The Japan and East China seas are both marginal seas, but have different oceanographical features: the former is a deep basin filled with polar water but a jet-like current in the upper layer, and the latter is a wide continental shelf with two large rivers. This book provides the first synthesis of information on the circulation, hydrography, coastal phenomena, tides, turbidity and wind waves of these seas. Circulation caused by wind, pressure distributions and other effects is discussed with the aid of analytical, numerical and hydraulic models, many of which can also be applied to problems in other seas. New oceanographic techniques covered include remote sensing, drifter tracking and moored current meter system, providing information useful to both researchers and students.

ZENG Cheng-kui (C. K. TSENG) Research Professor; Director Emeritus illStitllte of Oceanology, Academia Sillica Qillgdao 26607 J, China Ten years ago I was invited by Professor John Steele, Director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute of the U. S. A. to write a preface for the special issue on "Oceanography in China" for the Oceanus. I was then the Director of the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica. I gladly appreciated the honor, and in the preface I briefly enumerated the history of oceanology, or oceanography according to the American custom, in China dividing it into four stages: the founding stage 1950-1956, the growing stage 1956-1964, the partial expanding stage 1965-1978, and the elevation stage since 1978 (Tseng, 1983/84). The founding stage of Chinese oceanofogy should actually start in 1931 with the establishment of the short-life Chinese Marine Biological Association in old China. The following twenty years in Chinese history between 1931 and 1959 comprised a very memorable period in China, badly marked by the World War II, and the 1946-1950 civil war. Some scattered research in marine biology was conducted in phycology, invertebrate zoology and ichthyology, mostly in taxonomy. A little work was devoted to delta geology and tidal and seawater temperature records. Two expeditions were organized and sent by the National Central Academy of Sciences to the Bohai Sea in 1935 and by the Beijing Academy of Sciences to the Jiaozhou Bay in 1936, both engaged principally in marine biological research.

The ever increasing interest in work in oceanography and marine biology and its relevance to global environmental issues creates a demand for authoritative reviews summarising the results of recent research.Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review has catered for this demand since its foundation, by the late Harold Barnes, more than 35 years ago. Its objectives are to consider, annually, basic areas of marine research, returning to them when appropriate in future volumes; to deal with subjects of special and topical importance; and to add new ones as they arise. The favourable reception accorded to all the volumes shows that the series is fulfilling a very real need: both reviews and sales have been gratifying. The series is an essential reference text for research workers and students in all fields of marine science and related subjects, and finds a place in not only the libraries of marine stations and institutes but also universities. It is consistently among the highest ranking impact factors for the marine biology category of the citation indices compiled by the Institute for Scientific Education.

This volume contains 31 papers on physical and geological oceanography, marine engineering and meterology in the Japan Sea and the East China Sea. Almost all these papers were presented at the Fifth JECSS (Japan and East China Seas Study) Workshop held in Korea in 1989. Results of multinational cooperative studies carried out since the initiation of JECSS in 1981 are presented. Authors are from China, Japan, Korea, UK, USA and USSR. A wide range of subjects are covered from the viewpoint of various disciplines. The status of recent research on Asian marginal seas is outlined and points at issue are defined. An important aspect is the coverage of results from the USSR and China which are not normally easily accessible to scientists in other countries, despite the importance of this research to the international scientific community. Various subjects, from estuaries to the problems related to the whole north Pacific, are covered in this book, and it is recommended to scientists in coastal oceanography, environmental oceanography, mesoscale (synoptic scale) oceanography and large-scale oceanography.