Abstract
Circulation in the upper and the intermediate layer of the East Sea is investigated by using a fine resolution, ocean general circulation model. Proper separation of the East Korean Warm Current from the coast is achieved by adopting the isopycnal mixing, and using the observed heat flux (Hirose et al., 1996) and the realistic wind stress (Na et al., 1992). The simulated surface circulation exhibits a remarkable seasonal variation in the flow patterns of the Nearshore Branch, the East Korean Warm Current and the Cold Currents. East of the Oki Bank, the Nearshore Branch follows the isobath of shelf topography from late winter to spring, while in summer and autumn it meanders offshore. The Nearshore Branch is accompanied by cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies in a fully developed meandering phase. The meandering and the eddy formation of the Nearshore Branch control the interior circulation in the Tsushima Current area. A recirculation gyre is developed in the region of the East Korean Warm Current in spring and grown up to an Ulleung Basin scale in summer. A subsurface water is mixed with the fresh surface water by winter convection in the northeastern coastal region of Korea. The well-mixed low salinity water is transported to the south by the Cold Currents, forming the salinity minimum layer (Intermediate Water) beneath the East Korean Warm Current water. The recirculation gyre redistributes the core water of the salinity minimum layer in the Ulleung Basin.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bang, I., J.-K. Choi, L. Kantha, C. Horton, M. Clifford, M.-S. Suk, K.-I. Chang, S. Y. Nam and H.-J. Lie (1996): A hindcast experiment in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). La mer, 34, 108–130.
Beardsley, R. C., R. Limeburner, K. Kim and J. Candela (1992): Lagrangian flow observations in the East China, Yellow and Japan Seas. La mer, 30, 297–314.
Bryan, F. and W. R. Holland (1989): A high resolution simulation of the wind-and thermohaline-driven circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean. p. 99–116. In Parameterization of Small Scale Processes, ed. by P. Mueller, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics Special Publication, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
Cherniawsky, J. and G. Holloway (1993): On western boundary current separation in an upper ocean general circulation model of the North Pacific. J. Geophy. Res., 98, 22843–22853.
Cho, Y. K. and K. Kim (1994): Characteristics and origin of the cold water in the south sea of Korea in Summer. J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea, 29, 414–421.
Cox, M. D. (1984): A primitive equation, 3-dimensional model of the ocean. GFDL Ocean Group Technical Report No. 1., GFDL/Princeton Univ.
Cox, M. D. (1987): Isopyenal diffusion in a z-coordinate ocean model. Ocean Modelling, 74, 1–5.
Cummins, P. F., G. Holloway and A. E. Gargett (1990): Sensitivity of the GFDL ocean general circulation model to a parameterization of vertical diffusion. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 20, 817–830.
England, M. H. (1993): Representing the global-scale water masses in ocean general circulation models. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 23, 1523–1552.
Ezer, T. and G. L. Mellor (1992): A numerical study of the variability and the separation of the Gulf Stream, induced by surface atmospheric forcing and lateral boundary flows. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 22, 660–682.
Haney, R. L. (1971): Surface thermal boundary conditions for ocean circulation models. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 1, 241–248.
Hase, H., J.-H. Yoon and M. Takematsu (1996): The measurement of the southwestward subsurface countercurrent off the Wakasa Bay. Proc. CREAMS'96, Vladivostok, 113–117.
Hirose, N., C.-H. Kim and J.-H. Yoon (1996): Heat budget in the Japan Sea. J. Oceanogr., 52, 553–574.
Hirst, A. C. and W. Cai (1994): Sensitivity of a world ocean GCM to changes in subsurface mixing parameterization. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 24, 1256–1279.
Holloway, G., T. Sou and M. Eby (1995): Dynamics of circulation of the Japan Sea. J. Mar. Res., 53, 539–569.
Ikeda, M. and W. J. Emery (1984): Satellite Observations and modeling of meanders in the California Current System off Oregon and northern California. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 14, 1434–1450.
Ikeda, M., L. A. Mysak and W. J. Emery (1984): Observation and modeling of satellite-sensed meanders and eddies off Vancouver Island. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 14, 3–21.
Isobe, A. (1994): On the Tsushima Warm Current in the Tsushima Strait. Kaiyo Monthly, 802–809.
Japan Oceanographic Data Center (1978): Marine Environment Atlas, Northwestern Pacific Ocean I (seasonal and monthly). Japan Hydrogr. Association.
Kawabe, M. (1982): Branching of the Tsushima Current in the Japan Sea. Part II: Numerical experiment. J. Oceanogr. Soc. Japan, 38, 183–192.
Kawai, H. (1974): Transition of current images in the Japan Sea. p. 7–26. In The Tsushima Warm Current—Oceanic Structure and Fishery, ed. by Fishery Soc. Japan, Koseisha Koseikaku, Tokyo (in Japanese).
Kim, C.-H. (1996): A numerical experiment study on the circulation of the Japan Sea (East Sea). Doctoral Dissertation, Kyushu Univ., 151 pp.
Kim, C.-H. and J.-H. Yoon (1996): Modeling of the wind-driven circulation in the Japan Sea using a reduced-gravity model, experiment. J. Oceanogr., 52, 359–373.
Kim, C.-H., H.-J. Lie and K.-S. Chu (1991): On the intermediate water in the southwestern East Sea (Sea of Japan). p. 129–141. In Oceanography of Asian Marginal Seas, ed. by K. Takano, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Kim, K. and J. Y. Chung (1984): On the salinity minimum layer and dissolved oxygen-maximum layer in the East Sea (Japan Sea). p. 55–65. In Ocean Hydrodynamics of the Japan and East China Sea, ed. by T. Ichiye, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
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, 155–163.
Korea Fisheries Research and Development Agency (1986): Mean Oceanographic Charts of the Adjacent Seas of Korea. Pusan, Korea, 186 pp.
Lie, H.-J., M. S. Suk and C. H. Kim (1989): Observations of southeastward deep currents off the east coast of Korea. J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea, 24, 63–68.
Lie, H.-J., S.-K. Byun, I. Bang and C.-H. Cho (1995) Physical structure of eddies in the southwestern East Sea. J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea, 30, 170–183.
Na, J.-Y., J.-W. Seo and S.-K. Han (1992): Monthly-mean sea surface winds over the adjacent seas of the Korean Peninsula. J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea, 27, 1–10.
Naganuma, K. (1977): The oceanographic fluctuations in the Japan Sea. Mar. Sci. (Kaiyo Kagaku), 9, 137–141 (in Japanese with English abstract).
National Center for Atmospheric Research (1989): NCAR ASCII Version of ETOPO5 earth surface elevation. Data Support Section.
Pacanowski, R. C., K. Dixon and A. Rosati (1991, 1993): The GFDL Modular Ocean Model Users Guide, version 1.0,1.1, GFDL Ocean Group Tech. Report No. 2.
Redi, M. H. (1982): Oceanic isopycnal mixing by coordinate rotation. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 12, 1154–1158.
Semtner, A. J. and R. M. Chervin (1988): A simulation of the global ocean circulation with resolved eddies. J. Geophys. Res., 93, 15502–15522.
Seung, Y. H. and K. Kim (1993): A numerical modeling of the East Sea circulation. J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea, 28, 292–304.
Shikama, N. (1994): Variation of volume transport in the Tsugaru Strait measured by bottom-mounted ADCP. Kaiyo Monthly, 815–818.
Shin, H.-R., S.-K. Byun and C. Kim (1995): The characteristics of structure of warm eddy observed to the northwest of Ullungdo in 1992. J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea, 30, 39–56 (in Korean with English abstract).
Stanev, E. V. (1994): Assimilation of sea surface temperature data in a numerical ocean circulation model. A study of the water mass formation. p. 33–57. In Data Assimilation: Tools for Modelling the Ocean in a Global Change Perspective, ed. by P. P. Brasseur and J. C. J. Nihoul, NATO ASI Series, 19.
Takematsu, M., H. Hase, Z. Nagano and T. Kita (1996): Moored instrument observations in the Japan Sea Proper Water. Proc. CREAMS'96, Vladivostok, 101–105.
Weaver, A. J. and E. S. Sarachik (1990): On the importance of vertical resolution in certain ocean general circulation models. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 20, 600–609.
Yoon, J.-H. (1982a): Numerical experiment on the circulation in the Japan Sea, Part I. Formation of the East Korean Warm Current. J. Oceanogr. Soc. Japan, 38, 43–51.
Yoon, J.-H. (1982b): Numerical experiment on the circulation in the Japan Sea, Part III. Mechanism of the nearshore branch of the Tsushima Current. J. Oceanogr. Soc. Japan, 38, 125–130.
Yoon, J.-H. (1991a): The seasonal variation of the East Korean Warm Current. Rep. Res. Inst. Appl. Mech. Kyushu Univ., 38, 23–36.
Yoon, J.-H. (1991b): The branching of the Tsushima Current. Rep. Res. Inst. Appl. Mech. Kyushu Univ., 38, 1–21.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kim, CH., Yoon, JH. A Numerical Modeling of the Upper and the Intermediate Layer Circulation in the East Sea. Journal of Oceanography 55, 327–345 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007837212219
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007837212219