by Lee Eunjoo
Published 07 Apr.2024 16:06(KST)
The Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency announced on the 7th that it will provide 'quasi-real-time eddy' information with improved detection accuracy of eddies in the East Sea starting this month.
Eddies around Ulleungdo in the East Sea are formed where the cold current (cold water current) flowing down from the north meets the warm current (warm water current) rising from the south. Since their intensity varies seasonally, eddies that circulate in large and small circles are repeatedly generated and dissipated. Eddies not only create unique circulating flows but also transport heat, salinity, and nutrients vertically up to 200-300 meters in depth, significantly impacting the marine ecosystem.
The Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency previously detected eddies by slightly shifting a rectangular grid up, down, left, and right over the sea surface height distribution map of the East Sea observed by satellites, confirming the same sea surface height within the grid, which was time-consuming. The improved detection method applies a technique that detects sea surface heights across the entire East Sea in descending order and then finds contour lines, enabling eddy detection about five times faster than before. Additionally, eddies are identified only if the minimum height difference is 1 cm or more and if they satisfy the size range of medium-scale eddies physically possible in the East Sea, improving detection accuracy by approximately 1.5 times.
Kim Jae-cheol, Director of the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency, said, "Since the detection information of East Sea eddies is highly related to fisheries and marine exploration activities, we will continue to strive to produce and provide more accurate East Sea eddy information."
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