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2026 Vol.31, Issue 1

Review

Research on the Establishment of a Marine Ecosystem Monitoring System for Ulleungdo and Dokdo in Response to Changes in the Marine Environment

해양환경변화에 따른 울릉도·독도 해양생태계 모니터링 시스템 구축 연구

CHANG-SOO BAE1
,
MYEONG-JUN GWON1
,
MIN-SU WOO1
,
WON-GI MIN2
,
YUN-BAE KIM3*
배 창수1
,
권 명준1
,
우 민수1
,
민 원기2
,
김 윤배3*
1Full-time Research Specialist, Ulleung·Dokdo Ocean Science Station, East Sea Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), Ulleung 40205, Korea
2Principal Research Scientist, East Sea Environment Research Center, East Sea Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), Uljin 36315, Korea
3Principal Research Specialist, Ulleung·Dokdo Ocean Science Station, East Sea Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), Ulleung 40205, Korea
1한국해양과학기술원 동해연구소 울릉도독도해양연구기지 전임기술원
2한국해양과학기술원 동해연구소 동해환경연구센터 책임연구원
3한국해양과학기술원 동해연구소 울릉도독도해양연구기지 책임기술원
*Corresponding Author
28 February 2026. pp. 1-13
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Abstract

Ulleungdo and Dokdo are located in the polar front in the East Sea, a region experiencing the fastest global warming. As the outermost oceanic islands of South Korea, the islands have been considered ideal sites for climate change research on the Korean Peninsula and the East Sea. The waters around Ulleungdo and Dokdo have recently experienced the fastest sea level rise in South Korea, and their surface water temperatures have also increased rapidly. Research on monitoring the marine ecosystem of Ulleungdo and Dokdo in response to changes in the marine environment has been significantly invigorated recently, following the enactment of the Act on Sustainable Use of Dokdo in 2005, the opening of the Ulleungdo and Dokdo Marine Research Station, operated by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), in 2014, and the launch of a multipurpose small research vessel dedicated to Ulleungdo and Dokdo in 2022. This study introduces the characteristics of the Ulleungdo and Dokdo marine environment and ecosystem, outlines the establishment of a key monitoring system in the waters around Ulleungdo and Dokdo since the establishment of the Ulleungdo-Dokdo Ocean Science Station, and outlines future research directions. This research is expected to contribute to revitalizing the management of the East Sea’s first marine protected area, fostering future growth industries that respond to climate change based on resident participation, and strengthening Dokdo’s maritime territorial sovereignty based on marine science.

Keywords
Ulleungdo
Dokdo
Marine ecosystem
Observation
Climate change
Monitoring

울릉도·독도는 전 세계적으로 가장 빠른 수준의 온난화를 보이는 해역인 동해 남서부 극전선역에 위치한 섬으로서, 대한민국 최외곽에 위치한 지리적 특징상 한반도 및 동해 기후변화 연구의 적지라 할 수 있다. 울릉도·독도 해역은 우리나라에서 해수면 상승률이 가장 높은 해역이면서 표층수온 또한 가장 빠르게 증가하는 해역이다. 최근 울릉도·독도 해역에 대한 장기 해양생태계 모니터링이 2005년 독도의 지속가능한 이용한 관한 법률 제정과 2014년 한국해양과학기술원 울릉도·독도해양연구기지 개소, 2022년 다목적 울릉도·독도 전용 소형연구선 취항 등에 따라 크게 활성화되고 있다. 이 논문에서는 울릉도·독도 해양환경 및 생태계 특징, 울릉도·독도해양연구기지 운영 이후 수행중인 울릉도·독도 해역 장기 모니터링 및 향후 연구 방향을 소개하였다. 이러한 연구는 동해안 최초의 해양보호구역인 울릉도 해양보호구역 관리 활성화, 주민 참여기반의 기후변화대응 해양수산업 육성, 해양과학 기반의 독도해양영토주권 강화에 기여할 것으로 기대된다.

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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Oceanography
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국해양학회
  • Journal Title :The Sea Journal of the Korean Society of Oceanography
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국해양학회지 바다
  • Volume : 31
  • No :1
  • Pages :1-13
  • Received Date : 2025-10-30
  • Revised Date : 2026-02-10
  • Accepted Date : 2026-02-12
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7850/jkso.2026.31.1.001
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