Variations in species diversity and abundance of polychaete taxocenes that occurred in 1980-1989 under different contamination levels of bottom sediments were studied in three areas of Peter the Great Bay. The most polluted area was shown to be the Golden Horn Inlet where contaminant contents in the bottom sediments exceed the threshold values of negative biota alterations. Amursky Bay is characterized by a moderate level of contamination, while Ussuriysky Bay has the lowest level of contamination. Pollutant contents vary considerably within the same areas and their separate patches are polluted differently. An integral index characterizing the contamination of bottom sediments is proposed. This index is an average grade of the rank value of contaminant contents in sediments. The index was used to compare the contamination level and data on polychaete species diversity and abundance. The highest species diversity of polychaetes is found in the least affected zones. Monotonous decrease of the species number, as well as decrease in the indices of diversity and evenness, is correlated with pollution level increases. Significant growth of the average polychaete biomass and polychaete density is observed in the case of an increase of contamination from low to moderate levels. Conversely, the biomass and abundance of polychaetes decline following an increase in contamination.

Correction factors based on the catch ratios of egg and larval densities in the southern waters of Korea were estimated for anchovy Engraulis japonica. This was undertaken in order to adjust ichthyoplankton data from different sampling methods, gear types and time. Samples were collected during ichthyop1ankton surveys in Korean waters from 1983 to 1994. The ratios for egg densities obtained in vertical tows with a NORPAC net (ring $\Phi$, 45 cm) compared to those obtained in oblique tows with a KOB net (ring $\Phi$, 80 cm) were 0.86 (CV = 0.65), 1.22 (CV = 0.36), and 0.93 (CV = 0.42) for early, middle, and later developmental stages, respectively. The ratios for larval densities for vertical and oblique tows varied depending on size. For yolk-sac and small larvae (< 4 mm), the ratios were 3.08 (CV = 0.45) and 1.98 (CV = 1.34), while those of 4-6 mm, 6-8 mm, and 8-10 mm larvae were 0.44 (CV = 1.31), 0.45 (CV = 1.70), and 0.56 (CV = 2.50), respectively. Ratios of day/night densities for larvae of 4-10 mm lengths were lower (0.01-0.06) in offshore catches than values obtained in coastal areas (0.440.46) and similar values (0.16-0.04) for vertical and oblique tows. Our results indicated that vertical towing is more efficient for sampling early life stages (from eggs to larvae less than 4 mm long), while oblique towing is more efficient for larvae longer than 4 mm due to depth preferences for each developmental stage (e.g., changes in egg buoyancy and vertical migration oflarvae).

A series of experiments were conducted to develop standard test organisms and test protocols for measuring sediment toxicity using candidate amphipods such as Mandibulophoxus mai, Monocorophium acherusicum, Haustorioides indivisus, and Haustorioides koreanus, which are indigenous to Korea. The relevant association of test species with sediment substrates was one of the important factors in sediment bioassay. The indigenous amphipods M mai and M. acherusicum were well associated with test sediments when they were exposed to various sediment substrates from sand to mud. The tolerant limits to various physico-chemical factors affecting bioassay results such as temperature, salinity and ammonia, as well as sensitivities to reference toxicant and contaminated sediments, were investigated using M. mai and M. acherusicum in the present study. These amphipods were tolerant to relatively wide ranges of salinity $(10{\sim}30\;psu)$ and ammonia (<50 ppm), and displayed relevant sensitivity to temperature as well. They are more sensitive to Cd, the reference toxicant, when compared to the standard test species used in other countries. Field-sediment toxicity tests revealed that M. mai would be more sensitive to sediment-associated pollutants than M. acherusicum, while the sensitivity of M. acherusicum was comparable to that of Leptocheirus plumulosus, which has been used as a standard test species in the United States of America. Overall results of this first attempt to develop an amphipod sediment toxicity test protocol in Korea indicated that M. mai and M. acherusicum would be applicable in the toxicity assessment of contaminated sediments, following the further evaluation encompassing various ecological and toxicological studies in addition to test method standardization.

Long-term, continuous, and real-time ocean monitoring has been undertaken in order to evaluate various oceanographic phenomena and processes in the East/Japan Sea. Recent technical advances combined with our concerted efforts have allowed us to establish a real-time monitoring system and to accumulate considerable knowledge on what has been taking place in water properties, current systems, and circulation in the East Sea. We have obtained information on volume transport across the Korea Strait through cable voltage measurements and continuous temperature and salinity profile data from ARGO floats placed throughout entire East Sea since 1997. These ARGO float data have been utilized to estimate deep current, inertial kinetic energy, and changes in water mass, especially in the northern East Sea. We have also developed the East Sea Real-time Ocean Buoy (ESROB) in coastal regions and made continual improvements till it has evolved into the most up-to-date and effective monitoring system as a result of remarkable technical progress in data communication systems. Atmospheric and oceanic measurements by ESROB have contributed to the recognition of coastal wind variability, current fluctuations, and internal waves near and off the eastern coast of Korea. Long-tenn current meter moorings have been in operation since 1996 between Ulleungdo and Dokdo to monitor the interbasin deep water exchanges between the Japanese and Ulleung Basins. In addition, remotely sensed satellite data could facilitate the investigation of atmospheric and oceanic surface conditions such as sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height, near-surface winds, oceanic color, surface roughness, and so on. These satellite data revealed surface frontal structures with a fairly good spatial resolution, seasonal cycle of SST, atmospheric wind forcing, geostrophic current anomalies, and biogeochemical processes associated with physical forcing and processes. Since the East Sea has been recognized as a natural laboratory for global oceanic changes and a clue to abrupt climate change, we aim at constructing a 4-D continuous real-time monitoring system, over a decade at least, using the most advanced techniques to understand a variety of oceanic processes in the East Sea.

The history of investigation of the family Velutinidae from 1776 to the present day is briefly described in the last part of this review; the contemporary system of the family, consisting of 39 species and subspecies, belonging to 17 genera and subgenera, and three subfamilies, is presented here. A biogeographic analysis of the fauna has been made, the history of origin and development of the family, vertical distribution and relation to substrates have been described in this work.

We cloned the complete cDNA of the ${\beta}-bubulin$ from the soft coral, Scleronephthya gracillimum $(K\ddot{u}kenthal)$ (Alcyonacea, Octocorallia, Anthozoa, Cnidaria), via the random sequencing of a cDNA library and the 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) technique. The full-length cDNA of the S. gracillimum ${\beta}-tubulin$ comprised 1541 bp, not including the poly $A^+$ stretch, also contained a complete open reading frame, which codes for a total of 445 amino acids. The amino acid residues 16402 appeared to be in a state of conservation in a variety of animals. Northern blot analysis clearly demonstrated that the sequence we have obtained is, indeed, the full-length cDNA of the ${\beta}-bubulin$ gene in S. gracillimum.