[단독] Squid disappearing and yellowtail being caught… Ulleungdo is like Jeju Island

“The sight of Ulleungdo space being busy with squid fishing boats has disappeared. “Now I can catch the yellowtail I used to catch on Jeju Island. “

A uncooked fish restaurant in Ulleungdo on the finish of final month. On the entrance to the store, there was an image of the proprietor with a 1m lengthy yellow tail. He stated, “I caught him within the waters off Ulleungdo Island final winter.” A palm sized shot in a tank value 20,000 every. 20 years in the past, after I was in enterprise, I charged 1,000 received per animal. Because the temperature of the Japanese Sea rises, squid seeds from Ulleungdo Island will dry out and turn into dearer. As a substitute, yellowtail, a reasonably migratory fish species, seems.

Graphics = Sang-hoon Park

Ulleungdo is turning into extra like Jeju Island. On account of international warming, Ulleungdo’s particular seasonal traits of summer season and winter are disappearing and the island continues the new climate to the south. On the sixth, this paper commissioned the Korea Meteorological Administration to check the climate within the Ulleungdo space over the previous 10 years (2014-2023) and the previous 10 years (1973-1982). temperature, humidity, and snowfall, are much like these of Jeju Island. The Korea Meteorological Administration stated, “It is a clear instance of how the meteorological traits and limits of islands within the East Sea and islands within the South Sea have gotten blurred as sea floor temperatures and temperatures rise. “

Graphics = Sang-hoon Park

Ulleungdo is the place in Korea the place the seasonal traits of summer season and winter are probably the most excessive. Because of this, the disruption of seasonal patterns and local weather change because of warming are clearly seen. Korea has solely noticed climate akin to temperature and humidity on Ulleungdo Island, however opened a local weather change monitoring station in 2014 to measure greenhouse gasoline concentrations within the East Sea, akin to carbon dioxide and methane. The World Meteorological Group (WMO) designated this place because the ‘International Atmospheric Observatory (GAW)’ final yr, making it a key base for monitoring international local weather change.

The most important change in Ulleungdo from the previous to the current is the lower in snow cowl. The ‘snowy winter’ symbolized by Ulleungdo’s climate is step by step disappearing. For the ten years from 1973, when a nationwide climate remark community was put in, the common annual snowfall on Ulleungdo was 310.2 cm. Nevertheless, over the previous 10 years, it has decreased by 248.4 cm and decreased by 61.8 cm. Prior to now, when snow fell on Ulleungdo, it usually amassed greater than 100cm, however after 2018, this scene has disappeared. In the identical interval, the common annual temperature rose 1.3 levels from 12.1 levels to 13.4 levels, and the common annual precipitation elevated from 1266.6 mm to 1484.5 mm. The snow turned to rain and it fell.

The discount of winter snow cowl implies that winter and spring are coming to an finish. If a variety of snow accumulates through the winter, it melts slowly till spring, offering moisture to the bottom repeatedly. Alternatively, when snow turns to rain, it wets the bottom for a short while after which flows away. As winter and spring grew to become drier, Ulleungdo’s common annual humidity over the previous 10 years was 70.3%, down 3.5 share factors from the previous 10 years (73.8%). Total, humidity ranges have decreased, however perceived humidity has elevated because of greater temperatures and elevated summer season rainfall. A resident of Ulleungdo Island stated, “As a result of the land is dry, it turns into troublesome to domesticate ginseng, poker, and cedar (snowfish),” he stated, “In summer season, we may get by with simply an electrical fan, however now it is arduous to dwell with out an air conditioner. “

Graphics = Sang-hoon Park

As the ocean has turn into hotter, the present sea floor temperature within the Japanese Ocean has turn into much like the temperature of the Southern Ocean previously. Within the final 10 years, the Japanese Ocean has recorded 17.7 levels, which is simply 0.7 levels completely different from the Southern Ocean within the final 10 years (18.4 levels). This additionally led to adjustments within the species of fish caught within the Ulleungdo space. The squid catch on the east coast of Gangwon decreased from 233,254 tons in 2003 to 1,456 tons final yr. Alternatively, protection elevated nearly 10 instances from 426 tons to 4,186 tons. One fisherman stated, “I ponder if it could be potential to catch yellowtail as an alternative of squid, however because the methodology of catching is completely different in accordance with the species, it is rather troublesome in the intervening time.”

The extent of greenhouse gases in Ulleungdo is rising step by step. Greenhouse gases drive sea floor temperatures and air temperatures rise. Because of this Ulleungdo may get hotter sooner or later. The common annual focus of carbon dioxide in Ulleungdo in 2014 was 402.2ppm. Nevertheless, it bought darker yearly, and final yr it went as much as 425.6ppm. Methane additionally elevated from 1941 ppt to 2010 ppt over 10 years. Choi Nam-won, director of the Ulleungdo Local weather Change Observatory, stated, “If issues proceed like this, Ulleungdo’s ‘chilly winter’ could disappear and it might turn into a sizzling island like Jeju Island.