KIOST builds Wangdolcho station off Uljin coast; real-time monitoring of cold and warm current convergence zone to aid fishing ground forecasts

A view of the marine science station built by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology on Wangdolcho reef off Uljin in the East Sea. The Wangdolcho station is the first marine science station in the East Sea and the final node completing South Korea's nationwide ocean observation network. [Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology]
A view of the marine science station built by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology on Wangdolcho reef off Uljin in the East Sea. The Wangdolcho station is the first marine science station in the East Sea and the final node completing South Korea's nationwide ocean observation network. [Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology]

South Korea has completed a nationwide ocean observation network with the establishment of its first marine science station in the East Sea.

The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) held a completion ceremony Tuesday for the Wangdolcho Marine Science Station at its East Sea Research Institute in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province.

The Wangdolcho station is the fourth marine science station South Korea has built, following Ieodo (2003), Gageocho (2009) and Socheongcho (2014), and the first located in the East Sea.

With its completion, the Korea Ocean Research Stations network — previously concentrated in the Yellow Sea and South Sea — now extends to the East Sea, covering all of South Korea's surrounding waters.

The station sits on Wangdolcho reef, 25 kilometers east of Hupo Port in Uljin. A steel-frame structure anchored to bedrock 23 meters below the surface, it has a total floor area of 570 square meters, weighs 928 metric tons and stands 53 meters tall — roughly the height of a 19-story apartment building.

The station carries 86 instruments across 37 categories to monitor sea surface temperature, sea level changes and marine ecosystem shifts in real time. AI-based data quality management technology has also been applied.

Its location at the convergence of cold and warm currents in the East Sea will allow researchers to track long-term climate change impacts, including subtropical warming and barren ground formation.

The data collected will be used for marine ecosystem analysis, fishing ground forecasting and climate change research. Fishing communities in nearby Hupo and Jukbyeon will also receive operational information based on the observations.

The Wangdolcho station was developed under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' project to build advanced marine science stations in South Korea's jurisdictional waters and conduct convergence research. Construction began in 2021 at a total cost of 24.3 billion won (about $15.7 million).

"The completion of the Wangdolcho station gives us the foundation to monitor every corner of our seas, including the East Sea, without gaps," KIOST President Lee Hee-seung said. "We will produce high-quality data to support the response to the climate crisis and ensure public safety."


adastra@heraldcorp.com