• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.234-240
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• 2016

We examined the diffusion of contaminants released from the southern coast around Fukushima, Japan, during the passage of typhoons using a three-dimensional numerical model (POM) to track diffusing radioactivity (RA) released from the nuclear power plant at Fukushima following the accident caused by the giant tsunami event in March 2011. Radioactive contaminants released during the passage of typhoons may have significantly affected not only Japanese but also Korean coastal waters. The model domain covered most of the northwestern Pacific including marginal seas such as the East/Japan Sea and the Yellow Sea. Several numerical experiments were conducted case studies focusing on the westward diffusion from the southern coast of Japan of contaminants derived from the source site (Fukushima) according to various attributes of the typhoons, such as intensity, track, etc. The model produced the following results 1) significant amounts of contaminants were transported in a westward direction by easterly winds favorable for generating a coastal air stream along the southern Japanese coast, 2) the contaminants reached as far as Osaka Bay with the passage of typhoons, forced by a 5-day positive sinusoidal form with a (right-) northward track east of Fukushima, and 3) the range of contamination was significant, extending to the interior of the East/Japan Sea around the Tsugaru Strait. The model suggests that contaminants and/or radioactivity released from Fukushima with the passage of typhoons can affect Korean waters including the northeastern East/Japan Sea around the Tsugaru Strait, especially when the typhoon tracks are favorable for generating a westward coastal air stream along the southern Japanese coast.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.145-151
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• 2016

Temperature variability at the upper layer related to climate regime shifts in the Korean waters was illustrated using water temperature, climate index. Three major climate regime shifts (CRS) in 1976, 1988 and 1998 in north Pacific region had an significant influence on the major marine ecosystems structure pattern. Three marginal seas around Korean peninsula; East Sea, East China Sea and Yellow Sea also got important impact from this kind of decadal shift. We used 10m sea water temperatures in four regions of Korean waters since 1950 to detect major fluctuation patterns both seasonally and also decadal shift. 1988 CRS was occurred in all of the study areas in most seasons however, 1998 CRS was only detected in the Yellow Sea and in the southern part of the East Sea. 1976 CRS was detected in all of the study area mainly in winter. After 1998 CRS, the water temperature in the southern part of the East Sea, East China Sea and Yellow Sea were going into decreased pattern; however, in the northern part of the East Sea, it was further shifted to increasing pattern which was started from 1988 CRS period.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.178-186
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• 2003

Seasonal variation of phytoplankton was investigated with surface mixed layer ecosystem model in the East Sea. The model consisted of four compartments (phytoplankton, zooplankton, nutrient, detritus) forced by mixed layer depths, photosynthetically available radiation and nutrient concentrations. From model results we estimated entrainment rate $2.5-4.0\;m{\cdot}day^{-1}$ to reproduce the two annual blooms, and reproduced seasonal variation of phytoplankton at southern and northern regions by the difference of surface winter mixed layer depth (MLD) using the entrainment rate value $3.0\;m{\cdot}day^{-1}$. The spring blooms in the southern and northern regions closely related to deepening of a winter surface MLD. In the southern region where MLD was shallow and phytoplankton spring bloom occurs one month in advance to the northern region where MLD was deep. The amount of light increases within the MLD during the onset of stratification and water temperature increases faster in spring in the southern region than the northern region. Decrease of phytoplankton was mainly affected by zooplankton grazing in the southern region and by nutrient exhaustion in the northern region. The fall bloom in the two regions was caused by the nutrient availability and entrainment on the phytoplankton.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.167-174
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• 2003

Oceanic conditions of the Tsushirm Wann Current (1WC) region in the southern area if the East Sea (the Japan Sea) are examined using data obtained from a CREAMS (Circulation Research if the East Asian Marginal Seas) cruise in June 1996. In 1990s, a lower temperature appears in $19\%$ and in this period, two branch of the TWC exist and the first branch of the TWC flows inshore if the Japanese coastal region compared to tfr1t in the other years, especially in the sfr1llower water layer at less th:1n about 2mm. The TWC cored with the higher salinity (>34.6 psu) is clearly observed over the continental shelf zone in the Japanese coastal region and offshore and identified by geostrophic calculation Intrusion if the TWC into the East Sea through the Korea Strait (the Tsushima Strait) makes the density structure in the water column change and the water mass in the TWC region is unstable based on Brunt- Vaisala frequency.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.150-158
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• 2007

Data on squid catches, water temperature, and climatic factors collected for the Northwest and subtropical North Pacific were analyzed to examine the influence of oceanic and climatic conditions in spawning grounds on catches of Japanese common squid, Todarodes pacificus, in the East (Japan) Sea. The main spawning ground was divided into four sub-areas: the South Sea of Korea (R1), the southern waters off Jeju, Korea (R2), the southwestern part of Kyushu, Japan (R3), and the northern part of Okinawa, Japan (R4). Interannual and decadal fluctuations in water temperatures correlated well with squid catches in the East/Japan Sea. In particular, water temperatures at a depth of 50 to 100 m in sub-areas R3 and R4 showed higher correlation coefficients (0.54 to 0.59, p<0.01) in relation to squid catches in the East/Japan Sea than for R1 and R2, which had correlation coefficients of 0.40 or less (p>0.05). Air temperature and wind velocity fluctuations in each sub-area are correlated with water temperature fluctuations and were closely connected with variations in the surface mixed layers. Water, air temperatures and wind velocities at the main spawning grounds are linked to the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) with higher signals in the ca. 2-4-year band. Strong changes in a specific band and phase occurred around 1976/77 and 1986/87, coincident with changes in squid catches.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.128-137
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• 1997

This study presents results from a detailed sedimentological investigation of surface sediments obtained from the Korea Strait region, the southern part of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). The distribution of different types of bottom sediments is controlled by the recent fine-grained sediment transport and deposition combined with the lowerings of sea level during the last glacial period, forming a diverse mixture of organic-rich fine-grained and shelly coarse-grained sediments. In comparison to high organic concentration of fine-grained sediments in the inner continental shelf and slope areas, the shell-rich coarse-grained sediments on the outer shelf are discernible being further modified. These coarse-grained sediments are confirmed as relict resulting from the sediment dynamics during the lower sea levels of the last glacial period. Clay mineral distribution of the fine-grained sediments gives information about the transport mechanism. Presence of present-day current system (the Tsushima Warm Current) is most probable source for the fine-grained particles into the open East Sea from the East China Sea, indicating that Holocene sediment dynamics may be used to explain the observed distribution of surface coarse-grained shell-rich sediments.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.131-141
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• 2013

Stock identification of Todarodes pacificus collected in the East Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea during the period from September to December in 2011 was analyzed by morphometric characters and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene nucleotide variations. Frequency distributions of mantle length was analyzed by morphological method with measuring size of T. pacificus. Then each stock was estimated to confirm their maturation for mean mantle length comparing with mean mature mantle length 20-22 cm. According to morphologic stock identification, it is estimated that the northern part of East Sea is categorized as summer stock and the rest parts, including mid /southern part of the East Sea, northern part of the East China Sea and northern part of the West Sea were autumn stock. For genetic analysis, a total 49 haplotypes were defined by 33 variable nucleotide sites. From the extensive haplotype diversity, limited nucleotide diversity and star-like shape of haplotype network, T. pacificus appears to have undergone rapid population expansion from an ancestral population with a small effective population size. Although pair-wise Fst estimates which represent genetic difference among groups were low, there are relatively remarkable difference of Fst between middle and southern part of the East Sea. Although middle part of the East Sea and southern part of the East Sea were situated at the East Sea, genetically separated groups were appeared.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.1380-1394
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• 2015

This paper deals with the geographical scope of the East Sea introduced by major domestic institutions. The East Sea surrounded by South Korea, North Korea, Russia, Japan has a variety of marine resources, and is the very appropriate natural laboratory to study future global changes as a miniature ocean. However, there is a continuous conflict between Korea and Japan over the name of the East Sea because of the nature of international waters. So we need the active research achievements based on the exact geographic knowledge of the East Sea to promote the legitimacy of the East Sea in the international community. Nevertheless each domestic institution has a different way to define the southern border of the East Sea so that it showed a difference about linear distance of up to about 44 km. Also, they have defined the scope of East Sea not as the entire East Sea surrounded by South Korea, North Korea, Russia and Japan but as the jurisdiction of the Republic of Korea. It caused serious confusion about accurate statistical knowledge about East Sea such as area, volume, and mean water depth. Therefore, clear social consensus about the geographical scope of the East Sea would be required, there is also the need to institutionalize a legal order to spread it.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.212-221
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• 2004

Concentrations of suspended particulate matters (SPM) and their distribution patterns were monitored three times in the East China Sea during the winter season in 1998 and 1999. SPM concentrations showed significant temporal variations controlled by the atmospheric conditions and sea states. In coastal area, SPM values were about 10-20 mg/l in fair weather conditions, but exceeded 100mg/l during the storm periods. Turbid waters were distributed widespread in the continental shelf of the East China Sea and the coastal area of the Korean Peninsula, and these two areas were connected along a NE-SW direction. The distribution patterns of turbid waters were interpreted as representing the transport behavior of suspended matter. Although the primary source of inner shelf mud deposits of Korea seems to be the Korean Peninsula, contribution from the East China Sea to the coastal area of Korea increases especially during the winter season.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.101-110
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• 2003

We made intensive observations on the coastal upwelling off the coast of the southern East Sea from June to August in 2001. The upwelling exhibited a weekly waxing and waning. The coastal upwelling of the year 2001 was characterized by abrupt outbreaks and the small local scale. Upwelling occurred more frequently off the coast of Ulsan and Gampo as reported by the earlier observers. The spread of freshly upwelled colder water was varied by each upwelling event. Generally cold waters were carried away northeastward off Pohang province. The upwelled cold waters were saltier than the resident surface waters. The pH and salinity-normalized alkalinity support the idea that the upwelled waters originate from the interior of the East Sea. The extraordinarily high concentration of dissolved oxygen suggests that the upwelled waters are closely connected to the southward flowing North Korea Cold Current. Although a lower primary productivity was reported for the upwelling region, underway surface fluorescence measurement revealed that the recently upwelled waters supported up to an order of magnitude higher algal biomass than the ambient waters. Because thermohaline circulation of the East Sea is so vigorous, with an estimated time scale of less than one hundred years, that the coastal upwelling should be considered not as an anomaly but as a regular component of a circulatory system. A quantitative understanding of upwelling seems to be a key to elucidate material cycling and the associated biological production in the East Sea.