Satellite data, with sea surface temperature(SST) by NOAA and sea level(SL) by Topex/poseidon, are used to estimate characteristics on the variations and correlations of SST and SL in the East Asian Seas from January 1993 through May 1998. We found that there are two climatic characteristics in the East Asian seas: the oceanic climate, the eastern sea of Japan, and the continental climate, the eastern sea of China, respectively. In the oceanic climate, the variations of SL have the high values in the main current of Kuroshio and the variations of SST have not the remarkable seasonal variations because of the continuos compensation of warm current by Kuroshio. In the continental climate, SL has high variations in the estuaries(the Yellow River, the Yangtze River) with the mixing the fresh water and the saline water in the coasts of continent and SST has highly the seasonal variations due to the climatic effect of continents. In the steric variations of summer, the eastern sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the western sea of Korea is increased the sea level about 10∼20㎝. But the Bohai bay in China have relatively the high values about 20∼30㎝ due to the continental climate. Generally the trends of SST and SL increased during all periods. That is say, the slopes of SST and SL is presented 0.29℃/year and 0.84㎝/year, respectively. The annual and semi-annual amplitudes have a remarkable variations in the western sea of Korea and the eastern sea of Japan. In the case of the annual peaks, there appeared mainly in the western sea of Korea and the eastern sea of Japan because of the remarkable variations of SL associated with Kuroshio. But in the case of the semi-annual peaks, there appeared in the eastern sea of Japan by the influence of current, and in the western sea of Korea by the influence of seasonal temperature, respectively. From our results, it should be believed that SST and SL gradually increase in the East Asian seas concerning to the global warming. So that, it should be requested to the international co-operation against to the change of the abnormal climate.

• 윤홍주(여수대학교 해양시스템학부 해양공학과) | Hong Joo Yoon Corresponding Author