Ocean Research Station (ORS) Network as a Core Platform for Climate Change Monitoring: Data Management and Application Studies

The Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency (KHOA) operates three Ocean Research Stations (ORSs) in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, leading the response to climate change by monitoring and analyzing the marine environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Starting with the Ieodo ORS in 2003, followed by Shinan Gageocho in 2009 and Ongjin Socheongcho in 2014, these stations function as interdisciplinary ocean-atmosphere observation platforms and contribute to a wide range of research fields, including marine climate change studies.

In particular, the Ieodo ORS, located southwest of Jeju Island, is a key observation site influenced by the northward-flowing Taiwan Warm Current, the southward Yellow Sea Cold Water, and low-salinity discharge from the Yangtze River. The station is also directly exposed to typhoons approaching the Korean Peninsula. Based on its geographically advantageous location for environmental observation, approximately 15 oceanic and atmospheric variables have been continuously observed at this site for over 20 years.

Key variables, including water temperature, salinity, and various meteorological parameters, are provided at 10-minute intervals following a rigorous two-stage quality control (QC) process. This system integrates automated four-step procedures—range, standard deviation, spike, and stuck-value tests—based on international OOI protocols, supplemented by manual expert verification of oceanographic conditions and maintenance records. High-quality datasets are subsequently registered on global platforms such as OceanSITES, SEANOE, and EMODnet.

The ORS network serves as a cornerstone for multidisciplinary research in physical oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, and atmospheric science. KHOA has utilized these stations to conduct specialized studies on ocean acidification and air-sea interactions in the Yellow and East China Seas. In this presentation, we examine the QC procedures, the status of international data registration, and representative research outcomes derived from the ORS observation network.