Sea of Japan large marine ecosystem

Published: May 19, 2008, 8:06 pm

Updated: June 14, 2013, 7:37 pm

Topics:

Environmental & Resource Management (main) Fisheries (main) Marine Ecology (main) Aquaculture (main) Oceans and seas (main) Geography (main)

Source: NOAA

The Sea of Japan Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) is a semi-enclosed sea with an area of approximately 978,000 square kilometers (km²), a volume of 1,713,000 cubic kilometers (km³), and a mean depth of 1,350 meters (m). The Sea of Japan (also known as the East Sea) is connected to the Sea of Okhotsk, the Northern Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea through four shallow straits. The Tsushima Current, a small branch of the warm Kuroshio Current, enters the Sea of Japan through the Tsushima Strait between Kyushu and Korea and flows out to the Pacific through the Tsugaru and Soya Straits. Climate is the primary force driving the LME, with intensive fishing as the secondary driving force. LME book chapters and articles pertaining to this LME include Terazaki, 1999.

Productivity

For maps of currents around Japan and in the Sea of Japan LME, see Terazaki, 1989, p. 38, and Terazaki, 1999, p. 200. The meandering Tsushima Current creates large-scale cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies. For information on the bottom topography (continental shelf, bathyal and abyssal zones), see Morgan, 1989. The limited flow through the four shallow straits contributes to the semi-enclosed character of this LME. For a map of surface temperatures in summer and winter, see Terazaki, 1999, p. 204. The northwestern Sea of Japan is colder, with sharp temperature declines in winter and the presence of ice in the Tartarskiy Strait from November to April. Seasonal temperatures vary by 20 degrees Celsius in the northwest, and 14 degrees Celsius in the south. The Sea of Japan Large Marine Ecosystem is considered a Class I, highly productive (>300 grams of Carbon per square meter per year (gC/m²-yr)) ecosystem based on SeaWiFS global primary production estimates. For information on hydrographic conditions, primary production in winter and summer, phytoplankton, zooplankton and micronekton, see Terazaki, 1999. The zooplankton community shows low variance in taxonomic groups and species. Five zooplankton groups account for over 99 percent of the biomass: copepods (Neocalanus cristatus, N. plumchrus, N. flemingeri), euphausiids (Euphausia pacifica, Thysanoessa longipes), chaetognaths (Sagitta elegans), amphipods (Themisto japonica, Primno macropa, Cyphocaris challengeri), and mysids (Meterythrops microphathalma). Diatom blooms occur primarily in the spring. The number of benthic species decreases with depth, with 53 species of macrobenthos at 1,000-2,000 m, 25 species at 2,000-3,000 m, and 5 species below 3,000 m (see Zenkevitch, 1963; and Terazaki, 1999). Tropical to Arctic animal populations occur in the Sea of Japan LME.

Fish and Fisheries

(Source: NOAA)

The Japanese sardine is an abundant pelagic fish constituting more than 70% of the total catch. Other species harvested include scad, mackerel, yellowtail, and the common Japanese squid. The average total catch is 1 million tons. Long term fluctuations of the sardine population have been observed. They are accompanied by noticeable geographic shifts in spawning and nursery grounds. For a map of spawning grounds of the sardine population, see Terazaki, 1999, p. 216. The maximum Japanese sardine catch was 1.1 million tons in 1989 after 10 years of poor sardine harvests. For annual fluctuations in catches of anchovy, round herring, yellowtail, mackerel, scad and common squid, from 1950 to 1990, see Terazaki, 1999. Scad migrates into the Sea of Japan LME through the Tsushima Strait. The cold or warm eddies occurring along the Tsushima Current offer good fishing grounds for mackerel. The spawning grounds of the common squid are in the East China Sea and coastal waters of southern Honshu and Kyushu. The fishing methods for yellowtail (Seriola quingeradiata) are the set net, the purse seine and the gill net. The University of British Columbia Fisheries Center has detailed fish catch statistics for this LME. Click on the graph below for more information.

Pollution and Ecosystem Health

(Source: NOAA)

In the 1960s, rapid economic growth and heavy industries concentrating along Japanese coastal areas caused water pollution, damage to fishery resources and red tides. Strict laws and standards have since improved the quality of coastal waters. Mercury contamination in the Agano River near Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast produced a second case of Minamata disease. Cadmium contamination in the Jinzu River in Toyama resulted in a disease called Itai-itai. Excessive land reclamation and coastal development have led to the destruction of some mangrove areas and harmed coral reefs in the south of the Sea of Japan LME. Oil pollution (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, United States) is a significant problem along major shipping routes. An increasing number of accidents have occurred in recent years. Japan is affected by sea level rise and has resorted to dikes to keep flooding problems at bay. Intrusions of seawater into aquifers is a problem. The former Soviet Union reportedly dumped radioactive waste in the Sea of Japan.

Socio-economic Conditions

Location of the Sea of Japan LME. (Source: NOAA)

The Sea of Japan coastline is highly developed, with commercial ports and fishery (Fisheries and aquaculture) harbors. Parts of the coast are protected by seawalls and breakwaters against storm surges, high waves, and beach erosion. Japan has a densely populated coastal zone. The fisheries sector is an important industry for Japan. It is very reliant on the sea for its supply of fish, seaweed and other marine resources. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. The coastal zone is used to harvest marine resources, and for petroleum exploration, industrial development, waste dumps and recreation. An efficient transport system links the islands. The lack of natural resources means that fuel, raw materials and food have to be imported in large quantities. As a result, Japan is very reliant on trade and international shipping. Industry is heavily dependent on these imported raw materials and fuels. The main ports in this LME are Otaru, Sakata, Fushiki, Tsuruga, and Maizuru.

Governance

The five countries sharing the governance of this LME are Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea, and Japan. There are conflicts arising from the very name of the Sea of Japan, called the East Sea by South Korea and East Sea of Korea by North Korea. North Korea has a 50 nautical mile military boundary line in the Sea of Japan. There is a demarcation line between North and South Korea, and a dispute over the Liancourt Rocks, claimed by Japan. While the fishing interests of each country are different, a coordination of fishing efforts needs to be achieved. In terms of environmental protection, bilateral agreements have been concluded between China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. There is a Japan-Russia joint study program on marine pollution in the Sea of Japan. In 1994, an Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific (NOWPAP) was adopted under the auspices of UNEP. It aims to protect the environment of the Sea of Japan by enlisting the cooperation of the countries sharing those seas.

References

Articles and LME volumes Morgan, J., 1989. Large Marine Ecosystems in the Pacific Ocean. In K. Sherman, L.M. Alexander, and B.D. Gold, eds. Biomass Yields and Geography of Large Marine Ecosystems. AAAS Selected Symposium 111. Westview Press. Boulder CO. 377-394. ISBN: 0813378443 (Sea of Japan large marine ecosystem) * Terazaki, Makoto, 1989. "Recent Large-Scale Changes in the Biomass of the Kuroshio Current Ecosystem" in Kenneth Sherman and Lewis M. Alexander (eds.), Biomass Yields and Geography of Large Marine Ecosystems (Boulder: Westview) AAAS Selected Symposium 111, pp.37-65. ISBN: 0813378443 * Terazaki, Makoto, 1999. The Sea of Japan Large Marine Ecosystem. in Q. Tang and K. Sherman, eds. The Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) of the Pacific Rim. Blackwell Science. 199-220.

Other references

• Hamabe, M. and Shimizu, T., 1969. Ecological studies on the common squid, Todarodes Pacificus Steenstrup, mainly in the southwestern waters of the Japan Sea. Bull. Jap. Sea Reg. Fish. Res. Lab. 16:13-55.
• Hong G.H., Kim S.H., Lee S.H., Chung C.S., Tkalin A.V., Chaykovskaya E.L., Hamilton T.F., 1999. Artificial radionuclides in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) proper and Peter the Great Bay.Marine Pollution Bulletin, 38, 933-943.
• Imai, M. Ebara, S., Okimura, H., and Kadono, K., 1990. On the nutrients in the Tsushima Warm Current water (in Japanese). Umi to Sora 66:93-111.
• Japan Sea National Fisheries Research Institute, 1991. The Latest Trend of Fisheries Resources in the Japan Sea (in Japanese).
• Kachur A.N., Tkalin A.V., 2000. Sea of Japan. In: Seas at the Millenium: An Environmental Evaluation] (ed. By C.Sheppard). Elsevier Science, 467-480.
• Kano, Y. Baba, N., and Ebara, S., 1984. Chlorophyll-a and primary production in the Japan Sea. Oceanogr. Mag. 34:31-39.
• Kato, M., 1979. Age assigned to dredged siltstone samples and piston core samples. Cruise Rep. Geol. Surv. Japan 13:70-72.
• Marumo, R., Nemoto, T., Omori, M., Aizawa, Y., Terazaki, M., Araki, M., Kawaguchi, K., Komaki, Y, and Honda, T., 1972. Distribution Collected with Norpac Net, ORI Net and IKMT. in R. Marumo (ed.), Preliminary Report of the Hakuho Maru Cruise Kh-70-4 (IBP Cruise). Tokyo: Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, pp. 16-22.
• Masuzawa, T. and Kitano, Y., 1983. Sulfate reduction and sulfide deposition in deep-sea sediments from the southwestern Japan Sea. J. Oceanogr. Soc. Japan 39:251-258.
• Morioka, Y., 1981. Zooplankton production in the Toyama Bay in March-May, 1978. Bull. Jap. Sea Reg. Fish. Res. Lab. 32:57-64.
• Morioka, Y., 1985. Distribution of zooplankton in the Japan Sea. Bull. Jap. Soc. Fish. Oceanogr. 47/48:63-66.
• Nagata, H. and Kitani, K., 1987. Vertical distribution of chlorophyll-a along the PM line in the Japan Sea. Bull. Jap. Sea Reg. Fish. Res. Lab. 37:13-19.
• Nishimura, S., 1965. The zoogeographical aspect of the Japan Sea, Part II. Publs. Seto Mar. Biol. Lab. 13:81-101.
• Nishimura, S., 1968. The zoogeographical aspect of the Japan Sea, Part IV. Publs, Seto Mar. Biol. Lab. 15:329-352.
• Nishimura, S., 1969. The zoogeographical aspect of the Japan Sea, Part V. Publs. Seto Mar. Biol. Lab. 17:67-142.
• Nishimura, S., 1983. Okhotsk Sea, Japan Sea, East China Sea. In: Ecosystems of the World, Estuaries and closed seas, B.H. Ketchum, ed. 375-402.
• Oba, T. Kato, M., Kitazato, H., Koizumi, I., Omura, A., Sakai, T., and Takayama, T., 1991. Paleoenvironmental changes in the Japan Sea during the last 85,000 years. Paleoceanography 6:499-518.
• Terazaki, M., 1993. Deep sea adaptation of epipelagic chaetognatha Sagitta elegans in the Japan Sea. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 98:79-88.
• Tkalin A.V., 1995. Investigations of marine environment radioactivity in the dumping areas and coastal zone of the Sea of Japan. Arctic Research of the United States, 9, 88-89.

Disclaimer: This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of Earth may have edited its content or added new information. The use of information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should not be construed as support for or endorsement by that organization for any new information added by EoE personnel, or for any editing of the original content.

Citation

Administration, N. (2013). Sea of Japan large marine ecosystem. Retrieved from http://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Sea_of_Japan_large_marine_ecosystem

4 Comments

Taemin Kim wrote: 11-08-2012 05:26:17

I have same oppinion with people above. it is not a stubborn persisting but it is based on historical fact. many versions of antique maps have marked this sea as 'East sea' because it is east side of Eurasia. not because it is beside on Korea. for example french, indian even if old japanese.

Hyeong-Suk Lim wrote: 10-30-2012 07:45:06

Hi, my name is Hyeong-Suk and Thank you for your article. but i want to suggest some modification. you already know dispute that about this naming. so, i wish you comment to topic, some memo. for example "Sea of Japan(disputed naming) large marine ecosystem" etc.. Thanks for reading

Mark McGinley wrote: 10-29-2012 10:06:40

Thank you for your comment on this issue. I appreciate that there has been some controversy over the correct name for this sea. The article "Sea of Japan large marine ecosystem" was written by scinentists from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which is a part of the US Federal Government. The policy of the US government is that only one name should apply to each geographic feature. Because the US government applies the term "Sea of Japan" to this sea, that is the term that we must use on the EoE.

Minjoo Park wrote: 10-28-2012 07:08:09

Hi, I'm Minjoo from VANK. I'm from the republic of Korea(ROK). I was looking for some information regarding "THE EAST SEA", and I saw this article that reffered the EAST SEA as "SEA OF JAPAN". I want to tell this site that this name is incorrect. This matter is creating some controversies, and the right name of the sea is The East sea! It will be very considerable for you to correct the name into a right one! Thank you! Hope you take this comment into an accout :)