Chemicohydrographic characteristics of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass

Based on the field data obtained during summer cruises in 2006, the overall perspective of chemical and hydrographic characteristics of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) are discussed through the cross-YSCWM transect profiles and horizontal distributions of hydrological and chemical variables, with emphasis on the differences between the northern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (NYSCWM) and the southern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (SYSCWM). The results show that YSCWM is characterized by low temperature (< 10A degrees C) and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, high salinity (> 32.0) and nutrient concentrations. Compared to the SYSCWM, the NYSCWM possesses lower values of temperature, salinity and nutrient concentrations but higher values of DO. Also its smaller variation ranges of variables (except for temperature) demonstrate that NYSCWM is more uniform than that of SYSCWM. In addition, thermocline is more intensive in the SYSCWM than that of NYSCWM. Furthermore, DO and Chl a maxima appear at the depth of 30 m in the SYSCWM, while these phenomena are not obvious in the NYSCWM.