Editing Yellow Sea (section)

==Geography==
===Extent===
The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] defines the limits of the Yellow Sea ("Hwang Hai") as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|title=Limits of Oceans and Seas|edition=3rd|year=1953|publisher=International Hydrographic Organization|access-date=28 December 2020}}</ref>
{{blockquote|The Yellow Sea is separated from the [[Sea of Japan]] by the boundary from the southern end of [[Haenam]] Peninsula in [[Jeollanamdo]] to [[Jeju Island]] and divided into the [[East China Sea]] by the boundary from the west end of [[Jeju Island]] to the [[Yangtze River]] estuary.}}

===Physiography===
[[File:Yellow Sea, February 24, 2015.jpg|thumb|left|Brown sediment spills out into the Yellow Sea from rivers in eastern China and Korea. The nutrients in the sediment may be responsible for the bloom of [[phytoplankton]] seen as blue-green swirls.<ref>[http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=3289 Sediments and Phytoplankton bloom near the Mouth of the Yangtze, East China Sea] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630015155/http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=3289 |date=30 June 2010 }}, NASA, 2002</ref>]]

The Yellow Sea, excluding the Bohai, extends by about {{convert|960|km|mi|abbr=on}} from north to south and about {{convert|700|km|mi|abbr=on}} from east to west; it has an area of approximately {{convert|380000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and a volume of about {{convert|17000|km3|abbr=on}}.<ref name=bse>[http://bse.sci-lib.com/article039304.html Yellow Sea], [[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]] (in Russian)</ref> Its depth is only {{convert|44|m|abbr=on}} on average, with a maximum of {{convert|152|m|abbr=on}}. The sea is a flooded section of [[continental shelf]] that formed after the [[Younger Dryas|last glacial period]] (some 10,000 years ago) as sea levels rose {{convert|120|m|abbr=on}} to their current levels. The depth gradually increases from north to south.<ref name=bse/> The sea bottom and shores are dominated by sand and silt brought by the rivers through the Bohai Sea ([[Liao River]], [[Yellow River]], [[Hai He]]) and the Korea Bay ([[Yalu River]]). These deposits, together with sand storms are responsible for the yellowish colour of the water referenced in the sea's name.<ref name=brit>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/652686/Yellow-Sea Yellow Sea], Encyclopædia Britannica on-line</ref> The sea annually receives so much sand and silt from rivers such as the [[Yellow River]], that it turns into a golden-yellow colour.<ref>{{cite web |title=A yellow sea |url=https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/yellow_sea/ |publisher=WWF}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Niu |first1=Yaoling |last2=Tang |first2=Jie |title=Origin of the Yellow Sea: an insight |journal=Science Bulletin |date=2016 |volume=61 |issue=14 |pages=1076–1080 |doi=10.1007/s11434-016-1113-z|bibcode=2016SciBu..61.1076N |s2cid=132284722 |url=http://dro.dur.ac.uk/19290/1/19290.pdf }}</ref>

[[File:Jungmun Daepo Columnar Joints with waves crashing.jpg|thumb|Waves crashing at [[Jeju Island]]]]

The seas surrounding Korea, which occupy a corner of Northeast Asia, border the "island nation" from the east, south, and west. Korea has named these the East Sea, South Sea, and West Sea (officially known as the Yellow Sea), respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Seas of Korea|url=https://koreanliteraturenow.com/essay/chung-il-keun-kim-myungin-han-changhoon-kim-hoon-harm-min-bok-seas-korea|access-date=2021-03-29|website=Korean Literature Now|language=ko|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182425/https://koreanliteraturenow.com/essay/chung-il-keun-kim-myungin-han-changhoon-kim-hoon-harm-min-bok-seas-korea|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Major islands of the sea include [[Anmado]], [[Baengnyeongdo]], [[Daebudo]], [[Deokjeokdo]], [[Gageodo]], [[Ganghwado]], [[Hauido]], [[Heuksando]], [[Hongdo]], [[jeju Island|Jejudo]], [[Jindo (island)|Jindo]], [[Muuido]], [[Sido (island)|Sido]], [[Silmido]], [[Sindo (island)|Sindo]], [[Wando (island)|Wando]], [[Yeongjongdo]] and [[Yeonpyeongdo]] (all in South Korea).

===Climate and hydrology===
[[File:DustStyormYellowSea2March2008.jpg|thumb|left|Satellite image of a dust storm over the Yellow sea on 2 March 2008<ref>[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=8477 Sand storm over Yellow Sea], nasa.gov</ref>]]
The area has cold, dry winters with strong northernly [[monsoon]]s blowing from late November to March. Average January temperatures are {{convert|-10|C}} in the north and {{convert|3|C}} in the south. Summers are wet and warm with frequent typhoons between June and October.<ref name=bse/> Air temperatures range between {{convert|10|and|28|C}}. The average annual precipitation increases from about {{convert|500|mm|abbr=on}} in the north to {{convert|1000|mm|abbr=on}} in the south. [[Fog]] is frequent along the coasts, especially in the upwelling cold-water areas.<ref name=brit/>

The sea has a warm cyclone current, forming part of the [[Kuroshio Current]], which diverges near the western part of Japan and flows northward into the Yellow Sea at a speed of less than {{convert|0.8|km/h|abbr=on}}. Southward currents prevail near the sea coast, especially in the winter monsoon period.<ref name=brit/>

[[File:Rocky shore in Dalian.jpg|thumb|Rocky shore in [[Dalian]], [[Liaoning]], China]]

The water temperature is close to freezing in the northern part in winter, so drift ice patches and continuous ice fields form and hinder navigation between November and March. The water temperature and salinity are homogeneous across the depth. The southern waters are warmer at {{convert|6|-|8|C}}. In spring and summer, the upper layer is warmed up by the sun and diluted by the fresh water from rivers, while the deeper water remains cold and saline. This deep water stagnates and slowly moves south. Commercial bottom-dwelling fishes are found around this mass of water, especially at its southern part. Summer temperatures range between {{convert|22|and|28|C}}. The average salinity is relatively low, at 30[[parts per thousand|‰]] in the north to 33–34‰ in the south, dropping to 26‰ or lower near the river deltas. In the southwest monsoon season (June to August) the increased rainfall and runoff further reduce the salinity of the upper sea layer.<ref name=brit/> Water transparency increases from about {{convert|10|m|sp=us}} in the north up to {{convert|45|m|sp=us}} in the south.<ref name=bse/>

[[Tide]]s are semidiurnal, i.e. rise twice a day. Their amplitude varies between about {{convert|0.9|and|3|m|ft|sp=us}} at the coast of China. Tides are higher at the Korean Peninsula, typically ranging between {{convert|4|and|8|m|sp=us}} and reaching the maximum in spring. The tidal system rotates in a counterclockwise direction. The speed of the tidal current is generally less than {{convert|1.6|km/h|abbr=on}} in the middle of the sea, but may increase to more than {{convert|5.6|km/h|abbr=on}} near the coasts.<ref name=brit/> The fastest tides reaching {{convert|20|km/h|abbr=on}} occur in the [[Myeongnyang Strait]] between [[Jindo Island]] and the Korean Peninsula.<ref name=king>M. J. King, et al. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XYlVPmR34YsC&pg=PA175 Twinning of Jindo Grand Bridge, Republic of Korea] in Current and future trends in bridge design, construction and maintenance 2: safety, economy, sustainability and aesthetics; proceedings of the international conference organized by the Institution of Civil Engineers and held in Hong Kong on 25–26 April 2001 {{ISBN|0-7277-3091-6}} pp. 175, 177</ref>

The tide-related sea level variations result in a land pass {{convert|2.9|km|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|10|-|40|m|sp=us}} wide opening for approximately an hour between [[Jindo Island|Jindo]] and [[Modo, Jindo|Modo]] islands. The event occurs about twice a year, at the beginning of May and in the middle of June. It had long been celebrated in a local festival called "Jindo Sea Parting Festival", but was largely unknown to the outside world until 1975, when the French ambassador Pierre Randi described the phenomenon in a French newspaper.<ref>[http://www.impactlab.net/2010/07/17/the-moses-miracle-of-jindo-island/ The Moses Miracle Of Jindo Island] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127181655/http://www.impactlab.net/2010/07/17/the-moses-miracle-of-jindo-island/ |date=27 November 2020 }}, 17 July 2010</ref><ref>[http://vestnik.tripod.com/articles/korea-festivals.html Майские фестивали в Чолладо – от "чуда Моисея" до боя быков] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731070212/http://vestnik.tripod.com/articles/korea-festivals.html |date=31 July 2009 }} (in Russian)</ref><ref>[http://eng.jindo.go.kr/sub.php?pid=EN03020200 Jindo Mysterious Sea Road] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303020545/http://eng.jindo.go.kr/sub.php?pid=EN03020200 |date=3 March 2012 }}, Jindo County</ref>