Has the upper portion of the Japan Sea Proper Water formation really been enhancing?

Weakening of the upper portion of the Japan Sea Proper Water formation was detected based on the dissolved oxygen concentration and potential temperature from 1970 to 2004, unlike the suggestion of previous studies that it has been enhanced since the 1970s. The revealed warming and decreasing trends in DO concentration throughout the water column indicate that the conveyor belt system in the Japan Sea is still slowing down even in the intermediate layers, though a relatively active dissolved oxygen supply into the intermediate layers is suggested. This fact leads us to modify the previous concept about the water mass formation; though a relatively active formation of the intermediate water mass occurs, the deep water formation is not counterbalanced by the intermediate water formation, and the overall Japan Sea Proper Water formation has been stagnating since the 1970s.