Overview of KORDI's physical and biological research activities in the East/Japan sea

Abstract

The East/Japan Sea is a semi-enclosed marginal sea which is divided into three major basins deeper than 2000 m. It is often called a. miniature ocean since many of the physical processes and phenomena that are found in the open ocean also occur in the East Sea This paper provides an overview of the physical and biological oceanographic research conducted in the East Sea by the Korea Ocean. Research and Development Institute (KORDI). It includes a brief review of past research activities with major findings, an introduction of on-going research with some preliminary results, and future plans. Physical oceanographic research has evolved from previous limited-area, qualitative, and upper layer studies, and recently it has focused on: 1) exploring basin scale variability of the sub-surface circulation by measuring currents from the near surface to the bottom and from the south to the north, 2) making highly resolved, three-dimensional measurements of meso-scale features using the towed, undulating SeaSoar platform, and 3) developing a three-dimensional circulation model. Although most biological oceanographic research in the southwestern region of the East Sea has been limited in extent and scope, some biological phenomena sent be interpreted in the light of climatic changes.