We investigated the spatial distribution of heterotrophic bacteria associated with different water masses in the northern East China Sea (ECS) in summer. The surface water masses were divided into the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) and high salinity water (HSW). In the CDW region, the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and micro Chl-a contribution were high; and bacterial abundance (BA) and ciliate abundance (CA) were also high. In the HSW region with relatively low DIN concentrations, Chl-a concentration and micro Chl-a contribution were low, but pico Chl-a contribution was increased compared to those in the CDW region. BA did not show any significant difference from the CDW region, but CA was decreased. BA showed a positive correlation with Chl-a concentration in the CDW region; however, it did not show a significant correlation with Chl-a concentration in the HSW region. The ratio of bacterial carbon biomass/phytoplankton carbon biomass was exponentially increased with a decrease in the Chl-a concentration. Compared to the past (1990-2000s), the surface phosphate concentrations and the size of dominant phytoplankton have recently decreased in the ECS. Considering this trend of nutrient decrease and miniaturization of the phytoplankton, our results indicate that changes in the strength of the oligotrophic water mass could alter the function of the microbial food web.

해양의 파랑은 지구온난화 및 기후변화의 중요한 지표 중 하나로 인식되고 있다. 기후변화와 동아시아 몬순의 영향을 직접적으로 받는 황해 및 동중국해역에서의 유의파고 및 파향의 시공간 변동성 연구가 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 유럽중기예보센터(European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts; ECMWF)에서 제공하고 있는 5세대 모델 재 분석장 (ECMWF Reanalysis 5, ERA5) 자료를 활용하여 황해 및 동중국해역에서의 유의파고와 파향의 공간분포와 계 절 및 경년변동을 포함하는 시공간 변동성을 분석하였다. 모델 재분석자료를 활용한 유의파고와 파향의 변동성 분석에앞서 이어도 해양과학기지 관측 자료와의 비교를 통하여 정확도를 검증하였다. 평균 유의파고는 0.3-1.6 m의 범위를 보 였으며 북쪽에 비해 남쪽이 높고 연안에 비해 황해 중심부에서 높은 공간분포 특성을 보였다. 유의파고의 표준편차 또 한 평균과 유사한 양상을 나타내었다. 황해에서 유의파고와 파향은 뚜렷한 계절변동성을 보였다. 유의파고의 경우 전반 적으로 겨울철에 가장 높았으며 늦봄 또는 초여름에 가장 낮았다. 파향은 계절풍의 영향으로 겨울철에는 주로 남쪽으로 전파되었으며 여름철에는 북쪽으로 전파되는 특성이 나타났다. 유의파고의 계절변동은 여름철 태풍 등의 영향으로 해마 다 연 진폭의 큰 변화를 가진 강한 경년변동성을 보였다.

The distributions of common minke whales observed in the East Sea in ten surveys in May of 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2020 were investigated using satellite sea surface temperature (SST) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS). Most of the minke whales were observed in the waters off the Korean Peninsula at 36-38.5° N, which is expected as the highly productive coastal upwelling area. Yet, no minke whale was observed in 2006 when a relatively larger scale coastal upwelling occurred with SST at 11°C. In 2016 and 2020, the warm water higher than 17°C extended widely in the area, and the minke whales were observed in the offshore waters, deeper than 1,000 m. 87.5% of minke whales observed in May appeared in the SST from 13 to 16°C, and they seemed to avoid relatively high temperatures. This suggests that optimum habitat water temperature of minke whales in May is 13-16°C. The SST in the area had risen 1.67°C from 2003 to 2021, and it was remarkably higher than in other parts of the surrounding areas. The future temperature rising may change the route and timing of the migration of minke whales in the study area.

but interpretation and application of the relevant provisions differ, and the views expressed on them still leave ample room to be unilaterally interpreted and applied. So, it is undeniable that conflicts over ocean waters among the concerned countries are serious and difficult to overcome. To solve these problems, the UNCLOS calls for the countries concerned to make every effort to enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature. Korea and Japan have maritime boundary problems in the waters surrounding the Korean peninsula, and so, in order to solve those problems, both nations established a joint development zone (JDZ) in the East China Sea in 1974. The zone can be terminated in 2028. Therefore, this study examines and analyzes the impact of the JDZ agreement between Korea and Japan over the East China Sea as to the delimitations of the continental shelf/EEZ

We conducted a field survey from 2018 to 2020 to analyze the spatial distribution of phytoplankton communities at 13 stations in the East Sea. The diatom Chaetoceros curvisetus appeared as the dominant species in winter, and small flagellates less than 20 μm prevailed in all seasons except winter. The seasonal average range of the micro (>20 μm), nano (20 μm≥Chl-a>3 μm), and picophytoplankton (≤3 μm) was 20.6-26.2%, 27.1-35.9%, and 40.8-49.0%, respectively. The composition ratio of nano and picophytoplankton was high at the surface mixed layer from spring to autumn when the water columns were strongly stratified. Especially, the stability of the water mass was increased when the summer surface water temperature was higher than that of the previous year. As a result, the nutrient inflow from the lower layer to the surface was reduced as the ocean stratification layer was strengthened. Therefore, the composition ratio of nano and picophytoplankton was the highest at 77.9% at the surface mixed layer. In conclusion, the structure of the phytoplankton community in the East Sea has been miniaturized, which is expected to form a complex microbial food web structure and lower the carbon transfer rate to the upper consumer stage.

이 논문은 울릉도, 독도를 포함하는 동해 울릉분지 해저 화산그룹(가칭: 울릉도-독도 화산그룹)의 분화사를 복원 하고 미래 분화 가능성을 평가하기 위해 진행중인 육상-해양 복합 다중스케일 화산연구의 개념과 지금까지의 결과를 소개하는데 목적을 둔다. 다중채널 탄성파반사자료 해석을 통해 유추되는 울릉도-독도 화산그룹의 주 활동 시기는 대략 5-2.5 Ma로, 동쪽 끝의 이사부평정해산에서 처음 시작되어 서쪽의 울릉도로 전파된 것으로 해석된다. 울릉도의 육상부 는 5단계에 걸쳐 생성되었으며 최종 단계에 접어들어 폭발성 분화를 통해 폭 약 3 km의 칼데라 지형과 그 내부에 화 산돔을 형성하였다. 울릉도의 마지막 분화 산물인 알봉 화산돔과 그 하부의 수증기마그마성 분화로부터 기원된 층단위 N-1 화산쇄설층은 기존 포놀라이트질 마그마방으로 유입된 보다 염기성의 새로운 마그마의 분화로부터 생성되었다. 층 단위 N-1과 알봉 분석이 갖는 조면안산암질 전암조성은 기존 포놀라이트질 마그마방 하부에 존재한 고철질 집적암이 새로 주입된 마그마를 오염시킨 결과로, 그 자체가 마그마의 조성을 지시하지는 않는다. 층단위 N-1과 알봉 화산돔에서 확인되는 새로운 마그마 주입의 증거들은 최근 밝혀진 울릉도의 높은 지온구배 및 분화주기와 더불어 울릉도가 여전히 작동중인 마그마 배관체계를 갖는 활화산임을 암시한다.

Benthic harpacticoids were collected from the East Sea of Korea. Specimen were identified as members of the genus Robertgurneya Apostolov & Marinov, 1988 based on the following characteristics: the fourth segment of antennule with aesthetasc, antenna with three-segmented exopod, shape of mandible, and P1-P4 armature formula. Robertgurneya donghaensis sp. nov. is morphologically most closely related to R. simulans (Norman & Scott T., 1905) and R. similis similis (Scott A., 1896). However, R. donghaensis is characterized by the rostrum with a pointed tip, caudal rami about as board as the length of its inner edge, the first segment of the P1 endopod much longer than entire exopod, and the P5 exopod with five setae in male. The genus Robertgurneya is reported from Korean waters for the first time.

A new free-living marine nematode species of the genus Pseudosteineria Wieser, 1956 affiliated with the family Xyalidae is described based on specimens collected from the sediment of a subtidal benthic environmental habitat in the East Sea, Korea. Pseudosteineria varisetis sp. nov differed from its congeners by the combination of the following characteristics: a relatively long body (1,628-1,691 μm long in males), a circular amphideal fovea situated behind the subcephalic setae, the presence of lateral cuticular alae starting from behind the nerve ring, the presence of eight groups of long subcephalic setae, the presence of irregularly distributed variable lengths of somatic setae on the body, solid spicules (43.2-43.9 μm long) with a cephalated proximal end, a long tubular shaped gubernaculum with dorsal swelling, and a conico-cylindrical tail with two to four terminal setae. In this report, we provide a taxonomic description and illustrations of a new species of the genus Pseudosteineria by differential interference contrast microscopy.

Henricia specimen was collected from the East Sea of Korea using fishing nets. The specimen was identified as Henricia hayashii (Djakonov 1961), belonging to the family Echinasteridae of the order Spinulosida. This species can be distinguished from other Henricia species by slender arms (R/r=7.4), constricted arm base, six to thirtyfive slender spinelets, open-meshed, reticulated abactinal skeleton comprising semitriangular, rod-like form, and small ossicles present inside the papular areas. This species superficially resembles H. reniossa in terms of its body size but differs in the shape and arrangement of the abactinal and actinal plates. To date, two genera of Echinasteridae, Aleutihenricia and Henricia, including a total of 14 species, have been reported in Korea. Herein, the morphological characteristics of H. hayashii are described, and photographs are provided.

This study provides comprehensive assessment results for the most recent high-resolution regional climatology in the East/Japan Sea by comparing with the various existing climatologies. This new high-resolution climatology is generated based on the Optimal Interpolation (OI) method with individual profiles from the World Ocean Database and gridded World Ocean Atlas provided by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). It was generated from the recent previous study which had a primary focus to solve the abnormal horizontal gradient problem appearing in the other high-resolution climatology version of NCEI. This study showed that this new OI field simulates well the mesoscale features including closed-curve temperature spatial distribution associated with eddy formation. Quantitative spatial variability was compared to the other four different climatologies and significant variability at 160 km was presented through a wavelet spectrum analysis. In addition, the general improvement of the new OI field except for warm bias in the coastal area was confirmed from the comparison with serial observation data provided by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute’s Korean Oceanic Data Center.

We determined the composition of water and sediment bacterial assemblages from the East Sea using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Total bacterial reads were greater in surface waters (<100 m) than in deep seawaters (>500 m) and sediments. However, total OTUs, bacterial diversity, and evenness were greater in deep seawaters than in surface waters with those in the sediment comparable to the deep sea waters. Proteobacteria was the most dominant bacterial phylum comprising 67.3% of the total sequence reads followed by Bacteriodetes (15.8%). Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Actinobacteria followed all together consisting of only 8.1% of the total sequence. Candidatus Pelagibacter ubique considered oligotrophic bacteria, and Planctomycetes copiotrophic bacteria showed an opposite distribution in the surface waters, suggesting a potentially direct competition for available resources by these bacteria with different traits. The bacterial community in the warm surface waters were well separated from the other deep cold seawater and sediment samples. The bacteria exclusively associated with deep sea waters was Actinobacteriacea, known to be prevalent in the deep photic zone. The bacterial group Chromatiales and Lutibacter were those exclusively associated with the sediment samples. The overall bacterial community showed similarities in the horizontal rather than vertical direction in the East Sea.

국내 및 국외에서 인간에 영향을 줄 수 있는 미세플라스틱에 대한 다양한 연구가 진행되고 있으며, 특히 가장 기초자료로 제공 될 수 있는 해양환경 중 미세플라스틱의 분포에 대해 연구가 많이 진행되고 있다. 국내에서도 해양환경의 분포 특성에 대한 연구가 진행 되었으나, 연안에 대한 연구만 국한 되어 연구가 진행되고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 쿠로시 오해류 및 중국의 양쯔강 유입수의 영향이 다분할 것으로 판단되는 제주도 남서측 동중국 개방 해역에서 2020년 8월에 23 개 정점을 선정하여 표층해수 중에 환경자료인 수온 및 염분과 미세플라스틱의 풍도(abundance), 성상(재질), 형태, 크기를 분석하여 표층 해수에서 존재하는 미세플라스틱의 분포특성을 밝혀 해양환경 중 미세플라스틱의 기초자료를 제공하고자 하였다. 연구 지역에서 미세플라스틱의 풍도(abundance)는 0.17~1.37 (평균 0.46) particles/L를 나타내었으며, 성상(재질), 형태, 크기에서 PP 재질과 PE 재질이 작은 크기의 0.02~0.3 mm 분류군에서 조각(fragment) 형태로 우세하고, 이들 재질 다음으로 Alkyd 재질과 polyester 재질이 1.0~5.0 mm 분류군에서 섬유(Fiber) 형태로 우세하였다. 환경자료인 수온 및 염분을 이용하여 미세플라스틱의 분포 특성을 살펴보았는데, 여름철 강하게 발생하는 황해연안해류와 한국연안해류로 저 수온 및 저 염분이 유입되고, 여름철 강하게 발생하는 대만 난류와 쓰시마 난류의 영향으로 고 수온 및 고 염분이 유입되어 복합적으로 발생하는 지역으로 수온과 PE 재질, 0.02~0.3 mm 크기 분류군, 조각(Fragment) 형태에서 음의 상관성(PE : p <0.01, 0.02~0.03 mm : p <0.05, 조각(Fragment) : p <0.05)을 보여 0.02~0.3 mm의 조각(fragment) 형태인 PE 재질이 황해연안해류와 한국연안해류를 통해 유입될 가능성이 높은 것으로 판단되며, 염분과 PP, Polyester 재질에서 양의 상관성(PP : p <0.05, Polyester : p <0.05)을 보여 1.0~5.0 mm의 섬유(Fiber) 형태인 Polyester 재질이 대만난류 및 쓰시마 난류를 통해 유입될 가능성이 높은 것으로 판단 된다.