Sea of Japan: Difference between revisions

| hiragana = {{linktext|に|ほ|ん|か|い}}

| nkhangul = {{linktext|조선|동|해동해}}

| nkhanja = {{linktext|朝鮮|東|海}}

| skhangul = {{linktext|동|해동해}}

| skhanja = {{linktext|東|海}}

| sklk = East Sea

The '''Sea of Japan''', or the '''East Sea''' {{crossref|(South[[#Names|see Korea's namebelow]] for theother seanames)}} is the [[marginal sea]] between the [[Japanese archipelago]], [[Sakhalin]], the [[Korean Peninsula]], and the mainland of the [[Russian Far East]]. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Like the [[Mediterranean Sea]], it has almost no [[tide]]s due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific Ocean.<ref name="tides">{{cite web|url=http://www.ssc.erc.msstate.edu/Tides2D/sea_of_japan.html |title=Tides in Marginal, Semi-Enclosed and Coastal Seas – Part I: Sea Surface Height |publisher=ERC-Stennis at Mississippi State University |access-date=2 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040318165044/http://www.ssc.erc.msstate.edu/Tides2D/sea_of_japan.html |archive-date=18 March 2004 }}</ref> This isolation also affects faunal diversity and [[salinity]], both of which are lower than in the open ocean. The sea has no large islands, bays or capes. Its water balance is mostly determined by the inflow and outflow through the straits connecting it to the neighboring seas and the Pacific Ocean. Few rivers discharge into the sea and their total contribution to the water exchange is within 1%.

The seawater has an elevated concentration of [[Oxygen saturation|dissolved oxygen]] that results in high biological productivity. Therefore, fishing is the dominant economic activity in the region. The intensity of shipments across the sea has been moderate owing to political issues, but it is steadily increasing as a result of the growth of [[East AsianAsia]]n economies.

The sea is called {{lang|ja-Latn|Nihon kai}} ({{lang|ja|日本海}}, literally 'Japan Sea') in Japan, {{lang|zh-Latn|Rìběn hǎi''}} ({{lang|zh|日本海}}, literally "'Japan Sea"') or originally ''{{lang|zh-Latn|Jīng hǎi''}} ({{lang|zh|鲸海}}, literally "'Whale Sea"') in China,<ref name=鲸海>2006. [http://www.360doc.com/content/16/1124/07/18841360_609063920.shtml “鲸海”这个名字如何改成了“日本海”] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828012235/http://www.360doc.com/content/16/1124/07/18841360_609063920.shtml |date=2017-08-28 }}. Retrieved on 7 March 2017</ref> ''{{lang|ru-Latn|Yaponskoye more''}} ({{lang|ru|Японское море}}, literally "'Japanese Sea"') in Russia, ''{{transliteration|ko|Chosŏn Tonghae''}} ({{lang|ko-KP|조선동해}}, literally "'Korean East Sea"') in [[North Korea]], and ''{{transliteration|ko|Donghae''}} ({{lang|ko-KR|동해}}, literally "'East Sea"') in [[South Korea]]. A naming dispute exists about the sea name, with South Korea promoting the English translation of its native name as the ''East Sea''.

The primary issue in the dispute revolves around a disagreement about when the name "Sea of Japan" became the international standard. Japan claims the term has been the international standard since at least the early 19th century,<ref name="Basic Position">{{cite web |url=http://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/GIJUTSUKOKUSAI/nihonkai/position_eng.htm |title=Japanese Basic Position on the Naming of the "Japan Sea" |publisher= [[Japan Coast Guard]] |date=1 March 2005 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524092704/http://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/GIJUTSUKOKUSAI/nihonkai/position_eng.htm |archive-date=24 May 2011}}</ref> while the Koreas claim that the term "Sea of Japan" arose later while [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea was under Japanese rule]], and before that occupation, other names such as "Sea of Korea" or "East Sea" were used in English.<ref name="legitimacy">{{cite web |title=Legitimacy for Restoring the Name East Sea |url=http://www.mofat.go.kr/english/political/images/res/east_sea.pdf |publisher=Republic of Korea [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs and(South TradeKorea)|access-date=28 September 2010}}</ref> The sea is referred to as the SeaRepublic of JapanKorea according to the Encyclopædia Britannica.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SeaMinistry of JapanForeign {{!}}Affairs sea,and PacificTrade]] Ocean|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sea-of-Japan|access-date=728 AprilSeptember 2021|website=Encyclopedia2010 Britannica|language=en}}</ref> In 2012, the [[International Hydrographic Organization]] (IHO), the intergovernmental organization that maintains a publication listing the limits of ocean and sea areas around the world, abandoned its most recent of several attempts in the last 25 years to revise its publication of the sea's name. This was primarily because of the lack of agreement between the Koreas and Japan over the naming issue.<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Kyodo News]], "|title=IHO nixes 'East Sea' name bid", ''|work=[[Japan Times]]'', |date=28 April 2012, p. |page=2; Rabiroff,}}</ref><ref>{{cite Jon,news and Yoo Kyong Chang",[|url=http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/korea/agency-rejects-south-korea-s-request-to-rename-sea-of-japan-1.175687 |title=Agency rejects South Korea's request to rename Sea of Japan]", ''|last1=Rabiroff |first1=Jon |author2=Yoo Kyong Chang |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920033907/http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/korea/agency-rejects-south-korea-s-request-to-rename-sea-of-japan-1.175687 |archive-date=2016-09-20 |work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'', 28|date=27 April 2012, p. |page=5. }}</ref> In September 2020, the IHO announced that it would adopt a new numerical system, also known as "S-130". In November 2020, S-23, the previous version of the nautical chart made in 1953 will be made public as an IHO publication to demonstrate the evolutionary process from the analogue to the digital era. The IHO approved the proposal of the new official nautical chart. The new chart will be marked with a numerical identifier without a name. <ref>{{Cite web |date=16 November 2020 |title=2nd Session of the IHO Assembly (Report of Proceeding) |url=https://iho.int/en/periodic-publications|url-status=live |access-date=9 December 2021 |websitepublisher=international[[International hydrographicHydrographic Organization]] organization}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 November 2020 |title=2 nd2nd Session of the IHO Assembly (November 2020) Report of Proceedings Volume 1 |url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/periodical/P6A2_2020_Vol1_ENG.pdf|url-status=live |access-date=9 December 2021 |websitepublisher=The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] }}</ref>

For centuries, the sea had protected Japan from land invasions, particularly by the Mongols. It had long been navigated by Asian and, from the 18th century, by European ships. Russian expeditions of 1733–1743 mapped Sakhalin and the Japanese islands. In the 1780s, the Frenchman [[Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse]], traveled northward across the sea through the [[La Pérouse Strait|the strait]] later named after him]]. In 1796, a British naval officer, [[William Robert Broughton]], explored the Strait of Tartary, the eastern coast of the [[Russian Far East]] and the [[Korean Peninsula]].

In 1803–1806, the Russian navigator [[Adam Johann von Krusenstern]] while sailing across the globe in the ship ''Nadezhda'' also explored, in passing, the Sea of [[Japan]] and the eastern shores of Japanese [[islands]]. In 1849, another Russian explorer [[Gennady Nevelskoy]] discovered the strait between the continent and Sakhalin and mapped the northern part of the Strait of Tartary. Russian expeditions were made in 1853–1854 and 1886–1889 to measure the surface temperatures and record the tides. They also documented the cyclonal character of the sea currents.

[[File:Sea of Japan descr.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Relief of the Sea of Japan and nearby areas.]]

[[File:Sea of Japan Early Miocene map.svg|thumb|Map showing [[Japanese archipelago]], Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental East Asia in [[Early Miocene]] (23–18 Ma).]]

[[File:Sea of Japan Pliocene map.svg|thumb|Map showing Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental East Asia in [[Middle Pliocene]] to [[Late Pliocene]] (3.5–2 Ma).]]

The Sea of Japan was landlocked when the [[land bridge]] of [[East Asia]] existed.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W_Hdu9QrD9YC&pg=PA16|title=Pre-Industrial Korea and Japan in Environmental Perspective|first=Conrad D.|last=Totman|year=2004|publisher=BRILL |access-date=2 February 2007|isbn=978-9004136267}}</ref> The Japan Arc started to form in the [[Early Miocene]].<ref name="Kameda 2011"/> In the Early Miocene the Japan Sea started to open, and the northern and southern parts of the [[Japanese archipelago]] separated from each other.<ref name="Kameda 2011"/> During the Miocene, the Sea of Japan expanded.<ref name="Kameda 2011"/>

The north part of the Japanese archipelago was further fragmented later until [[orogenesis]] of the north-eastern Japanese archipelago began in the later [[Late Miocene]].<ref name="Kameda 2011"/> The south part of the Japanese archipelago remained as a relatively large landmass.<ref name="Kameda 2011"/> The land area had expanded northward in the Late Miocene.<ref name="Kameda 2011"/> The orogenesis of high mountain ranges in north-eastern Japan started in Late Miocene and lasted in [[Pliocene]] also.<ref name="Kameda 2011"/> The [[Eastern margin of the Sea of Japan|eastern margin]] of the sea may host an incipient [[subduction]] zone responsible for large earthquakes in [[1940 Shakotan earthquake|1940]], [[1964 Niigata earthquake|1964]], [[1983 Sea of Japan earthquake|1983]] and [[1993 Okushiri earthquake|1993]].<ref name="Tamaki85">{{cite journal |last1=Tamaki |first1=Kensaku |last2=Honza |first2=Eiichi |title=Incipient subduction and deduction along the eastern margin of the Japan Sea |journal=[[Tectonophysics (journal)|Tectonophysics]] |date=20 October 1985 |volume=119 |issue=1–4 |pages=381–406 |doi=10.1016/0040-1951(85)90047-2 |bibcode=1985Tectp.119..381T |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0040195185900472 |access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref>

Nowadays the Sea of Japan is bounded by the Russian mainland and [[Sakhalin]] island to the north, the [[Korean Peninsula]] to the west, and the [[Japan]]eseJapanese islands of [[Hokkaidō]], [[Honshū]] and [[Kyūshū]] to the east and south. It is connected to other seas by five [[strait]]s: the [[Strait of Tartary]] between the [[Asia]]n mainland and Sakhalin; [[La Pérouse Strait]] between the Sakhalin and Hokkaidō; the [[Tsugaru Strait]] between Hokkaidō and Honshū; the [[Kanmon Straits]] between Honshū and Kyūshū; and the [[Korea Strait]] between the [[Korean Peninsula]] and Kyūshū.

The [[Korea Strait]] is composed of the Western Channel and the [[Tsushima Strait]], on either side of [[Tsushima Island]]. The straits were formed in recent geologic periods. The oldest of them are the Tsugaru and Tsushima straits. Their formation had interrupted the migration of elephants into the Japanese islands at the end of the [[Neogene]] Period (about 2.6&nbsp;million years ago). The most recent is La Perouse Strait, which formed about 60,000 to 11,000 years ago closing the path used by mammoths which had earlier moved to northern Hokkaidō.<ref name=brit/> All the straits are rather shallow, with a minimal depth of the order of 100 meters or less. This hinders water exchange, thereby isolating the water and aquatic life of the Sea of Japan from the neighboring seas and oceans.<ref name=rev/>

There are no large islands in the sea. Most of the smaller ones are near the eastern coast, except for [[Ulleungdo]] (South Korea). The most significant islands are [[Moneron Island|Moneron]], [[Rebun Island|Rebun]], [[Rishiri Island|Rishiri]], [[Okushiri Island|Okushiri]], [[Ōshima, Hokkaidō|Ōshima]], [[Sado, Niigata|Sado]], [[Okinoshima, Munakata|Okinoshima]], [[Ulleungdo]], Askold, [[Russky Island|Russky]] and Putyatin. The shorelines are relatively straight and are lackinglack large bays orand capes; the coastal shapes are simplest forin Sakhalin and are more winding in the Japanese [[islands]].

File:Бухта Сибирякова.jpg|A bay at [[Sibiryakov Island (Primorsky Krai)|Sibiryakov Island]], {{cvt|50|km|mi}} south from Vladivostok.

File:Закат на Воеводского.jpg|Sunset on {{ill|Little Verkhovsky Islands|ru|Острова Верховского}} near Vladivostok.

The sea climate is characterized byhas warm waters and monsoons. This combination results in strong evaporation, which is especially noticeable between October and March when the strong ({{cvt|12|-|15|m/s|disp=sqbr}} or higher) north-western monsoon wind brings cold and dry continental air. The evaporation is blown further south, causing snowfall in the mountainous western coasts of Japan. This winter monsoon brings typhoons and storms, with the waves reaching {{cvt|8|-|10|m|ft}} which erode the western coasts of Japan. [[Tsunami]] waves werehave also been recorded in the sea. In addition, the monsoon enhances the surface water convection, down to the depths of {{cvt|30|m|ft}}.

The coldest months are January and February, with thean average air temperature of {{convert|-20|C|F}} in the north and {{convert|5|C|F}} in the south. The northern one-quarter of the sea, particularly the Siberian coast and the Strait of Tartary, freezes for about 4−5 months.<ref name=brit/> The timing and extent of freezing vary from year to year, so ice may start forming in the bays as early as in October and its remains may be seen even in June. Ice cover is continuous only in the bays and forms floating patches in the open sea. Ice melting in spring results in cold currents in the northern areas.<ref name=rev/>

In summer the wind weakens to {{cvt|2|-|7|m/s}} and reverses its direction, blowing warm and humid air from the North Pacific onto the Asian mainland. The warmest month is August, with thean average air temperature of {{convert|15|C|F}} in the north and {{convert|25|C|F}} in the south.<ref name=rev/> Annual precipitation increases from {{cvt|310|-|500|mm|in}} in the north-west to {{cvt|1500|-|2000|mm|in}} in the south-east.<ref name=bse/>

AsBecause athe resultsea of theis enclosed nature of the sea, its waters form clearly separated layers which may show seasonal and spatial dependence. In winter, the temperature is almost constant with the depth in the northern part of the sea. However, in central-southern parts, it may be {{convert|8|-|10|C|F}} down to {{cvt|100|-|150|m|ft}}, {{convert|2|-|4|C|F}} at {{cvt|200|-|250|m|ft}}, {{convert|1.0|-|1.5|C|F}} at {{cvt|400|-|500|m|ft}} and then remain at about {{convert|0|C|F}} until the bottom. Heating by the sun and tropical monsoons increases the depth gradient in spring–summer.

In the north the surface layer (down to {{cvt|15|m|ft|disp=or}}) may heat up to {{convert|18|-|20|C|F}}. The temperature would sharply drop sharply to {{convert|4|C|F}} at {{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}}, then slowly decrease to {{convert|1|C|F}} at {{convert|250|m|ft|abbr=on}} and remain so down to the seabed. On the contrary, the temperature in the south could gradually decrease to {{convert|6|C|F}} at {{convert|200|m|ft|abbr=on}}, then to {{convert|2|C|F}} at {{convert|260|m|abbr=on}} and to {{convert|0.04|-|0.14|C|F}} at {{convert|1000|-|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}}, but then it would rise to about {{convert|0.3|C|F}} near the bottom. This cold layer at about {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} is formed by sinking of cold water in the northern part of the sea in winter and is brought south by the sea currents; it is rather stable and is observed all through the year.<ref name=brit/><ref name=rev/>

The hydrological isolation of the Sea of [[Japan]] also results in slightly lower average water salinity (34.09‰, where ‰ means parts per thousand) compared with the Pacific Ocean. In winter, the highest salinity at 34.5‰ is observed in the south where evaporation dominates over precipitation. It is the lowest at 33.8‰ in the south-east and south-west because of frequent rains, and remains at about 34.09‰ in most other parts.

Few rivers flow into the Sea of [[Japan]] from mainland [[Asia]], the largest being [[Tumen River|Tumen]],<ref name=bse/> Rudnaya, Samarga, [[Partizanskaya River|Partizanskaya]] and Tumnin; all of them have a mountainous character. In contrast, numerous large rivers flow from Honshū and Hokkaidō into the sea, including Japan's four largest rivers in: the [[Shinano River|Shinano]], [[Ishikari River|Ishikari]], [[Agano River|Agano]] and [[Mogami River|Mogami]]. The total annual river discharge into the sea is {{cvt|210|km3}} and is relatively constant through the year, except for a minor increase in July.<ref name=rev/> Most water (97% or {{cvt|52200|km3|disp=sqbr}}) flows into the sea through the Korea Strait and discharges through the Tsugaru (64% or {{cvt|34610|km3|disp=sqbr}}, La Pérouse {{cvt|10380|km3|disp=sqbr}}) and Korea straits. Rainfall, evaporation and riverine inflow make only 1% of the water balance. Between October and April, the outflow exceeds the inflow due to the lower income through the Korea Strait; this balance reverses between May and September.<ref name=rev/><ref name=bse/>

The sea has complex [[tide]]s, which are induced by the tidal wave of the Pacific Ocean penetrating through the [[Korea Strait]] and Tsugaru strait. The tides are semi-diurnal (rise twice a day) in the Korea Strait and in the northern part of the Strait of Tartary. They are diurnal at the eastern shore of Korea, [[Russian Far East]] and the Japanese islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō. Mixed tides occur in [[Peter the Great Gulf]] and Korea strait. The tidal waves have a speed of {{cvt|10|-|25|cm/s|0}} in the open sea. They accelerate in the Korea Strait ({{cvt|40|-|60|cm/s|disp=or}}), La Pérouse Strait ({{cvt|50|-|100|cm/s|disp=or|-1}}) and especially in the Tsugaru Strait ({{cvt|100|-|200|cm/s|disp=or|-1}}).

The amplitude of the tides is relatively low and strongly varies strongly across the sea. It reaches 3 meters in the south near the [[Korea]] Strait, but quickly drops northwards to {{cvt|1.5|m|ft|0}} at the southern tip of Korean Peninsula and to {{cvt|0.5|m|ft}} meters at the North Korean shores. Similar low tides are observed in Hokkaidō, Honshū and south Sakhalin. The amplitude however increases to {{cvt|2.3|-|2.8|m|ft}} toward the north of the Strait of Tartary due to its funnel-like shape. Apart from tides, the water level also experiencesdisplays seasonal, monsoon-related variations across the entire sea with the highest levels observed in summer and lowest in winter. Wind may also locally change the water level by {{cvt|20|-|25|cm|in|0}}; for example, it is higher in summer at the Korean and lower at the Japanese coasts.<ref name=rev/>

The sea waters have blue to green-blue color and a transparency of about {{cvt|10|m|ft}}. They are rich in [[dissolved oxygen]], especially in the western and northern parts, which are colder and have more [[phytoplankton]] than the eastern and southern areas. The oxygen concentration is 95% of the saturation point near the surface,; it decreases with the depth to about 70% at {{cvt|3000|m|ft}}.<ref name=rev/><ref name=bse/>

Fishery had long been the main economic activity on the Sea of Japan. It is mainly carried out on and near the continental shelves and focuses on herring, sardines and bluefin tuna. These species are however depleted from after [[World War II]]. Squid is mostly caught near the sea center and salmon near the northern and south-western shores.<ref name=brit/> There is also a well-developed seaweed production.<ref name=rev/>

The major [[Russia]]n port of Vladivostok mainly serves inland cargos, whereas [[Nakhodka]] and [[Vostochny Port|Vostochny]] are more international and have a busy exchange with [[Japan]] and [[South Korea]]. Other prominent Russian ports are [[Sovetskaya Gavan]], [[Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky (town)|Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky]] and [[Kholmsk]], and the major ports of North Korea are [[Wonsan]], [[Hamhung]] and [[Chongjin]].<ref name=bse/> The intensity of shipments across the Sea of Japan is steadily increasing as a result of the growth of East Asian economies.<ref name=brit/>

* [https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/index.html "The Issue of Name "'Sea of Japan{{'""}}], [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)|MOFA, Japan]], 7 February 2017.　

** MOFA, Japan (10 August 2021), [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLEyi8b_yxk "Sea of Japan -– The one and only name recognized by the international community" (Digest version)], ''YouTube''.

[[Category:MioceneBodies Asiaof water of Khabarovsk Krai]]