A Yellow Sea Monitoring Platform and Its Scientific Applications

Abstract

The Yellow Sea is one of the most productive continental shelves in the world. This large marine ecosystem is experiencing an epochal change in water temperature, stratification, nutrients, and subsequently in ecological diversity. Research-oriented monitoring of these changes requires a sustainable, multidisciplinary approach. For this purpose, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) constructed the Socheongcho Ocean Research Station (S-ORS), a steel-framed tower-type platform, in the central Yellow Sea about 50 km off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula. This station is equipped with about forty sensors for interdisciplinary oceanographic observations. Since its construction in 2014, this station has continuously conducted scientific observations and provided qualified time series: physical oceanographic variables such as temperature, salinity, sea level pressure, wave, and current; biogeochemical variables such as chlorophyll-a, photosynthetically active radiation, and total suspended particles; atmospheric variables including air temperature, wind, greenhouse gasses, and air particles including black carbon. A prime advantage is that this platform has provided stable facilities including a wet lab where scientists can stay and experiment on in situ water samples. Several studies are in process to understand and characterize the evolution of environmental signals, including airsea interaction, marine ecosystems, wave detection, and total suspended particles in the central Yellow Sea. This paper provides an overview of the research facilities, maintenance, observations, scientific achievements, and next steps of the S-ORS with highlighting this station as an open lab for interdisciplinary collaboration on multiscale process studies.

Physical Processes in Sea Fog Formation and Characteristics of Turbulent Air-Sea Fluxes at Socheongcho Ocean Research Station in the Yellow Sea

“…S-ORS, the third ocean research station constructed by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) in 2014, lies in the central Yellow Sea approximately 50 km away from the western coast of the Korean Peninsula (37 • 25 23.28 N, 124 • 44 16.94 E). This station was constructed to keep track of the oceanic and atmospheric environments of the Yellow Sea (Ha et al, 2019;Kim et al, 2019). This monitoring platform is equipped with dozens of oceanic, meteorological, and environmental sensors.…”

Ocean and Atmospheric Observations at the Remote Ieodo Ocean Research Station in the Northern East China Sea

“…During this period, biofouling on the salinity sensor is a key problem, significantly reducing sensor performance as shown in Figure 9. To minimize data drift in the salinity observations, three technical solutions were applied and studied, including the use of (1) copper taping (Venkatesan et al, 2017), (2) UV light beams (Corin et al, 1996), and (3) electrode type salinity sensors (Kim et al, 2019). The use of copper taping around the RBR sensor (Figure 3B) initially hindered biofouling, but the effect lasted only a couple of weeks (not shown) and did not produce measurable effects over observational timescales in the ORS experiments.…”

“…This influence is primarily via the transport of heat, salt, and other materials by the Tsushima Warm Current (originating from the northward branch of the Kuroshio Current, Nitani, 1972;Lie and Cho, 1994) and/or by the Taiwan Warm Current (Beardsley et al, 1985;Fang et al, 1991;Kim et al, 2005). This sea also influences the weather and climate of the Korean Peninsula, via heat transport and other ECS air-sea interactions (Kim et al, 2019). Moreover, the majority of typhoons approach the Korean Peninsula during summer and early autumn via the ECS (Moon et al, 2010;Kim et al, 2014;Byun et al, 2018).…”

Salinity drift prevention experiments in the Korea ocean research stations and suggestions for high quality salinity observation

“…같은 대륙붕 해역에서 수행된 관측선 및 계류 관측의 경우 에는 정확도와 관측 자료의 처리 절차에서 다소 문제가 있 으며 (Oh et al, 2006;Kim et al 2020;Park et al 2020 (Ha et al, 2019;Kim et al 2019;Byun et al, 2021). 수온과 염분을 관측하기 위해 이어도 해양과학 기지는 표층(3m), 중층(20.5m), 저층(38m), 그리고 가거초와 소청초 해양과학기지는 표층(3m)에 Aanderaa사의 CT3919 전도도-수온(Conductivity-Temperature, CT) 센서를 설치하 여 운영하고 있다.…”

“…수온의 경우에는 그 정확도와 오차, 품질관리 절차가 비 교적 정확하게 알려져 있어 (Min et al, 2020), 기후 변화에 따른 해양 환경 변동성 및 영향, 그리고 악기상 발생에 따른 해양 대기 상호작용 융합 연구 등에 대기 관측 자료와 더불 어 다각도로 활용되고 있다 (Kim et al 2019;Ha et al, 2019;Byun et al, 2021). 하지만, 염분 자료의 경우에는 수온에 비 하여 활용 연구가 극히 드물다.…”