Abstract
A one and a half layer inviscid hydraulic model was introduced to study the dynamics of the flow that brings the bottom cold water southward into the Korea Strait. Two different channel geometries were considered; a rectangular channel and a channel with a sloping western wall, which represents the continental slope near the Korean coast. The lower layer water in the rectangular channel separates from the eastern wall when the depth of the channel,H o, becomes shallower than a critical value donwstream. Hydraulic control of the flow is possible after the flow separation, if the channel becomes shallow enough. Before hydraulic control, the width of the flow decreases asH o decreases, but the effect of the slope of the western wall is negligible. After the control, however, the width increases asH o decreases or the slope becomes weaker. If the slope becomes weak enough or the channel becomes deep enough, which is determined by upstream conditions, the lower layer is observed only over the sloping western wall. This simple model shows that the continental slope between the East Sea (Japan Sea) and the Korea Strait makes the southward flowing North Korean Cold Water bank against the Korean coast in the Korea Strait. The model also shows that the sloping bottom near the Korean coast makes the bottom cold water of the Korea Strait appear only over the continental slope away from the trough of the strait.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Borenäs, K. M. and L.J. Pratt (1990): Review of rotating hydraulics. p. 321–341. InPhysical Oceanography of Sea Strait, ed. by L.J. Pratt, Kluwer.
Byun, S-K. (1987): Appearance of cold water at the sea surface near Ulsan: Theoretical model of upwelling, KORDI (BSPE 00052-142-1).
Cho, Y.-K. and K. Kim (1994): Two modes of the salinity-minimum layer water in the Ulleng Basin,La Mer,32, 33–40.
Gill, A. E. (1977): The hydraulics of rotating-channel flow.J. Fluid Mech.,80, 641–671.
Hogg, N. G. (1983): Hydraulic control and flow separation in a multy-layered fluid with applications to the Vema Channel.J. Phys. Oceanogr.,13, 695–708.
Isobe, A., A. Kaneko, S-K. Byun, S. D. Chang and S. Tawara (1991): On the current structures in the western channel of the Tsushima/Korea Strait—from the result of the ADCP surveys in September 1989.Engineering Science Reports, Kyushu University,13, 45–51.
Kim, C. H. and K. Kim (1983): Characteristics and origin of the cold water mass along the east coast of Korea.J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea,18, 73–83 (in Korean with English abstract).
KORDI (1987): Study on the development of forecasting for fishing and oceanographic conditions (II) (BSPG00049-162-1).
Lim, D. B. and S. Chang (1969): On the cold water mass in the Korea Strait.J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea,4, 71–82.
Lim, K.-S. (1983): The characteristics and the origin of the cold water mass in the Southeastern Sea off Korea. M.S. Thesis, p. 40, Seoul National University (in Korean with English abstract).
Moriyasu, S. (1972): The Tsushima Current. p. 353–369. InThe Kuroshio, Its Physical Aspects, ed. by H. Stommel and K. Yoshida, University of Tokyo Press.
Nishida, K. (1926):Report of the Oceanographic Investigation No. 1. Gover. Fish. Exp. Stat.
Seung, Y. H. (1986): On the response of coastal water to the intensification of East Korea Warm Current along the east coast of Korea—A theoretical consideration.J. Oceanol. Soc. Korea,21, 229–235.
Shim, T., W. J. Wiseman, Jr., O. K. Huh and W.-S. Chuang (1984): A test of geostrophic approximation in the western channel of Korea Strait. p. 263–272. InOcean Hydrodynamics of the Japan and East China Seas, Elsivier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam.
Smith, P. C. (1975): A streamtube model for bottom boundary current in the ocean.Deep-Sea Res.,22, 853–873.
Stommel, H. and A. B. Arons (1972): On the abyssal circulation of the world ocean—V. The influence of bottom slope on the broadening of inertial boundary currents.Deep-Sea Res.,19, 707–718.
Whitehead, J. A., A. Leetmaa and R. A. Knox (1974): Rotating hydraulics of strait and sill flow.Geophys. Fluid Dyn.,6, 101–125.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Park, YG., Cho, YK. & Kim, K. A hydraulic model of the Korea Strait bottom cold current. J Oceanogr 51, 713–727 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02235461
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02235461