Abstract
A large amount of $2.1{\times}10^6m^3$ of polluted sediment was dredged from the Masan Bay and deposited in Gapo confined area, Masan, Korea. The six representative sediments were obtained and analyzed for issue components. The data was discussed with the species of benthos and their distribution. It was judged that toxicological effects of sediment analyzed ranged from ERL to ERM with copper and zinc, and ERL with cadmium, chrome, lead and nickel by the Adverse Biological Effects. The dredging index (DI) of sediments stabilized for 10 years since dumping the confined site was calculated and compared with the DI values of dredged sediment itself. DI values decreased from 0.67 to $0.07{\sim}0.18$, which reflects DI value less than 0.2 is good for benthos in the sediment by the natural recovery of dredged materials. The ecological recovery was confirmed in this confined area as a habitat of benthic organisms.
