Inversion Phenomena of Temperature in the Yellow Sea

Temperature inversions are investigated by using the oceanographic data obtained in the Yellow Sea from 1965 to 1979. The temperature inversions are found in every depth in almost all areas of the Yellow Sea. While in summer, they frequently occur below thermocline in the west region of the Jeju Island. Such phenomena in winter can be explained by surface cooling effects associated with a net heat loss at the surface and a southward advection of cold water, and those in summer result from the process of mixing between the Yellow Sea Warm Current and the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water.