyushu. The northward branch current sharply changes its direction to the northeast when it crosses a line connecting Cheju Island, Korea and Goto Islands, Japan. The basic pattern of current field changes slightly from winter to summer, and the main axis of the Tsushima Current in the Korea Strait is found to shift seasonally. The drifter experiment does not support the claim that the Yellow Sea Warm Current is separated from the northward branch current on the outer shelf southeast of Cheju Island. We suggest that the use of the term 'Tsushima Current' be limited to the northeast channel flow in the Korea Strait. The new term 'Kuroshio Branch Current' is suggested for the northward branch current on the outer shelf south of Cheju-do, which is separated from the Kuroshio.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.273-287
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• 2008

Characteristics of skin-bulk sea surface temperature (SST) differences in the Northeast Asia seas were analyzed by utilizing 845 collocated matchup data between NOAA/AVHRR data and oceanic in-situ temperature measurements for selected months from 1994 to 2003. In order to understand diurnal variation of SST within a few meters of the upper ocean, the matchup database were classified into four categories according to day-night and drifter-shipboard measurements. Temperature measurements from daytime drifters showed a good agreement with satellite MCSST (Multi-Channel Sea Surface Temperature) with an RMS error of about $0.56^{\circ}C$. Poor accuracy of SST with an rrns error of $1.12^{\circ}C$ was found in the case of daytime shipboard CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) measurements. SST differences between MCSST and in-situ measurements are caused by various errors coming from atmospheric moist effect, coastal effect, and others. Most of the remarkable errors were resulted from the diurnal variation of vertical temperature structure within a few meters as well as in-situ oceanic temperatures at different depth, about 20 cm for a satellite-tracked drifting buoy and a few meters for shipboard CTD or moored buoy. This study suggests that satellite-derived SST shows significant errors of about ${\pm}3^{\circ}C$ in some cases and therefore it should be carefully used for one's purpose on the base of in-depth understanding of skin-bulk SST difference and vertical temperature structure in regional sea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 1999

A recurring eddy which located at the terminal end of the Korean East Warm Current was captured on ocean color and sea surface temperature imagery from satellite in spring and autumn. During late April, 1997 thermal infrared imagery from the NOAA AVHRR sensor and ocean color data from the Japanese ADEOS-I OCTS sensor, revealed this feature. The cold core had elevated chlorophyll concentrations, based on OCTS estimates, of greater than 3 mg/m$^3$ while the warmer surrounding waters had chlorophyll concentrations of 1 mg/m$^3$ or less. The elevated cholophyll accociated with this eddy has not been previously described. The eddy is also evident in SST images from autumn, but the SST in the core is warmer than in spring, and the warm jet flowing to the west of the eddy is also warmer is autumn compared to spring. A reccurring eddy and the high chlorophyll_a concentration area which surround around the eddy show on NOAA and SeaWiFS images in March 2, 1998. The eddy forms at the northern extent of the Korean East Warm Current as those waters collide with the cold, south-flowing Liman Current over a topographic shelf about 1500 m deep. This region of the eddy formation appears to have a strong connection with the dynamics of the western part of the polar front eddy field that dominates surface mesoscale structure in the central East (Japan) Sea. Interaction of the eddy with ARGOW tracked drifters, and evidence for its persistence are discussed.