The Yellow Sea is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. It is regarded as one of the most degraded marine areas on earth and experiences frequent algal blooms. With numerous industry and urban areas along its coastline, as well as nuclear facilities, it is of significant interest to researchers, industry and the environmental regulatory community.
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden yellow.
The innermost bay of the Yellow Sea is called the Bohai Sea. Into it flow both the Yellow River (through Shandong province and its capital Jinan) and Hai He (through Beijing and Tianjin). Deposits of sand and silt from those rivers contribute to the sea color. The Yellow Sea extends by about 960 km (600 mi) from north to south and about 700 km (430 mi) from east to west; it has an area of about 380,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi) and the volume of about 17,000 km3 (4,100 cu mi). Its depth is only 44 m (144 ft) on average, with a maximum of 152 m (499 ft).
The Yellow Sea is considered to be among the most degraded marine areas on earth. Loss of natural coastal habitats due to land reclamation has resulted in the destruction of more than 60% of tidal wetlands around the Yellow Sea coastline in approximately 50 years. Rapid coastal development for agriculture, aquaculture and industrial development are considered the primary drivers of coastal destruction in the region.
In addition to land reclamation, the Yellow Sea ecosystem is facing several other serious environmental problems. Pollution is widespread and deterioration of pelagic and benthic habitat quality has occurred, and harmful algal blooms frequently occur. Invasion of introduced species are having a detrimental effect on the Yellow Sea environment. There are 25 intentionally introduced species and 9 unintentionally introduced species in the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem. Declines of biodiversity, fisheries and ecosystem services in the Yellow Sea are widespread
This model grid contains 5,172 cells, and is a Cartesian grid, with effectively zero orthogonal deviation. This grid was built for use with EFDC+ Explorer and Grid+.
