THE SEA OF JAPAN 



755 



course of its temperature changes {Table 304). The isotherm 0° can be taken 

 as their boundary. The temperature of the northwestern part falls sharply in 

 winter and in the Tartary Strait ice is formed from November till April, 

 sometimes reaching great thickness in the northern part. 



126' ISO" 135* 140' I44-' 



Fig. 372. Surface currents in summer of Sea of Japan (Sizova, 1961). 



In the southern part of the Sea the seasonal temperature fluctuations are as 

 high as 14°, and in the northern up to 20° (Fig. 371). 



The currents of the Sea of Japan (Fig. 372) have a cyclonic, counter clock- 

 wise character, as is usual in seas of the northern hemisphere. 



The tidal ranges of the northern and southern parts of the Sea vary consider- 

 ably. In the most southerly part of the Sea, the Korea Strait, the tidal range 

 is 0-5 m. The tidal range gradually increases in the Tartary Strait, reaching 

 2-3 to 2-8 m. In the Korea and Tartary Straits the tides are semi-diurnal, in 

 the Primor'e either diurnal or varied. The level of the Sea is subject to fluctua- 

 tions as a result of the on- and off-shore winds. 



