Editing Yellow Sea (section)

===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>