| Main goal of this study is to estimate climatic tendencies and dominated oscillations in the external forcing, water structure and circulation of the Japan/East Sea. Their relation to climate variation in the East Asia and Northwest Pacific is analyzed. We use oceanographic data for the Japan Sea from the POI Data Base, monthly mean data for the 20th century from the NOAA Global History Climatic Network, JMA Data Base and WMU/COADS World Atlas of Surface Marine Data. Wavelet analyses and methods of the linear trend estimation are applied. We have determined spatial patterns of statistically significant climatic trends and oscillations in water temperature, salinity, dynamic high in the Japan/East Sea, as well as in the surface air temperature, precipitation over land, and in the Northwest Pacific SST. The most significant warming duringthe 20th century and its second half in the marginal and continental area of themid-latitude band is found mainly for December - March. The semi-centennial/ centennial cooling occurs in some continental and marginal areas in June - September. Opposite tendencies are also revealed in precipitation and SST. Positive semi-centennial tendency in the SST for the second half of the 20th century predominates in the Kuroshio region and East China Sea including the area adjacent to the Korean/Tsushima Strait. Negative tendency in the SST dominates in the southwestern area of the Pacific subarctic gyre and in the Japan/East Sea. At the same time, intermediate and deep waters of the Japan/East Sea are accumulating heat both during the second half of the 20th century and especially during its last decade (in 90s). That is accompanying vertical stratification increase below seasonal picnocline and circulation change. The density stratification change is also controlled by variation of subtropical water inflow trough the Korean/Tsushima Strait, precipitation, and river runoff in the Japan Sea basin. Variation of semi-centennial, decadal and ENSO scale of the water structure and circulation is revealed. Interactive oceanic and atmospheric impact on the climate variation of different scales in the Japan Sea is discussed. |
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