Sea of Japan, map. Sea of Japan (coasts in Russia) Which ocean does the Sea of Japan belong to?
The northern and western parts of the Sea of Japan/East Sea are much colder than the eastern and southern parts. The temperature difference ranges from −20 °C to +27 °C.
Therefore, in autumn there are typhoons and hurricanes in these latitudes. Of course, the flora and fauna of these areas are very different. Moreover, some animals migrate from north to south at unfavorable times of the year.
The Sea of Japan/East Sea is recognized as the richest sea in our country in terms of the number of animal and plant species. There are 225 species of algae alone.
The most famous is, of course, kelp. It is so actively used in cooking and the cosmetics industry that it is collected not only in the natural environment, but also grown on plantations.
Kamchatka crab is also well known to Russians. Its distribution area stretches from the Bering Sea to the Korean Sea and the American coast, at a depth of up to three hundred meters. The crab grows to enormous sizes, with a claw span of up to one and a half meters. The main fishery is located off the coast of Kamchatka, where its population is especially numerous.
There are quite a few species of shellfish in the Sea of Japan/East Sea. They are natural water filters, live about a hundred years and grow up to twenty centimeters in length. And giant ones - up to seventy. Their colonies live at depths of up to seven meters and easily survive the winter under the ice.
Mussels contain many useful substances and are very nutritious. Therefore, they are the subject of fishing and food not only for humans, but also for many species of starfish and fish. Since they lead a sedentary lifestyle, their fertility saves them from complete extinction; at the end of summer they release more than a million eggs each. However, mollusks have the unpleasant feature of accumulating substances that they pass through with water. In environmentally unfavorable areas, their use can be hazardous to health.
Steller sea lion is a mammal of the Sea of Japan/East Sea. Whaling, due to its past intensity, is prohibited in the Sea of Japan/East Sea. Therefore, the mammal population gradually began to recover and is currently home to about thirty species of seals, dolphins and whales. All species of minke whales and many varieties of odontocetes are common in the Sea of Japan. For example, beluga whale and killer whale.
Six species of seals live in this region. The most famous is the northern fur seal.
Almost two hundred species of fish out of nine hundred existing are caught in Primorye. These are mackerel, flounder and many other species known to the general consumer.
There are twelve sharks in the Sea of Japan/East Sea that are not dangerous to humans. Rather, on the contrary, the Japanese love for shark fin soup has greatly reduced the number of katran fish. Rhopilema jellyfish is also considered an expensive and sophisticated delicacy. In addition to its culinary value, in China it is used to prepare medicines. For example, for the treatment of tracheitis.
The nature of our planet is beautiful and amazing. You can admire its beauty endlessly.
One of the most attractive, unknown, unpredictable elements for humans at all times has been water. Among the diversity of rivers, seas and oceans, an interesting object for study is the Sea of Japan, whose resources belong to several countries and play a large role in their development.
Description
This sea belongs to the Pacific Ocean basin. Along with the Bering and Okhotsk, it is considered one of the largest and deepest seas in Russia. It is of great importance in transport and cargo transportation and is a source of mineral resources. The Sea of Japan is also characterized by a high level of production of commercial fish species.
Its area stretches over an area of approximately 1,100 square kilometers, and its volume is 1,700 cubic kilometers. The average depth of the Sea of Japan is 1550 meters, while the greatest depth is more than 3500 meters.
The sea is connected to other seas and the ocean by straits. Nevelsky connects it with the Sea of Okhotsk, Korean with East China. Shimonoseki divides the Sea of Japan and the Inland Sea of Japan, and is also connected to the Pacific Ocean through the Sangar Strait.
Location
The Sea of Japan lies between the Asian mainland and the Korean Peninsula. It washes the land of several countries: Russia, Japan, North Korea, and the Republic of Korea.
A characteristic of the Sea of Japan is also the presence of small islands such as Popov, Okushiri, Russky, Oshima, Putyatin, Sado and others. The cluster of islands is mainly concentrated in the eastern part.
The waters form bays, such as Sovetskaya Gavan, Ishikari, and Peter the Great. And also capes, the most famous of which are Cape Lazarev, Korsakov, Soya.
The Sea of Japan has many shipping ports. Some of the most significant are Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Tsuruga, Chongjin and others. They organize the transportation of goods not only across the Sea of Japan, but also beyond its borders.
Climate
The weather characteristics of the Sea of Japan are temperate and subtropical climate, stable winds.
Its geographical location and large extent divided it into two climatic parts: the northwestern and southeastern zone.
The water temperature in different parts depends on the circulation of streams, heat exchange with the atmosphere, the time of year, and also on the depth of the Sea of Japan. In the northern and western parts, the water and air temperatures are much lower due to the influence of the cold Sea of Okhotsk. Water and air masses coming from the Pacific Ocean play an important role in the eastern and southern zones, so temperatures are much higher.
In winter, the sea is prone to hurricanes and storms, which can last for several days. The autumn period is characterized by strong winds that form high, powerful waves. In the summer, stable warm weather prevails in both climatic zones.
Water characteristics
During the winter season, the water temperature in different areas varies greatly. The northern part is characterized by an icy surface surface, while in the southern part the approximate temperature is 15 degrees.
In summer, the northern waters of the Sea of Japan warm up to 20 degrees, the southern ones - up to 27.
The water balance consists of two important components: the amount of precipitation, evaporation of water from the surface, and water exchange, which is carried out through straits.
Salinity consists of the resources of the Sea of Japan, water exchange with other seas, the Pacific Ocean, the amount of precipitation, ice melting, time of year, and some other factors. The average salinity is about 35 ppm.
The transparency of water depends on its temperature. In winter it is higher than in the warm period of the year, so in the northern part the density is always higher than in the southern part. According to this principle, the oxygen saturation of water is distributed.
Development of transport routes
The role of the Sea of Japan in organizing cargo transportation is very great both for Russia and for other countries.
Maritime transport and cargo transportation is highly developed, which is of great importance for Russia. The Trans-Siberian Railway ends in the city of Vladivostok. Here the unloading of railway and loading of sea transport is carried out. Subsequently, passengers and cargo are sent along sea routes to other ports in different countries.
Fishing
The fishery resources of the Sea of Japan are highly productive and diverse, including a large number of fish species. Its waters accommodate more than 3,000 inhabitants. Their population depends on climate conditions in different areas.
In the warm southeastern part, fishing for mackerel, saury, sardines, mackerel, anchovies, flounder, and some other types of fish is common. You can also find a large number of octopuses here. Squid and crabs live in the central regions. In the northwest, salmon, pollock, cod, and herring are caught. The sea also abounds in sea cucumbers, mussels, and oysters.
Recently, production has been actively developing, where crayfish and sea urchins are bred, as well as algae, seaweed, kelp, mollusks, and scallops. These aquacultures are also resources of the Sea of Japan.
In addition to commercial species, the Sea of Japan is rich in other inhabitants. Here you can find seahorses, dolphins, whales, seals, sperm whales, beluga whales, small species of sharks and other types of marine life.
Ecology
Like the resources of the Sea of Japan, environmental problems require separate study. The impact of population life on the environment differs in different areas.
The main source of pollution is the discharge of industrial and domestic wastewater. The greatest negative impact comes from the release of radioactive substances, petroleum products, chemical and coal industries, and metalworking. Waste from various industries flows into the waters of the Sea of Japan.
Oil production and transportation poses great environmental risks. If there is a leak, the oil stain is quite difficult to remove. It causes enormous damage to the ecology of the sea and its inhabitants.
Transport waste from numerous ports and sewage from cities that flow into the sea also cause considerable harm.
Studies of the water of the Sea of Japan show quite high pollution. The composition contains many chemical elements discharged by industries, as well as heavy metals, phenol, zinc, copper, lead, mercury, ammonium nitrogen compounds and other substances. All this contributes to enormous environmental pollution.
The leaders of the countries with which the sea borders are taking targeted operational and preventive actions in order to preserve the unique nature, purity and its inhabitants. It is necessary to control, suppress, and severely punish cases of releases of chemical and oil waste into waters. Enterprises and sewage systems must be equipped with purification filters.
These control measures will be able to prevent environmental pollution, protect numerous inhabitants from death, and also preserve human health.
The Sea of Japan is one of the most valuable resources that must not only be actively used, but also protected from the negative consequences of human activity.
The information provided will help to assess the resources of the Sea of Japan, study its characteristics, recognize its inhabitants, and clarify environmental aspects.
The study of this sea has been going on for a long time. Nevertheless, many questions and problems remain that require research and targeted measures.
It is located between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin Island. Its shores belong to countries such as Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia.
The reservoir is significantly isolated from Pacific waters. This isolation affects both the fauna and the salinity of the water. The latter is below the oceanic one. The water balance is regulated by inflows and outflows through the straits connecting the sea with neighboring seas and the ocean. The discharge of fresh water makes an insignificant contribution to water exchange and amounts to no more than 1%.
Geography
The area of the reservoir is 979 thousand square meters. km. The maximum depth is 3742 meters. The average depth corresponds to 1752 meters. The volume of water is 1630 thousand cubic meters. km. The length of the coastline is 7600 km. Of these, 3240 km belong to Russia. From north to south, the length of the sea is 2255 km. The maximum width corresponds to 1070 km.
Islands
There are no large islands. Most of the small islands are located off the east coast. The most significant islands include: Moneron (area 30 sq. km), Okushiri (142 sq. km), Oshima (9.73 sq. km), Sado (855 sq. km), Ulleungdo (73.15 sq. km) , Russian (97.6 sq. km).
Bays
The coastline is relatively straight. One of the largest is Peter the Great Bay with a total area of about 9 thousand square meters. km. The length from north to south is 80 km, from west to east it is 200 km. The length of the coastline is 1230 km. The cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka are located in the bay. In North Korea there is East Korea Bay, and on the island of Hokkaido there is Ishikari Bay. In addition, there are many small bays.
Straits
The Sea of Japan is connected to the East China Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean by straits. This is the Strait of Tartary between Asia and Sakhalin Island with a length of 900 km. The La Perouse Strait between Sakhalin Island and Hokkaido Island with a length of 40 km. Sangar Strait between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. Its length is 96 km.
The Shimonoseki Strait separates the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. There are railway, road and pedestrian tunnels underneath it. The Korea Strait, with a length of 324 km, connects the body of water we are considering with the East China Sea. It divides the Tsushima Islands into 2 parts: the Western Passage and the Eastern Passage (Tsushima Strait). Through this strait, the warm Pacific Kuroshio Current enters the reservoir.
Sea of Japan on the map
Climate
The maritime climate is characterized by warm water and monsoons. The northern and western regions are colder than the southern and eastern ones. In the winter months, the average air temperature in the north is minus 20 degrees Celsius, and in the south it is plus 5 degrees Celsius. In summer, humid and warm air blows from the northern regions of the Pacific Ocean. August is considered the warmest month. At this time, the average temperature in the north is 15 degrees Celsius, and in the south it is 25 degrees Celsius.
Annual precipitation is minimal in the northwest and maximum in the southeast. Typhoons are typical for autumn. The wave height during this period reaches 8-12 meters. In winter, the Tatar Strait (90% of all ice) and Peter the Great Bay are covered with ice. The ice crust stays on the water for about 4 months.
Ebbs and flows
The reservoir is characterized by complex tides. They have a semi-diurnal cycle in the Korea Strait and in the north of the Tartary Strait. On the east coast of Korea, the Far East coast of Russia, and on the coast of the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, they are daytime. Mixed tides are typical for Peter the Great Bay.
The amplitude of the tides is relatively low. It varies from 0.5 to 3 meters. In the Tatar Strait, the amplitude ranges from 2.3 to 2.8 meters due to its funnel-shaped shape. The water level also experiences seasonal fluctuations. The highest is observed in summer, and the lowest in winter. The level is also affected by wind. He is able to change it by 20-25 cm in relation to the Korean coast to the Japanese coast.
Water clarity
Sea water has a color from blue to green-blue. Transparency is about 10 meters. The water of the Sea of Japan is rich in dissolved oxygen. This is especially true for the western and northern regions. They are colder and contain more phytoplankton compared to the eastern and southern regions. The oxygen concentration is 95% near the surface and decreases to 70% at a depth of 3 thousand meters.
Fishing on the Sea of Japan
Fishing
Fishing is considered the main economic activity. It is carried out near the continental shelf, and priority is given to fish such as herring, tuna, and sardines. Squid are caught mainly in the central sea areas, and salmon off the southwestern and northern coasts. Along with fishing, algae production is well developed. The Russian whaling fleet is based in Vladivostok, although it fishes in the northern seas.
The Sea of Japan is, by its nature, internal, semi-enclosed. The Sea of Japan is connected in the south through the Korea Strait with the East China and Yellow Seas, in the east through the Tsugaru (Sangara) Strait with the Pacific Ocean, in the north and northeast through the La Perouse and Nevelsk Straits with the Sea of Okhotsk. The length of the Sea of Japan from north to south is 2,255 km, from west to east about 1,070 km. The area of the water surface is 1062 thousand km².
The Sea of Japan enters the Pacific Ocean, located between the Eurasian mainland and its Korean Peninsula in the west, the Japanese Islands and the island. Sakhalin in the east and southeast. It washes the shores of Russia, North Korea, South Korea and Japan. The length of the coastline is 7600 km
The boundaries of the sea pass through the following points:
- 1. Cape Lazarev 46°42"57"N 143°12"41"E
- 2. Turning cape 42°40"23"N 133°2"26"E
- 3. Cape Gromov 74°18"23"N 111°12"32"E
- 4. Cape Pogibi 52°13"26"N 141°38"41"E
- 5. Cape Korsakov 50°1"12"N 142°8"23"E
- 6. Cape Belkin 45°49"13"N 137°41"27"E
There are no large wrecks in the waters of the Sea of Japan. Among the small islands, the most famous are: Monerom, Rebun, Oshima, Sado, Askold, Russky, Putyatin. All these islands are located near the coast. The predominant part of the islands is located in the east of the sea.
The largest bays are: Peter the Great, East Korean, Ishikari (Hokkaido Island), Toyama and Wakasa (Honshu Island).
Characteristics of the bottom topography (maximum depth, average depth, soil, main banks, basins, depressions).
The greatest depth is 3742 m (41°20? N, 137°42? E).
Average depth 1536m.
The bottom topography of the Sea of Japan is divided into: shelf, continental slope, deep-sea basins and underwater hills. The deep-sea basin is divided by the underwater heights of Yamato, Kita-Oki and Oki into 3 depressions - Central (maximum depth 3699m), Honshu (3063m) and Tsushima (2300m).
The soil is predominantly rocky-sandy;
Primorsky Current:
The Primorsky Current begins in the Tatar Strait and is directed from north to south along the eastern coast of the Primorsky Territory. The waters of the current are cold, dense, heavy, in the Tatar Strait they are highly desalinated by the waters of the Amur River. At Cape Povorotny the current branches, the stronger part goes into the open sea, and the other branch, merging with the North Korean Current, heads towards the shores of Korea. The speed of the Primorsky Current is about 1 km/h, in some places 2-2.5 km/h. The width of the current is approximately 100 km, the thickness of the layer it transports is 50 m.
The Tsushima Current enters the Sea of Japan through a rather narrow one (47 km). Tsushima Strait, which causes a relatively low current speed - about 0.5-1 km/h. Further, the current passes from south to north in the eastern part of the Sea of Japan. It is the Tsushima Current that determines the noticeable temperature difference in the eastern part of the Sea of Japan (Japanese coast) compared to its colder western part (Russian Federation), where the cold waters of the Sea of Okhotsk penetrate through the Strait of Tartary. The temperature difference reaches 5--6 °C in winter, and 1--3 °C in summer. Therefore, the Japanese coast has a subtropical climate, and the Russian coast has a temperate climate.
The Primorye and Tsushima currents create the main circulation of the waters of the Sea of Japan, directed counterclockwise.
The surface water temperature in winter varies from -1.3--0 °C in the north and northwest to 11--12 °C in the south and southeast. In summer, temperatures vary from 17 °C in the north to 26 °C in the south. At the same time, the eastern part of the sea is 2--3 °C warmer than the western part. Salinity in the east is 34.1--34.8‰, in the west 33.7--33.9, in the north in some areas it decreases to 27.5‰.
According to ice conditions, the Sea of Japan can be divided into three areas: the Strait of Tartary, the area along the coast of Primorye from Cape Povorotny to Cape Belkin, and Peter the Great Bay. In winter, ice is constantly observed only in the Tatar Strait and Peter the Great Bay; in the rest of the water area, with the exception of closed bays and bays in the northwestern part of the sea, it does not always form. According to long-term data, the duration of the period with ice in the Peter the Great Gulf is 120 days, and in the Tatar Strait - from 40-80 days in the southern part of the strait, to 140-170 days in its northern part.
In the Sea of Japan, the ice cover reaches its maximum development in mid-February. On average, ice covers 52% of the area of the Tatar Strait and 56% of the Peter the Great Gulf.
Ice melting begins in the first half of March. In mid-March, the open waters of Peter the Great Bay and the entire coastal coast up to Cape Zolotoy are cleared of ice. The ice boundary in the Tatar Strait retreats to the northwest, and in the eastern part of the strait clearing of ice occurs at this time. Early clearing of ice from the sea occurs in the second ten days of April, later - at the end of May - beginning of June.
Main ports and their brief characteristics.
Main ports: Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Vostochny, Sovetskaya Gavan Vanino, Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Kholmsk, Niigata, Tsuruga, Maizuru, Wonsan, Hungnam, Chongjin, Busan.
The Sea of Japan is home to the usual range of commercial fish for the Far Eastern seas - flounder, cod, mackerel, smelt, herring, saury, cod, pollock, etc. Crustaceans - shrimp and crabs - are also fished.
