Water, Salt, Phosphorus and Nitrogen Budgets of the Japan Sea

Water, salt, phosphorus and nitrogen budgets of the Japan Sea have been calculated by box model analysis using historical data. Average residence time of the Tsushima Warm Current Water in the upper 200 m is 2.1 years and that of the Japan Sea Proper Water is 90 years. The salt flux from the Tsushima Strait balances those through the Tsugaru and Soya Straits. Average residence times of phosphorus and nitrogen from the Tsushima Strait are 2.2 years and 1.6 years, respectively, in the upper 200 m of the Japan Sea. Total nitrogen/total phosphorus ratios of riverine load, the Tsushima Warm Current water and the water in the Japan Sea are 16.4, 16.6 and 11.3, respectively. This suggests that denitrification is dominant in the Japan Sea. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.