겨울에 홋카이도 바다는 왜 얼까?

ge_08893.kml

Google Earth용 KMZ화일 입니다.
누르시면 아래 사진의 결빙된 지역이 나타납니다.
로딩을 천천히 기다리면 2005년 1월부터 6월까지 변화를 알아볼 수 있게 나옵니다.

저기 도깨비 뿔처럼 튀어나온 부분이 Shiretoko Peninsula  입니다.
북위 44도로 미국의 오레곤 정도 밖에 안되는데, 겨울에 저렇게 매콤한 맛을 볼 수 있다니...
왜 왜 왜?? 북위 44도에서 저런 매콤한 맛을 볼 수 있는 것일까?

바로
1. 쿠릴열도가 북태평양의 겨울철의 상대적으로 뜨듯한 기운을 막아주고
2. 일본 열도가 남쪽에서 오는 따뜻한 해류를 홋카이도 쪽으로 못오게 하기 때문에
그렇다고 NASA홈페이지에 나와 있더라구요.

이렇게 막혀 있는 오호츠크해에, 캄차카의 아무르강이 민물을 뿜어대니, 겨울철 오호츠크해의 표면 50m가 아무르강에서 내보낸 민물이랍니다.
바닷물엔 그렇게 민물을 많이 뿜어대고, 시베리아에선 칼바람 같은 차가운 바람이 불어대니, 금새 얼음으로 얼어버린다네요.


예전에 썼던
http://geowiki.tistory.com/entry/오호츠크해의-유빙의-역할
오호츠크해 유빙의 역할도 함께 보시면 도움이 될 듯 합니다.

참고로 이 곳은 2005년 유엔이 지정하는 World Heritage Site 가 되었답니다.

마지막 지도는 참고 지도 입니다. 위에서 말하는 지역이, 아래 사진에서 뾰족 튀어나온 부분이라고요~

This wintry scene of a frozen ocean and snow-covered land may not seem remarkable until you note that the Shiretoko Peninsula is at the same latitude (44 degrees North) as central Oregon on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. cities of Portland and Seattle are both farther north, and neither experience the harsh winter illustrated in this image. The Shiretoko Peninsula of northern Japan became a United Nations World Heritage Site in 2005 because it is the southernmost point at which sea ice routinely forms in the Northern Hemisphere. The seasonal ice supports a rich and unique ecosystem.

The Sea of Okhotsk owes its seasonal swings to its geography. The Russian-administered Kurile Islands shelter the sea from the currents of the open Pacific Ocean to the east, while the islands of Japan block warm currents from the south. This limits the circulation of warm water through the sea. At the same time, the Amur River pours fresh water into the Sea of Okhotsk. The fresh water remains trapped in the top 50 meters (165 feet) of the sea by a layer of dense, cold, salty water. Winter brings frigid temperatures from Siberia, and the relatively fresh water near the sea’s surface freezes quickly.

On the other side of the pendulum is the ice-free and snow-free landscape of summer, shown in the lower image. Warm summer currents and a warm summer sun melt the ice, revealing open water and a green, forest-covered landscape. From the coast to the tree line, 90 percent of the Shiretoko Peninsula is covered with pristine vegetation ranging from a cool, broadleaf forest near the coast to an alpine coniferous forest in the mountains that run up the center of the peninsula. The bare, rocky mountain tops are above the tree line and are tan in this photo-like image.
This wilderness is an oasis for wildlife. During the winter, ice algae grow in the mineral-rich waters under the ice. As the ice melts, other forms of phytoplankton flourish. The highly productive waters sustain a diverse and thriving ecosystem. According to the United Nations, the phytoplankton and the zooplankton that eat the phytoplankton are at the base of the food chain for 28 species of marine mammals and 223 species of marine fish. Since the region depends on the annual sea ice, it is particularly prone to global warming.

<From : NASA>

Tucked between Siberia and Russia’s frozen Kamchatka Peninsula, the Sea of Okhotsk was a field of ice when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this photo-like image on February 6, 2007. The Sea of Okhotsk is at the same latitude as the Gulf of Alaska, but unlike the Gulf, the sea freezes between October and March. Fresh water from rivers like the Amur dilutes the relatively shallow, salty sea and raises the temperature at which ice can form. During the winter, the Sea of Okhotsk is beset by frigid air from the Siberian landmass, and this creates large ice floes that cover much of the sea.

The flow of cold Arctic air and its effect on the sea are evident from this image. Large chunks of sea ice float on the water, separated by cracks through which the black surface of the sea is evident. When this image was taken, wind swept from Siberia in the northwest over the ice. When the frigid air met the moist air over open water, clouds formed. The strong winds comb the clouds into long streamers, a formation called clouds streets.