Interannual variations of sea water parameters and chlorophyll a concentration in the Japan Sea in autumn

Studied are the interannual variations of physical (temperature, salinity, and relative density) and chemical (dissolved oxygen and biogenic elements) parameters of sea water and chlorophyll a concentration in the Japan Sea in autumn. It is demonstrated that the increase in the water flow from the East China Sea through the Korea (Tsushima) Strait leads to the temperature rise and decrease in salinity and dissolved oxygen content in the surface water layer of the Japan Sea. It is revealed that in the central part of the Japan Sea from 1978 to 2012 trends were observed towards the increase in the content of dissolved inorganic nitrogen N, decrease in the content of inorganic phosphorus, and decrease in the concentration of chlorophyll a at the level of 50 m and its increase in the layer of 0–30 m. The observed trends are explained by the intensification of the effect of coastal water of the East China Sea subjected to the significant anthropogenic load on the water of the central part of the Japan Sea.