Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea | |
---|---|
Location | East Asia |
Coordinates | 38°0′N 123°0′E / 38.000°N 123.000°E |
River sources | Yellow River, Hai River, Yalu River, Taedong River, Han River |
Basin countries | China, North Korea, and South Korea |
Surface area | 380,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi) |
Average depth | Avg. 44 m (144 ft) |
Max. depth | Max. 152 m (499 ft) |
Yellow Sea | ||
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Hanyu Pinyin Huáng Hǎi | | |
Wu | ||
Romanization | Waon入 Hae平 | |
Yue: Cantonese | ||
Jyutping | Wong4 Hoi2 |
Transcriptions | |
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Revised Romanization | Hwanghae or Seohae |
McCune–Reischauer | Hwanghae or Sŏhae |
The Yellow Sea, also known as North Sea, is a
Since November 1, 2018, the Yellow Sea has served as the location of "peace zones" between North and South Korea.[1]
Names
It is one of four seas named after color terms (the others being the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the White Sea), and its name is descriptive of the golden-yellow color of the silt-ridden water discharged from major rivers.
The innermost bay of northwestern Yellow Sea is called the
Geography
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Yellow Sea ("Hwang Hai") as follows:[2]
The Yellow Sea is separated from the
Yangtze Riverestuary.
Physiography
The Yellow Sea, excluding the Bohai, extends by about 960 km (600 mi) from north to south and about 700 km (430 mi) from east to west; it has an area of approximately 380,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi) and a volume of about 17,000 km3 (4,100 cu mi).
The seas surrounding Korea, which occupy a corner of Northeast Asia, border the "island nation" from the east, south, and west. Korea has named these the East Sea, South Sea, and West Sea (officially known as the Yellow Sea), respectively.[8]
Major islands of the sea include
(all in South Korea).Climate and hydrology
The area has cold, dry winters with strong northernly monsoons blowing from late November to March. Average January temperatures are −10 °C (14 °F) in the north and 3 °C (37 °F) in the south. Summers are wet and warm with frequent typhoons between June and October.[4] Air temperatures range between 10 and 28 °C (50 and 82 °F). The average annual precipitation increases from about 500 mm (20 in) in the north to 1,000 mm (39 in) in the south. Fog is frequent along the coasts, especially in the upwelling cold-water areas.[5]
The sea has a warm cyclone current, forming part of the Kuroshio Current, which diverges near the western part of Japan and flows northward into the Yellow Sea at a speed of less than 0.8 km/h (0.50 mph). Southward currents prevail near the sea coast, especially in the winter monsoon period.[5]
The water temperature is close to freezing in the northern part in winter, so drift ice patches and continuous ice fields form and hinder navigation between November and March. The water temperature and salinity are homogeneous across the depth. The southern waters are warmer at 6–8 °C (43–46 °F). In spring and summer, the upper layer is warmed up by the sun and diluted by the fresh water from rivers, while the deeper water remains cold and saline. This deep water stagnates and slowly moves south. Commercial bottom-dwelling fishes are found around this mass of water, especially at its southern part. Summer temperatures range between 22 and 28 °C (72 and 82 °F). The average salinity is relatively low, at 30
The tide-related sea level variations result in a land pass 2.9 km (1.8 mi) long and 10–40 meters (33–131 ft) wide opening for approximately an hour between
Flora and fauna
The sea is rich in seaweed (predominantly kelp, Laminaria japonica), cephalopods, crustaceans, shellfish, clams, and especially in blue-green algae which bloom in summer and contribute to the water color (see image above). For example, the seaweed production in the area was as high as 1.5 million tonnes in 1979 for China alone. The abundance of all these plant and animal species increases toward the south and indicates a high sea productivity, accounting for the diversity of fish species and high fish yield from the sea.[15] Several species of goby new to science have been discovered recently[when?] in the Yellow Sea.[16]
The southern part of the Yellow Sea, including the entire west coast of
Populations of oceanic
Spotted seals are the only resident species of seal in the Yellow Sea. A sanctuary for these seals is situated at Baengnyeongdo, which is also known for its finless porpoises.[35] Great white sharks have also been known to prey on seals in the area.[36]
Economy
The coasts of the Yellow Sea are very densely populated, at approximately 250 inhabitants per square kilometer (650/sq mi).
Navigation is another traditional activity in the Yellow Sea. The main Chinese ports are
Oil exploration has been successful in the Chinese and North Korean portions of the sea, with the proven and estimated reserves of about 9 and 20 billion tonnes, respectively.[43] However, the study and exploration of the sea is somewhat hindered by insufficient sharing of information between the involved countries. China initiated collaborations with foreign oil companies in 1979, but this initiative declined later.[5]
A major oil spill occurred on 16 July 2010 when a pipeline exploded at the north-east port of Dalian, causing a wide-scale fire and spreading about 1,500 tonnes of oil over the sea area of 430 km2 (170 sq mi). The port had been closed and fishing suspended until the end of August. Eight hundred fishing boats and 40 specialized vessels were mobilized to relieve the environmental damage.[44]
State of the environment
The Yellow Sea is considered among the most degraded marine areas on earth.[45] Loss of natural coastal habitats due to land reclamation has resulted in the destruction of more than 60% of tidal wetlands around the Yellow Sea coastline in approximately 50 years.[21] Rapid coastal development for agriculture, aquaculture and industrial development are considered the primary drivers of coastal destruction in the region.[21] This degree of loss of area, widespread pollution, algal blooms and declines of invertebrate and vertebrate fauna have resulted in the classification of this ecosystem as endangered.[46]
In addition to
The tidal flats of the Yellow Sea are considered endangered.[46]
Location of Korean Peace Zones
On 1 November 2018, officials from South Korea's Ministry of National Defense confirmed that "peace zones" had been established by the North and South Korean militaries in the Yellow Sea area that touches the North and South Korean demarcation line.[1] A buffer zone was also created in the Yellow Sea's Northern Limit Line (NLL).[citation needed]
See also
- Battle of Chemulpo Bay
- Battle of the Yellow Sea
- Geography of China
- Geography of North Korea
- Geography of South Korea
- Ganghwa Island incident
- Korea strait
References
- ^ a b "Koreas halt all 'hostile' military acts near border". November 2018.
- ^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas" (PDF) (3rd ed.). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ Sediments and Phytoplankton bloom near the Mouth of the Yangtze, East China Sea Archived 30 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, NASA, 2002
- ^ a b c d Yellow Sea, Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in Russian)
- ^ a b c d e f g h Yellow Sea, Encyclopædia Britannica on-line
- ^ "A yellow sea". WWF.
- S2CID 132284722.
- ^ "The Seas of Korea". Korean Literature Now (in Korean). Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ Sand storm over Yellow Sea, nasa.gov
- ISBN 0-7277-3091-6pp. 175, 177
- ^ The Moses Miracle Of Jindo Island Archived 27 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine, 17 July 2010
- ^ Майские фестивали в Чолладо – от "чуда Моисея" до боя быков Archived 31 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
- ^ Jindo Mysterious Sea Road Archived 3 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Jindo County
- ^ Bar-tailed Godwit Updates Archived 20 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine, USGS
- ^ Chikuni, pp. 8, 16, 19
- ^ esa. "Earth from Space: The Yellow Sea of China".
- ISBN 1-4020-1903-3p. 60
- ISBN 90-5882-009-2
- ^ Barter, M.A. (2005). Yellow Sea – driven priorities for Australian shorebird researchers. pp. 158–160 in: "Status and Conservation of Shorebirds in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway". Proceedings of the Australasian Shorebird Conference, 13–15 December 2003, Canberra, Australia. International Wader Studies 17. Sydney.
- ^ Saemangeum and the Saemangeum Shorebird Monitoring Program (SSMP) 2006–2008, Birds Korea
- ^ doi:10.1890/130260.
- ISBN 0-643-09089-4p. 172
- S2CID 35795229. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Berzin A.; Ivashchenko V.Y.; Clapham J.P.; Brownell L. R.Jr. (2008). "The Truth About Soviet Whaling: A Memoir". DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "Distribution of Whales and Dolphins in Korean Waters Based on a Sighting Survey from 2000 to 2010" (PDF). ocean.kisti.re.kr. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ "A Gray Area: On the Matter of Gray Whales in the Western North Pacific (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate.
- ^ Mizroach A.S.. Rice W.D.. Zwiefelhoffer D.. Waite J.. Perryman L.W.. 2009. Distribution and movements of fin whales in the North Pacific Ocean. on The Wiley Online Library. Retrieved on 3 January. 2015
- ^ "我国沿海鲸类(–)– – 须鲸篇(下)_科学公园_传送门". chuansong.me.
- S2CID 3795740.
- ^ "长海又现鲸鱼 这回是好几条". Archived from the original on 9 June 2016.
- ^ 大连长海又见鲸鱼 – 家亲!三条!四条 Archived 2 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Huogen W.; Yu W. (1998). "A Baird's Beaked Whale From the East China Sea". Fisheries Science, 1998-05: CNKI – The China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ "Yellow Sea | WWF". Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Mr.Z. Charlie. 2008. 我国的渤海里有没有鲸鱼 on Sogou – Wenwen. Retrieved on 3 January. 2015
- ^ "백령도 어부들의 친구 쇠돌고래".
- ^ "백상아리, 백령도서 물범 공격장면 국내 첫 포착 – 민중의소리". www.vop.co.kr.
- ^ a b Population Density Archived 22 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, NASA, 1994
- ^ Chikuni, p. 25
- ^ AFP, Agence France-Presse (22 November 2016). "China's jellyfish-hauling mules a dying breed". www.atimes.com. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ^ Fishing Industry Archived 27 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine, noaa.gov
- ^ Chikuni, pp. 37, 47, 55
- ^ Ferry sinks in Yellow Sea, killing hundreds, 24 November 1999
- ^ China found new large oil field in the Yellow Sea, News.ru, 3 May 2007 (in Russian)
- ^ China's worst-ever oil spill threatens wildlife as volunteers assist in clean-up, Guardian, 21 July 2010
- ^ a b c UNDP/GEF. (2007) The Yellow Sea: Analysis of Environmental Status and Trends. p. 408, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
- ^ ISSN 1442-9985.
- ^ Liang Bin (2019). "Report on Marine Environmental Status and Trends of the Yellow Sea" (PDF).
- ^ "China's largest algal bloom turns the Yellow Sea green". The Guardian.
Bibliography
- Chikuni, S. (1985). The Fish Resources of the Northwest Pacific, Food and Agriculture Organization, ISBN 92-5-102298-4