Abstract
Analysis of CTD data from four CREAMS expeditions carried out in summers of 1993–1996 produces distinct T-S relationships for the western and eastern Japan Basin, the Ulleung Basin and the Yamato Basin. T-S characteristics are mainly determined by salinity as it changes its horizontal pattern in three layers, which are divided by isotherms of 5°C and 1°C; upper warm water, intermediate water and deep cold water. Upper warm water is most saline in the Ulleung Basin and the Yamato Basin. Salinity of intermediate water is the highest in the eastern Japan Basin. Deep cold water has the highest salinity in the Japan Basin. T-S curves in the western Japan Basin are characterized by a salinity jump around 1.2–1.4°C in the T-S plane, which was previously found off the east coast of Korea associated with the East Sea Intermediate Water (Cho and Kim, 1994). T-S curves for the Japan Basin undergo a large year-to-year variation for water warmer than 0.6°C, which occupies upper 400 m. It is postulated that the year-to-year variation in the Japan Basin is caused by convective overturning in winter.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cho, Y.-K. and K. Kim (1994): Two modes of the salinity-minimum layer water in the Ulleung Basin. La mer. 32, 271–278.
Gamo, T. and Y. Horibe (1983): Abyssal circulation in the Japan Sea. J. Oceanogr. Soc. Japan, 39, 220–230.
Kim, K. and J. Y. Chung (1984): On the salinity-minimum and dissolved oxygen-maximum layer in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). p. 55–65. In Ocean Hydrodynamics of the Japan and East China Seas, ed. by T. Ichiye, Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam.
Kim, K., K.-R. Kim, J.-Y. Chung, H.-S. Yoo and S.-G. Park (1991): Characteristics of physical properties in the Ulleung Basin. J. Oceanogr. Soc. Korea, 26(1), 83–100.
Kim, K., K.-R. Kim, Y.-G. Kim, Y.-K. Cho, J.-Y. Chung, B.-H. Choi, S.-K. Byun, G.-H. Hong, M. Takematsu, J.-H. Yoon, Y. Volkov and M. Danchenkov (1996): New findings from CREAMS observations; water masses and eddies in the East Sea. J. Korean Soc. Oceanogr., 31(4), 155–163.
Kim, Y.-G. and K. Kim (1999): Intermediate waters in the East/Japan Sea. J. Oceanogr., 55, this volume, 123–132.
Kim, Y.-G., K. Kim, Y.-K. Cho and H. Ossi (1998): CTD data processing for CREAMS expeditions: thermal-lag correction of Sea-Bird CTD. Marine Technology Society Journals (submitted).
Moriyasu, S. (1972): The Tsushima Current. p. 353–369. In Kuroshio, ed. by H. Stommel and K. Yoshida, University of Washington Press, U.S.A.
Senjyu, T. and H. Sudo (1994): The upper portion of the Japan Sea Proper Water; its source and circulation as deduced from isopyenal analysis. J. Oceanogr., 50, 663–690.
Seung, Y.-H. and J.-H. Yoon (1995): Some features of winter convection in the Japan Sea. J. Oceanogr., 51, 61–73.
Sudo, H. (1986): A note on the Japan Sea Proper Water. Prog. Oceanogr., 17, 313–336.
Uda, M. (1934): The results of simultaneous oceanographical investigations in the Japan Sea and its adjacent waters in May and June, 1932. J. Imperial Fishery Experimental Station, 5, 57–190 (in Japanese).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kim, K., Kim, YG., Cho, YK. et al. Basin-To-Basin and Year-To-Year Variation of Temperature and Salinity Characteristics in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). Journal of Oceanography 55, 103–109 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007873525552
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007873525552