Circulation in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea) in July 1993 determined by an inverse method

Abstract

To estimate absolute transports by advection in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea), an inverse method was applied to CTD data obtained in July 1993. The relative velocities are calculated using the thermal wind equation. The inverse model was formulated to obtain a reference velocity based on the mass conservation in each of four vertical layers within a region enclosed by hydrographic sections and the coastal boundary. The flow patterns in the surface layer are clockwise and anti-clockwise in the regions south and northwest of Ulleung Island, respectively, and a strong northward flow appears in between them. In the second layer, the flow fields are generally weak. The inverse calculation yields the southward flow along the coast, and this suggests that the subsurface low salinity water in the Ulleung Basin is supplied by the southward transport along the east coast of Korea.