This study examined the occurrence of meteotsunamis in the eastern Yellow Sea and the conceptual framework of a monitoring/warning system. Using 1 min intervals of mean-sea-level pressure and sea-level observations from 89 meteorological stations and 16 tide gauges between 2010 and 2019, a total of 42 pressure-forced meteotsunami events were classified. Most meteotsunamis (71 %) displayed a distinct seasonal pattern occurring from March to June, and intense meteotsunamis typically occurred at harbor tide gauges. The occurrence characteristics of the meteotsunamis were examined to improve the meteotsunami monitoring/warning system. Air pressure disturbances with speeds of 11–26 m s⁻¹ and NNW–SW directions were conducive to meteotsunami generation. Most meteotsunamis (88 %), as well as strong meteotsunamis with a wave height exceeding 40 cm (19 %), had dominant period bands of less than 30 min, containing the resonant periods of harbors in the eastern Yellow Sea. Thus, the eastern Yellow Sea is a harbor-meteotsunami-dominated environment, characterized by frequent meteotsunami occurrences and local amplification in multiple harbors. This study can provide practical guidance on operation periods, potential hot spots, and risk levels to monitoring/warning system operators in the eastern Yellow Sea.

Yoon, B.I. and Woo, S.B., 2013. Correlation between freshwater discharge and salinity intrusion in Han River Estuary, South Korea In: Conley, D.C., Masselink, G., Russell, P.E. and O'Hare, T.J. (eds.) The salinity distributions of estuaries and tidal rivers exhibit unique characteristics due to the effects of various external forces, such as tides, freshwater discharge, wind, and topographic effects. The interpretation and understanding of the structure of salinity profiles in coastal and estuarine areas is necessary for addressing issues related to oceanography, water quality, ecology, and engineering. To identify the salinity distribution of Han River Estuary (HRE), South Korea the surface salinity of the southern and northern regions of Yeomha Channel were observed from May to June, 2007. Variations in the salinity were clearly correlated with long- and short-term tidal fluctuations. Furthermore, the salinity strongly decreased when additional freshwater was discharged relative to the dry peri...

Yoon, B.I. and Woo, S.B., 2013. Tidal asymmetry and flood/ebb dominance around the Yeomha channel in the Han River Estuary, South Korea In: Conley, D.C., Masselink, G., Russell, P.E. and O'Hare, T.J. (eds.) Several field measurements were conducted to study the characteristic of tidal asymmetry and flood/ebb dominance in the Han River Estuary (HRE), Gyeonggi Bay (GGB) on the western coast of Korea. Tidal currents at this area were simultaneously measured at four stations during the winter season, and previously observed tidal data were analyzed. The HRE is macro-tidal coastal zone with a mean depth less than 12m and a tidal range varying 3.5 (neap) to 8.0m (spring). The tidal amplitude to depth ratio is large enough to generate non-linearity in the tidal wave. The relative phases (2M2-M4) are represented flood dominant using harmonic constants from previously observed tidal data. However, there exists a limitation to apply this kind of method for tidal asymmetry to an area in which freshwater dis...

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of contaminant transport in estuarine environments, focusing on the impact of tidal creeks and flats. The research employs advanced hydrodynamic models with irregular grid systems and conducts a detailed residual current analysis to explore how these physical features influence the movement and dispersion of contaminants. The methodology involves simulating residual currents and Lagrangian particle trajectories in both ‘Creek’ and ‘No Creek’ cases, under varying tidal conditions. The results indicate that tidal creeks significantly affect particle retention and transport, with notable differences observed in the dispersion patterns between the two scenarios. The ‘Creek’ case demonstrates enhanced material retention along the creek pathways, while the ‘No Creek’ case shows broader dispersion, potentially leading to increased sedimentation in open sea areas. The discussion highlights the implications of these findings for sediment dynamics, contaminant transport, and estuarine ecology, emphasizing the role of tidal creeks in modulating flow and material transport. The research underlines the necessity of incorporating detailed environmental features in estuarine models for accurate contaminant transport prediction and effective estuarine management. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of estuarine hydrodynamics and offers valuable insights for environmental policy and management in coastal regions.

This study investigated the flow patterns and affecting factors in the North Port of Incheon, South Korea, to understand the inner-port circulation characteristics by applying an unstructured grid finite volume community ocean model (FVCOM) together with a field survey. The FVCOM considered the tide, river discharge, surface winds, and atmospheric pressure with the highest resolution of 50 m around the port. The model results were validated with current velocity and salinity observations. In the main channel, the difference in salinity between the sea surface and bottom increased during the neap tide due to weakened tidal currents, thus strengthening the stratification. However, at the inner port, strong stratification was observed during spring tide as the near-surface freshwater from upstream of the estuary moved relatively farther south of the port than that during the neap tide. Freshwater flowed into the port during the flood current and was trapped in the semi-closed geometry of the inner port. The horizontal salinity gradient between the trapped fresher water in the port and saltier water in the main channel increased during the flood current. As a result, density-driven circulations associated with near-bed currents towards the port were maintained for more than 3 h after high tide. This result implies that the baroclinic effect, mainly due to the salinity gradient in the North Port, could significantly affect residual circulation at the inner harbor in a macro-tidal environment and the mass transport mechanism, such as sediment transport. In general, such enhanced baroclinic effects due to salinity and tides are not limited to the North Port and can have greater effects on inner-port circulation in other macro-tidal harbors that suffer from severe sedimentation problems.