In order to investigate the effect of inflow of Yangze river on the distribution of chlorophyll-a, the results of serial oceanographic observation during 2000-2005 were used. The oceanographic conditions in the northern East China Sea is influenced by the Tsushima Warm Current and low saline water derived from the Yangze river. The distributions of these water masses vary significantly by the season in the northern East China Sea. The sea surface temperature and salinity were stable and concentrations of chlorophyll-a were low in the eastern part of 126°E. On the contrary, the salinity was significantly influenced by the low saline water derived from Yangze river with the high concentrations of chlorophyll-a. It is suggested that the low saline water inflowed from the Yangze river affects high concentrations of chlorophyll-a in the northern East China Sea in summer.

Temporal and spatial variabilities of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) in the northern East China Sea (ECS) are described, using both 8-day composite images of the SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) and in-situ data investigated in August and September during 2000-2005. Ocean color imagery showed that Chl-a concentrations on the continental shelf within the 50 m depth in the ECS were above 10 times higher than those of the Kuroshio area throughout the year. Higher concentrations (above 5 mg/m3) of yearly mean Chl-a were observed along the western part of the shelf near the coast of China. The standard deviation also showed the characteristics of the spatial variability near 122-124°E, where the western region of the East China Sea was grater than that of the eastern region. Particularly the significant concentration of Chl-a, up to 9 mg/m3, was found at the western part of 125°E in the in-situ data of 2002. The higher Chl-a concentrations of in-situ data were consistent with low salinity waters of below 30 psu. It means that there were the close relationship between the horizontal distribution of Chl-a and low salinity water.

A comparison between the estimated chlorophyll a from OSMI, the SeaWiFS and the chlorophyll a measured from the research cruises of National Fisheries Research and Development Institute was made. The updated empirical algorithm for calibrating and validating of the estimated chlorophyll a in the East China Sea was formulated by relationship between the estimated chlorophyll a and the field one. The relationship between the chlorophyll a and the band ratio(nLw490/555) was still highest in the OSMI data after launching of KOMPSAT satellite. The distributions of OSMI chlorophyll a were compared with those of sea surface temperature, zooplankton biomass, and catch amounts of the Pacific mackerel in the East China Sea. In case of the relationships in specially winter seasons of 2002 and 2004, the zooplankton and the fish were totally depended on the distributions of SST than those of chlorophyll a.