Part of the Pacific Ocean basin and separated from it by Sakhalin and the Japanese Islands, the Sea of ​​Japan splashes off the coast of Russia, Japan, China and Korea. The climatic conditions here are harsh. In the northern and western parts, ice appears already by the third decade of November, and in some years, ice was formed by the 20th of October. The air temperature in these areas can drop to -20 degrees Celsius. The melting of ice begins in March and continues until the end of April. There were years when the surface of the sea was completely cleared of the ice cover only in June.

Nevertheless, in summer the Sea of ​​Japan in its southern borders pleases with a water temperature of +27 (even higher than in the Aegean Sea!). In the northern part, the water temperature is about +20 degrees, the same as in May in southern Greece. A characteristic feature of the Sea of ​​Japan is its extremely unstable weather. The sun can shine brightly in the morning, and by afternoon a strong wind rises and a storm begins with a thunderstorm. This happens especially often in the fall. Then during a storm the wave can reach 10-12 meters in height.

The Sea of ​​Japan is rich in fish. Mackerel, flounder, herring, saury, cod are mined here. But the most massive, of course, is pollock. During spawning, coastal waters literally boil from a huge amount of this fish. Also, shrimp and seaweed, which has become very popular in recent years, are also mined here. In addition, in the Sea of ​​​​Japan you can find squid and octopus, which come across weighing up to 50 kilograms. And the huge eels found here, also called herring kings, were mistaken for underwater monsters in the old days.

Holidays on the Sea of ​​Japan will appeal to those who are not looking for noisy entertainment. The beauty of the reefs and the crystal clear waters are ideal for snorkellers. Equipment here can be taken in special diving centers. They also give it out at many camp sites.

The only thing that divers need to consider is that the water temperature drops sharply with depth. In the northern waters, already at a depth of 50 meters, it reaches only +4 degrees Celsius. In the southern part of this mark, the temperature reaches approximately at a depth of 200 meters. And even a little deeper is equal to zero.

Those who have chosen the Sea of ​​Japan for recreation can not only go diving, but also make interesting trips to the Ussuri taiga. It keeps a lot of secrets and mysteries, so you won't be bored here. What is only the footprint of a giant left in stone. Its length for our perception is incredible - it is one and a half meters! Also of great interest is the Dragon Park. Local residents are sure that aliens once created an unusual heap of huge boulders. On the sea coast near the city of Nakhodka, there are two hills called Brother and Sister. According to legend, they were made by the Titans as a gate through which the Prince of Light would one day come to Earth. For lovers of everything mysterious and unusual, a vacation on the Sea of ​​​​Japan will seem like a paradise. And the exotic beauty of these places will remain in your memory for a long time.

Between Kyushu and Shikoku is the Inland Sea of ​​Japan. It is small, only 18 thousand square kilometers, but it is the most important transport artery between these islands. On its banks rise Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Osaka, Niihama and other major industrial centers of Japan. This sea is considered warm. The water temperature even in the winter months is never below +16 degrees Celsius, and in summer it rises to +27. Tourism on this small sea is very well developed. Every year, thousands of people from all over the world come here to admire the magnificent landscapes, visit ancient samurai shrines, and get acquainted with the original Japanese culture.

Currents of the Sea of ​​Japan differ in a noticeable variety of regimes, which leads to the formation of mixed warm-water and temperate flora and fauna on the coasts of the sea, despite quite clear zonal differences between the northwestern and southeastern parts of its water area.

general characteristics

In general, surface currents in the sea are cyclonic and counterclockwise. The warm vector, represented by the Tsushima current, moves along about. Khonshu to the north. The cold current comes from the Tatar Strait and runs along the coast of the mainland to the south. Each of them has large and small branches. In addition, in the inner part of the water area, up to five zones of mixed circulation are distinguished, which are large whirlpools. Currents, subdivided into cold and warm, have the following names:

Peculiarities

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Shortly after the return of Prince Andrei, the old prince separated his son and gave him Bogucharovo, a large estate located 40 versts from Lysy Gory. Partly because of the difficult memories associated with the Bald Mountains, partly because Prince Andrei did not always feel able to bear the character of his father, and partly because he needed solitude, Prince Andrei took advantage of Bogucharov, built there and spent most of time.
Prince Andrew, after the Austerlitz campaign, firmly decided never to serve in military service again; and when the war broke out, and everyone had to serve, he, in order to get rid of active service, accepted a position under the command of his father in collecting the militia. The old prince and his son seemed to change roles after the campaign of 1805. The old prince, excited by activity, expected all the best from a real campaign; Prince Andrei, on the contrary, not participating in the war and in the secret of his soul regretting that, saw one bad thing.
On February 26, 1807, the old prince left for the district. Prince Andrei, as for the most part during his father's absences, remained in the Bald Mountains. Little Nikolushka was unwell for the 4th day. The coachmen who carried the old prince returned from the city and brought papers and letters to Prince Andrei.
The valet with letters, not finding the young prince in his office, went to Princess Mary's half; but he wasn't there either. The valet was told that the prince went to the nursery.
“Please, Your Excellency, Petrusha has come with the papers,” said one of the girls of the nurse’s assistant, turning to Prince Andrei, who was sitting on a small children’s chair and with trembling hands, frowning, was dripping medicine from a glass into a glass filled halfway with water.
- What's happened? - he said angrily, and with a careless trembling of his hand, he poured an extra amount of drops from the glass into a glass. He poured the medicine out of the glass onto the floor and again asked for water. The girl gave it to him.
In the room there was a crib, two chests, two armchairs, a table and a children's table and chair, the one on which Prince Andrei was sitting. The windows were hung, and a single candle burned on the table, covered with a bound music book, so that the light would not fall on the crib.
“My friend,” Princess Marya said, turning to her brother, from the bed by which she was standing, “it’s better to wait ... after ...
“Ah, do me a favor, you keep talking nonsense, you waited all the time - so you waited,” said Prince Andrei in an angry whisper, apparently wanting to prick his sister.
“My friend, it’s better not to wake him up, he fell asleep,” the princess said in an imploring voice.
Prince Andrei got up and, on tiptoe, with a glass, went to the bed.
- Or just not wake up? he said hesitantly.
"As you wish - right ... I think ... but as you wish," said Princess Mary, apparently shy and ashamed that her opinion had triumphed. She pointed out to her brother the girl who was calling him in a whisper.

The Sea of ​​Japan is a marginal sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean and is limited by the shores of Japan, Russia and Korea. The Sea of ​​Japan communicates through the Korea Strait in the south with the East China and Yellow Seas, through the Tsugaru (Sangara) Strait in the East with the Pacific Ocean, and through the La Perouse and Tatar Straits in the north with the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The area of ​​the Sea of ​​Japan is 980,000 km2, the average depth is 1361 m. The northern boundary of the Sea of ​​Japan runs along 51 ° 45 "N (from Cape Tyk on Sakhalin to Cape Yuzhny on the mainland). The southern boundary runs from Kyushu Island to the Goto Islands and from there to Korea [Cape Kolcholkap (Izgunov)]

The Sea of ​​Japan has an almost elliptical shape with a major axis in the southwest to northeast direction. Along the coast there are a number of islands or island groups - these are the islands of Iki and Tsushima in the middle part of the Korean Strait. (between Korea and the island of Kyushu), Ulleungdo and Takashima off the east coast of Korea, Oki and Sado off the west coast of the island of Honshu (Hondo) and Tobi Island off the northwestern coast of Honshu (Hondo).

Bottom relief

The straits connecting the Sea of ​​Japan with the marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean are characterized by shallow depths; only the Korea Strait has depths of more than 100 m. Bathymetrically, the Sea of ​​Japan can be divided by 40°N. sh. into two parts: north and south.

The northern part has a relatively flat bottom relief and is characterized by a general smooth slope. The maximum depth (4224 m) is observed in the region of 43°00" N, 137°39" E. d.
The bottom relief of the southern part of the Sea of ​​Japan is quite complex. In addition to the shallow waters around the islands of Iki, Tsushima, Oki, Takashima and Ulleungdo, there are two large isolated
banks separated by deep grooves. This is the Yamato Bank, opened in 1924, in the region of 39°N, 135°E. and the Shunpu Bank (also called the Yamato North Bank), discovered in 1930 and located at approximately 40 ° N. sh., 134 ° in. e. The smallest depths of the first and second banks are 285 and 435 m, respectively. A depression more than 3000 m deep was found between the Yamato Bank and the island of Honshu.

Hydrological regime

Water masses, temperature and salinity. The Sea of ​​Japan can be divided into two sectors: warm (from the side of Japan) and cold (from the side of Korea and Russia (Primorsky Territory). The boundary between the sectors is the polar front, which runs approximately along the parallel 38-40 ° N, i.e. almost along the same latitudes along which the polar front passes in the Pacific Ocean east of Japan.

water masses

Sea of ​​Japan can be divided into surface, intermediate and deep. The surface water mass occupies a layer up to approximately 25 m and is separated from the underlying waters in summer by a clearly defined thermocline layer. The surface water mass in the warm sector of the Sea of ​​Japan is formed by the mixing of surface waters of high temperature and low salinity coming from the East China Sea and the coastal waters of the Japan Islands region, in the cold sector - by the mixing of waters formed during the melting of ice from early summer to autumn , and waters of Siberian rivers.

For the surface water mass, the largest fluctuations in temperature and salinity are observed depending on the season of the year and the area. Thus, in the Korea Strait, the salinity of surface waters in April and May exceeds 35.0 ppm. which is higher than the salinity in the deeper layers, but in August and September the salinity of surface waters drops to 32.5 ppm. At the same time, in the area of ​​the island of Hokkaido, salinity varies only from 33.7 to 34.1 ppm. In summer surface water temperature 25°C, but in winter it varies from 15°C in the Korea Strait to 5°C near the sea. Hokkaido. In coastal areas near Korea and Primorye, salinity changes are small (33.7-34 ppm). The intermediate water mass below the surface water in the warm sector of the Sea of ​​Japan has a high temperature and salinity. It is formed in the intermediate layers of Kuroshio west of Kyushu and flows from there into the Sea of ​​Japan from early winter to early summer.

However, according to the distribution of dissolved oxygen, intermediate water can also be observed in the cold sector. In the warm sector, the core of the intermediate water mass is located approximately in the 50 m layer; salinity is about 34.5 ppm. The intermediate water mass is characterized by a rather strong decrease in temperature along the vertical - from 17 ° C at a depth of 25 m to 2 ° C at a depth of 200 m. The thickness of the layer of intermediate water decreases from the warm sector to the cold; in this case, the vertical temperature gradient for the latter becomes much more pronounced. The salinity of intermediate waters is 34.5–34.8 ppm. in the warm sector and about 34.1 prom. in the cold. The highest salinity values ​​are noted here at all depths - from the surface to the bottom.

The deep water mass, commonly referred to as the water of the Sea of ​​Japan itself, has extremely uniform temperature (about 0-0.5 ° C) and salinity (34.0-34.1 ppm). More detailed studies by K. Nishida, however, showed that the temperature of deep waters below 1500 m rises slightly due to adiabatic heating. At the same horizon, a decrease in the oxygen content to a minimum is observed, and therefore it is more logical to consider waters above 1500 m as deep waters, and below 1500 m as bottom waters. Compared with the waters of other seas, the oxygen content in the Sea of ​​Japan at the same depths is exceptionally high (5.8–6.0 cm3/l), which indicates an active renewal of water in the deep layers of the Sea of ​​Japan. The deep waters of the Sea of ​​Japan are formed mainly in February and March as a result of the subsidence of surface waters in the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan due to horizontal diffusion, cooling in winter and subsequent convection, after which their salinity rises to approximately 34.0 ppm.

Sometimes surface waters of low salinity in the cold sector (1-4°C, 33.9 p.m.) wedged into the polar front and deepened to the south, leaving under the intermediate waters of the warm sector. This phenomenon is analogous to the intrusion of subarctic intermediate water below the warm Kuroshio layer in the Pacific Ocean in the region north of Japan.

In spring and summer, the salinity of warm waters from the East China Sea and cold waters east of Korea decreases due to precipitation and ice melt. These less saline waters mix with the surrounding waters and the overall salinity of the surface waters of the Sea of ​​Japan decreases. In addition, these surface waters gradually warm up during the warmer months. As a result, the density of surface waters decreases, which leads to the formation of a well-defined upper thermocline layer separating surface waters from underlying intermediate waters. The layer of the upper thermocline is located in the summer season at a depth of 25 m. In autumn, heat is transferred from the sea surface to the atmosphere. As a result of mixing with the underlying water masses, the temperature of surface waters decreases, and their salinity increases. The emerging intense convection leads to the deepening of the upper thermocline layer to 25–50 m in September and 50–100 m in November. In autumn, the intermediate waters of the warm sector are characterized by a decrease in salinity due to the inflow of waters from the Tsushima Current with lower salinity. At the same time, convection in the surface water layer intensifies during this period. As a result, the thickness of the intermediate water layer decreases. In November, the layer of the upper thermocline disappears completely due to the mixing of the overlying and underlying waters. Therefore, in autumn and spring, only the upper homogeneous layer of water and the underlying cold layer are observed, separated by a layer of the lower thermocline. The latter for most of the warm sector is located at a depth of 200–250, but to the north it rises and near the coast of Hokkaido is located at a depth of about 100 m. In the warm sector of the surface layer, temperatures reach a maximum in mid-August, although in the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan they spread to the depths. The minimum temperature is observed in February-March. On the other hand, the maximum temperature of the surface layer near the coast of Korea is observed in August. However, due to the strong development of the upper thermocline layer, only a very thin surface layer is heated. Thus, temperature changes in the 50–100 m layer are almost entirely due to advection. Due to the low temperatures characteristic of most of the Sea of ​​Japan at fairly great depths, the waters of the Tsushima Current cool down significantly as they move north.

The waters of the Sea of ​​Japan are characterized by exceptionally high levels of dissolved oxygen, partly due to abundant phytoplankton. The oxygen content at almost all horizons is about 6 cm3/l and more. Particularly high oxygen content is noted in surface and intermediate waters, with a maximum value at the 200 m horizon (8 cm3/l). These values ​​are much higher than at the same and lower levels in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk (1-2 cm3/l).

Surface and intermediate waters are most saturated with oxygen. The percentage of saturation in the warm sector is 100% or slightly lower, and the waters near Primorsky Krai and Korea are oversaturated with oxygen due to low temperatures. Off the northern coast of Korea, it is 110% or even higher. In deep waters, there is a very high oxygen content to the very bottom.

Color and transparency

The color of the water of the Sea of ​​Japan (according to the color scale) in the warm sector is more blue than in the cold one, corresponding to the region of 36-38 ° N. latitude, 133–136° E e. index III and even II. In the cold sector, this is mainly the color of indices IV-VI, and in the Vladivostok region it is above III. In the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan, a greenish color of sea water is noted. Transparency (according to the white disk) in the region of the Tsushima current is more than 25 m. In the cold sector, it sometimes drops to 10 m.

Currents of the Sea of ​​Japan

The main current of the Sea of ​​Japan is the Tsushima Current, which originates in the East China Sea. It is strengthened mainly by the branch of the Kuroshio current, going to the SOUTH-WEST from about. Kyushu, as well as partly by coastal runoff from China. The Tsushima Current contains surface and intermediate water masses. The current enters the Sea of ​​Japan through the Korea Strait and flows along the northwestern coast of Japan. In the same place, a branch of the warm current, called the East Korean Current, separates from it, which goes in the north, to the coast of Korea, to the Korean Bay and Ulleungdo Island, then turns to the SE and connects with the main stream.

The Tsushima Current, about 200 km wide, washes the coast of Japan and moves further to the NE at a speed of 0.5 to 1.0 knots. Then it is divided into two branches - the warm Sangara current and the warm La Perouse current, which exit respectively into the Pacific Ocean through the Tsugaru (Sangarsky) Strait and into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk through the La Perouse Strait. Both of these currents, after passing through the straits, turn to the east and run respectively near the eastern coast of the island of Honshu and the northern coast of the island of Hokkaido.

Three cold currents are observed in the Sea of ​​Japan: the Liman current, which moves at low speed to the southwest in the area north of Primorsky Krai, the North Korean current, which goes south in the Vladivostok region to eastern Korea, and the Primorskoye, or cold current in the middle part of the Sea of ​​Japan, which originates in the area Tatar Strait and goes to the central part of the Sea of ​​Japan, mainly to the entrance to the Tsugaru (Sangara) Strait. These cold currents form a counterclockwise circulation and in the cold sector of the Sea of ​​Japan contains clearly defined layers of surface and intermediate water masses. Between the warm and cold currents there is a clear boundary of the "polar" front.

Since the Tsushima current contains surface and intermediate water masses, which are about 200 m thick, and is separated from the underlying deep water, the thickness of this current is basically of the same order.

The current velocity to a depth of 25 m is almost constant, and then decreases with depth to 1/6 of the surface value at a depth of 75 m. The flow rate of the Tsushima Current is less than 1/20 of the Kuroshio Current flow rate.

The speed of cold currents is about 0.3 knots for the Liman Current and less than 0.3 knots for the Primorsky Current. The cold North Korea Current, which is the strongest, has a speed of 0.5 knots. This current is 100 km wide and 50 m thick. In general, cold currents in the Sea of ​​Japan are much weaker than warm ones. The average speed of the Tsushima Current passing through the Korean Strait is less in winter, and increases to 1.5 knots in summer (in August). For the Tsushima current, interannual changes are also noted, with a clear period of 7 years being distinguished. The inflow of water into the Sea of ​​Japan mainly occurs through the Korea Strait, since the inflow through the Tatar Strait is very insignificant. The flow of water from the Sea of ​​Japan occurs through the Tsugaru (Sangara) Strait and La Perouse.

Tides and tidal currents

For the Sea of ​​Japan, the tides are small. While off the coast of the Pacific Ocean the tide is 1–2 m, in the Sea of ​​Japan it reaches only 0.2 m. In the straits, the tide increases, reaching in some places more than 2 m.

Tidal waves propagate at right angles to these cotidal lines. To the west of Sakhalin and in the area of ​​the Korean Strait. two points of amphidromy are observed. A similar cotidal map can be constructed for the lunisolar diurnal tide. In this case, the amphidromic point is located in the Korea Strait. Since the total cross-sectional area of ​​the La Perouse and Tsugaru straits is only 1/8 of the cross-sectional area of ​​the Korea Strait, and the cross-section of the Tatar Strait is generally insignificant, the tidal wave comes here from the East China Sea mainly through the East passage (Tsushima Strait). The magnitude of forced fluctuations in the mass of water in the entire Sea of ​​Japan is practically negligible. The resulting component of tidal currents and the Tsushima Current going to the east sometimes reaches 2.8 knots. In the Tsugaru (Soigaru) Strait, a diurnal tidal current prevails, but the magnitude of the semidiurnal tide is greater here.

In tidal currents, diurnal inequality is clearly expressed. The tidal current in the La Perouse Strait is less pronounced due to the difference in levels between the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan. There is also a daily disparity here. In the La Perouse Strait, the current is directed mainly to the east; its speed sometimes exceeds 3.5 knots.

Ice Conditions

The freezing of the Sea of ​​Japan begins in mid-November in the region of the Tatar Strait and in early December in the upper reaches of Peter the Great Bay. In mid-December, areas near the northern part of Primorsky Krai and Peter the Great Bay freeze over. In mid-December, ice appears in the coastal regions of Primorsky Krai. In January, the area of ​​ice cover increases further from the coast towards the open sea. With the formation of ice, navigation in these areas naturally becomes difficult or stops. Freezing of the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan is somewhat late: it begins in early to mid-February.

The melting of ice begins in the areas most distant from the coast. In the second half of March, the Sea of ​​Japan, with the exception of areas close to the coast, is already free of ice. In the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan, ice off the coast usually melts in mid-April, at which time navigation resumes in Vladivostok. The last ice in the Tatar Strait is observed in early-mid May. The period of ice cover along the coast of Primorsky Krai is 120 days, and at the De-Kastri harbor in the Tatar Strait - 201 days. Along the northern coast of the DPRK, a large amount of ice is not observed. Near the western coast of Sakhalin, only the city of Kholmsk is free of ice, since a branch of the Tsushima Current enters this area. The remaining areas of this coast freeze for almost 3 months, during which navigation stops.

Geology

The continental slopes of the Japanese Sea basin are characterized by many submarine canyons. From the side of the mainland, these canyons stretch to depths of more than 2000 m, and from the side of the Japanese islands, only up to 800 m. The Sea of ​​Japan is composed of bedrocks consisting of Precambrian granites and other Paleozoic rocks and overlying igneous and sedimentary rocks of the Neogene. According to paleogeographic studies, the southern part of the modern Sea of ​​Japan, probably in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic and during most of the Paleogene, was dry land. From this it follows that the Sea of ​​Japan was formed during the Neogene and early Quaternary period. The absence of a granite layer in the earth's crust in the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan indicates the transformation of the granite layer into a basalt layer due to basification, accompanied by the subsidence of the earth's crust. The presence of a "new" oceanic crust here can be explained by the stretching of the continents that accompanies the general expansion of the Earth (Agayed's theory).

Thus, we can conclude that the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan was once dry land. The present presence of such a large amount of continental material at the bottom of the Sea of ​​Japan at depths of more than 3000 m should indicate that the land was lowered to a depth of 2000–3000 m in the Pleistocene.

The Sea of ​​Japan is currently connected to the Pacific Ocean and the marginal seas surrounding it through the Korean, Tsugaru (Saigarsky), La Perouse and Tatar Straits. However, the formation of these four straits took place in very recent geological periods. The oldest strait is the Tsugaru (Sangara) strait; it already existed during the Wisconsin glaciation, although after that it may have been repeatedly clogged with ice and used in the migration of land animals. The Korea Strait was also dry land at the end of the Tertiary period, and through it the migration of elephants of the southern breed to the Japanese islands was carried out. This strait opened only at the beginning of the Wisconsin glaciation. The La Perouse Strait is the youngest. Fossilized remains of mammoths found on the island of Hokkaido indicate the existence of an isthmus. land on the site of this strait until the end of the Wisconsin glaciation

Currents of the Sea of ​​Japan differ in a noticeable variety of regimes, which leads to the formation of mixed warm-water and temperate flora and fauna on the coasts of the sea, despite quite clear zonal differences between the northwestern and southeastern parts of its water area.

general characteristics

In general, surface currents in the sea are cyclonic and counterclockwise. The warm vector, represented by the Tsushima current, moves along about. Khonshu to the north. The cold current comes from the Tatar Strait and runs along the coast of the mainland to the south. Each of them has large and small branches. In addition, in the inner part of the water area, up to five zones of mixed circulation are distinguished, which are large whirlpools. Currents, subdivided into cold and warm, have the following names:

Peculiarities

Notes

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• Prandtl current
• Techenskoye rural settlement

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The current is the movement of water particles from one place in the ocean or sea to another.

Currents cover huge masses of ocean waters, spreading in a wide strip on the surface of the ocean and capturing a layer of water of one or another depth. At greater depths and near the bottom, there are slower movements of water particles, most often in the opposite direction compared to surface currents, which is part of the general water cycle of the World Ocean.

The main forces that cause sea currents are determined by both hydrometeorological and astronomical factors.

The first ones should include:

1) the density force or the driving force of the currents created by the density difference due to the uneven changes in temperature and salinity of the sea water

2) the slope of the sea level, caused by an excess or lack of water in a particular area, due to, for example, coastal runoff or wind surges and surges

3) the tilt of the sea level caused by changes in the distribution of atmospheric pressure, creating a drop in sea level in areas of high atmospheric pressure and a rise in levels in areas of low pressure

4) friction of the wind on the surface of the waters of the sea and wind pressure on the rear surface of the waves.

The second ones are tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun, continuously changing due to periodic changes in the relative position of the Sun, Earth and Moon and creating horizontal fluctuations in water masses or tidal currents.

Immediately after the occurrence of a flow caused by one or more of these forces, secondary forces arise that affect the flow. These forces are unable to cause currents, they only modify the current that has already arisen.

These forces include:

1) the Coriolis force, which deflects any moving body to the right in the northern hemisphere, and to the left in the southern hemisphere from the direction of its movement, depending on the latitude of the place and the speed of the particles

2) the force of friction, slowing down any movement

3) centrifugal force.

Sea currents are divided according to the following criteria:

1. By origin, i.e. according to the factors that cause them - a) density (gradient) currents; b) drift and wind currents; c) waste or runoff currents; d) barometric; e) tidal; f) compensatory currents, which are a consequence of the almost complete incompressibility of water (continuity), arise due to the need to make up for the loss of water, for example, from water driven by the wind or its outflow due to the presence of other currents.

2. By area of ​​origin.

3. By duration or stability: a) constant currents going from year to year in the same direction at a certain speed; b) temporary currents caused by transient causes and changing their direction and speed depending on the time of action and the magnitude of the generating force; c) periodic currents that change their direction and speed in accordance with the period and magnitude of tide-forming forces.

4. By physical and chemical characteristics, for example, warm and cold. Moreover, the absolute value of temperature does not matter for the flow characteristics; the temperature of the waters of warm currents is higher than the temperature of the waters created by local conditions, the temperature of the waters of cold currents is lower.

The main currents in the Pacific Ocean that affect the climate of Primorye

Kuroshio (Kuro-Sio) The Kuroshio system is divided into three parts.: a) the Kuroshio proper, b) the Kuroshio drift, and c) the North Tiohean Current. The Kuroshio proper is the section of the warm current in the western part of the northern half of the Pacific Ocean between the island of Taiwan and 35°N, 142°E.

The beginning of Kuroshio is a branch of the Northern Trade Wind Current, going north along the eastern coasts. Philippine Islands. Off the island of Taiwan, Kuroshio has a width of about 185 km and a speed of 0.8-1.0 m/s. Further, it deviates to the right and passes along the western shores of the Ryukyu island ridge, with the speed sometimes increasing to 1.5–1.8 m/s. The increase in Kuroshio speeds usually occurs in summer with tailwinds from the summer southeast monsoon.

On the approaches to the southern tip of the island of Kyushu, the current is divided into two branches: the main branch passes through Van Diemen Strait to the Pacific Ocean (Kuroshio proper), and the other branch goes to Korea Strait(Tsushima current). Kuroshio itself, when approaching the southeastern tip of the island of Honshu - Cape Najima (35 ° N, 140 ° E) - turns east, being squeezed from the coast by cold Kuril current.

At the point with coordinates 35° N, 142° E. two branches separate from Kuroshio, one heading south and the other heading northeast. This last branch penetrates far to the north. Traces of the northeastern branch can be observed up to Commander Islands.

The Kuroshio drift is the section of the warm current between 142 and 160 ° E, then the North Pacific Current begins.

The most stable of all three components of the Kuroshio system is the Kuroshio proper, although it is subject to large seasonal fluctuations; thus in December, during the period of the greatest development of the winter monsoon blowing from the north or northwest, where Kuroshio is usually located, ships often note currents directed to the south. This testifies to the great dependence of the current on the monsoon winds, which have great strength and constancy off the eastern coast of Asia.

Influence of Kuroshio on the climate of the coastal countries of East Asia is such that the warming of the waters in the Kuroshio region causes an exacerbation of the winter monsoon in winter.

. Kuril Current

The Kuril current, sometimes called the Oya-Sio, is a cold current. It originates in the Bering Sea and flows first to the south under the name Kamchatka Current along the eastern shores of Kamchatka, and then along the eastern shores of the Kuril chain.

Through the straits in winter Kuril ridge(especially through its southern straits), masses of cold water, and sometimes ice, come from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to the Pacific Ocean, which greatly increases Kuril Current. In winter, the speed of the Kuril current fluctuates around 0.5-1.0 m/s, in summer it is somewhat less - 0.25-0.35 m/s.

The cold Kuril current first goes along the surface, penetrating south a little further than Cape Nojima - the southeastern tip of the island of Honshu. The width of the Kuril Current near Cape Nodzima is about 55.5 km. Shortly after passing the cape, the current descends under the surface waters of the ocean and continues for another 370 km in the form of an undercurrent.

Main Currents in the Sea of ​​Japan

The Sea of ​​Japan is located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between the mainland coast of Asia, Japanese islands And Sakhalin Island in geographic coordinates 34°26"-51°41" N, 127°20"-142°15" E. According to its physical and geographical position, it belongs to the marginal oceanic seas and is fenced off from adjacent basins by shallow water barriers.

In the north and northeast, the Sea of ​​Japan is connected to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk by the Nevelskoy and La Perouse (Soya) straits, in the east by Pacific Ocean Sangarsky (Tsugaru) Strait, in the south with East China Sea Korean (Tsushima) Strait. The smallest strait- Nevelskoy has a maximum depth of 10 m, and the deepest Sangarsky- about 200 m.

The greatest influence on the hydrological regime of the basin is exerted by subtropical waters entering through Korea Strait from the East China Sea. The movement of waters in the Sea of ​​Japan is formed as a result of the total action of the global distribution of atmospheric pressure, wind field, heat and water flows. In the Pacific Ocean, the isobaric surfaces tilt towards the Asian continent with the corresponding water transport. The waters of the western branch of the warm Kuroshio, passing through the East China Sea and adding water to it, enter the Sea of ​​Japan from the Pacific Ocean.

Due to the shallowness of the straits, only surface water enters the Sea of ​​Japan. Annually, from 55 to 60 thousand km3 of warm water enters the Sea of ​​Japan through the Korean irrigation. The jet of these waters in the form Tsushima Current changes throughout the year. It is most intense in late summer - early autumn, when, under the influence of the southeast monsoon, the western branch of the Kuroshio intensifies and the surge of waters in East China Sea. During this period, the inflow of water increases to 8 thousand km3 per month. At the end of winter, the inflow of water into the Sea of ​​Japan through the Korean irrigation decreases to 1500 km3 per month. Due to the passage of the Tsushima Current near the western coast of the Japanese Islands, the sea level here is on average 20 cm higher than in the Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of Japan. Therefore, already in the Sangar Strait, the first along the path of the waters of this current, an intensive flow of waters into the Pacific Ocean occurs.

Approximately 62% of the waters of the Tsushima current leaves through this strait, as a result of which it becomes greatly weakened further. Another 24% of the volume of water coming from the Korea Strait flows through the La Perouse Strait and already to the north of its flow of warm water becomes extremely insignificant, but still an insignificant part of the water Tsushima Current penetrates in the summer Tatar Strait. In it, due to the small cross section of the Nevelskoy Strait, most of these waters turn to the south. As the flow of waters in the Tsushima current moves to the north, the waters of other currents are included in it and jets deviate from it. In particular, the jets deviating to the west in front of the Tatar Strait merge with the waters emerging from it, forming seaside current.

South of the Peter the Great Bay, this current is divided into two branches: the coastal one continues to move south and, in part, separate jets, together with the return waters of the Tsushima Current, in vortex eddies, enters Korea Strait, and the eastern jet deviates to the east and joins with the Tsushima current. The coastal branch is called the North Korean Current.

The entire listed system of currents forms a cyclonic circulation common to the entire sea, in which the eastern periphery consists of a warm current, and the western periphery consists of a cold one.

The temperature distribution and velocity on the surface of the Sea of ​​Japan are presented according to the electronic Atlas of oceanography of the Bering, Okhotsk and Japan seas (TOI FEB RAS) for January, March, May, July, September, October.

The current velocities in the southern half of the sea are higher than in the northern. Calculated by the dynamic method, they are in the upper 25 m layer Tsushima Current decrease from 70 cm/s in Korea Strait to about 29 cm/s at the latitude of the La Perouse Strait and become less than 10 cm/s at Tatar Strait. The cold flow velocity is much less. It increases to the south from a few centimeters per second in the north to 10 cm/s in the southern part of the sea.

In addition to constant currents, drift and wind currents are often observed, which cause surges and surges of water. There are cases when the total currents, composed mainly of constant, drift and tidal currents, are directed at right angles to the coast or away from the coast. In the first case, they are called clamping, in the second, squeezing. Their speed usually does not exceed 0.25 m/s.

Water exchange through the straits has a dominant influence on the hydrological regime of the southern and eastern half of the Sea of ​​Japan. flowing through Korea Strait the subtropical waters of the Kuroshio branch throughout the year warm the southern regions of the sea and the waters adjacent to the coast of the Japanese Islands up to the La Perouse Strait, as a result of which the waters of the eastern part of the sea are always warmer than the western.

Literature: 1. Doronin Yu. P. Regional oceanology. - L .: Gidrometeoizdat, 1986

2. Istoshin I. V. Oceanology. - L .: Gidrometeoizdat, 1953

3. Pilot of the Sea of ​​Japan. Part 1, 2. - L .: Mapping factory of the Navy, 1972

4. Atlas of oceanography of the Bering, Okhotsk and Japan Seas (TOI FEB RAS). - Vladivostok, 2002

Head of OGMM
Yushkina K.A.