The Ocean Research Stations (ORSs) in the YECS as the longterm and multidisciplinary ocean observatories

Abstract

Large-scale and long-term environmental changes have been reported in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea (YECS) during the last couple of decades. Many important meteorological and oceanic processes occurring in the YECS are changing their environment. From the early 2000s, several ocean research stations (ORSs) have been planned in Korea as a part of the ‘Integrated Coastal Monitoring System’ program. As the result of the program, the Ieodo ORS (IORS) had been established for the first open-ocean research tower station in Korea. The IORS is located in the northeastern part of the East China Sea and more than half of the typhoons which affect the Korean peninsula pass over the IORS area. Equipped with more than 30 different types of instruments, the IORS is observing more than 40 different variables of the ocean and atmosphere (bulk meteorological parameters, wave, sea temperature and salinity, air-sea fluxes(heat, CO ), ocean color, fluorescence, etc). Constructions of 2 more ORSs, the Gageocho and Socheongcho ORSs, were completed in the Yellow Sea, in 2009 and 2014, respectively. Currently there are about 20 on-going research programs utilizing the ORSs to investigate the environmental changes, typhoons, air-sea interactions, transportations of air pollutant particles, sea-fog formations, ocean acidification, primary production, etc. Scientists can use the ORSs to attach/integrate their own sensors, and conduct