This study was conducted to understand the source and behavior of organic matter using the fluorescent technique (excitation-emission matrix) as a part of environmental monitoring program in the Korea manganese nodule mining site in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. Water samples were collected at $0^{\circ},\;6^{\circ}N$, and $10.5^{\circ}N$ along $131.5^{\circ}W$ in August 2005. The concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) ranged from 58.01 to $171.93\;{\mu}M-C$. The vertical distribution of TOC was characterized as higher in the surface layer and decreased with depth. At $6^{\circ}N$, depth-integrated (from surface to 200 m depth) TOC was $337.1\;gC/m^2$, which was 1.4 times higher value than other stations. The exponential decay curve fit of vertical profile of TOC indicated that 59% of organic carbon produced by primary production in the surface layer could be decomposed by bacteria in the water column. Dissolved organic matter is generally classified into two distinctive groups based on their fluorescence characteristics using three-dimensional excitation/emission (Ex/Em) fluorescence mapping technique. One is known as biomacromolecule (BM; protein-like substance; showing max. at Ex 280/Em 330), mainly originated from biological metabolism. The other is geomacromolecule (GM; humic-like substance; showing max. at Ex 330/Em 430), mainly originated from microbial degradation processes. The concentration of BM and GM was from 0.42 to 7.29 TU (tryptophan unit) and from 0.06 to 1.81 QSU (quinine sulfate unit), respectively. The vertical distribution of BM was similar to that of TOC as high in the surface and decreased with depth. However, the vertical distribution of GM showed the reverse pattern of that of BM. From these results, it appeared that BM occupied a major part of TOC and was rapidly consumed by bacteria in the surface layer. GM was mainly transformed from BM by microbial processes and was a dominant component of TOC in the deep-sea layer.

2001년 8월부터 9월 사이에 인천연안 수역에서 발생된 초가을 식물플랑크톤 대증식기에 식물플랑크톤과 종속영양 원생동물 군집의 단주기 변동에 대하여 조사하였다. 조사기간 동안 엽록소-$\alpha$ 농도의 분포는 $1.8-19.3\;{\mu}g\;l^{-1}$로 분포 하였으며, 첫 번째 대증식기에 가장 높은 농도를 보였다. 소형 엽록소-${\alpha}({\gt}20\;{\mu}m)$는 대증식기 동안에 엽록소-$\alpha$ 농도의 80% 이상을 차지하였고, 미소형 엽록소-${\alpha}(3-20\;{\mu}m)$ 대증식기 전과 대증식기 후에 전체의 42%를 차지하였으며, 대증식기 사이에는 극미소 엽록소-${\alpha}({\lt}3\;{\mu}m)$에 의해 50% 이상을 차지하는 것으로 나타났다. 식물플랑크톤 군집은 대증식기 사이에는 독립영양 극미소플랑크톤에 의해 우점 하였으며, 대증식기 전과 대증식기 후에는 독립영양 미소편모류에 의해 우점 하였고, 두 번의 대증식기에는 규조류에 의해 높은 우점률을 보였다. 특히 대증식기에 관찰된 규조류의 개체수는 Chaetoceros pseudocrinitus와 Eucampia zodiacus에 의해 50% 이상 우점하였다. 종속영양 원생동물의 탄소량은 $8.2-117.8\;{\mu}gC\;l^{-1}$로 분포하였으며, 식물플랑크톤의 생물량이 가장 높았던 직후에 가장 높게 나타났다. 조사기간 동안 종속영양 원생동물의 상대적인 기여도는 식물플랑크톤의 생물량 및 군집구조에 따라 차이를 보였다. 빈섬모충류와 종속영양 와편모류는 첫 번째와 두 번째 대증식기에 우점 하였으며, 종속영양 원생동물 생물량의 80% 이상을 차지하였다. Protoperidinium spp.에 의해 우점하는 종속영양 유각와편모류는 첫 번째 대증식기에 가장 우점하였으며, Gyrodinium spp.로 구성된 종속영양 무각와편모류는 두 번째 대증식기에 가장 우점 하였다. 그외 Noctiluca scintilla는 첫 번째 대증식기에 식물플랑크톤 소멸에 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 나타났다. 결과적으로 식물플랑크톤의 대증식기 동안에 종속영양 원생동물 군집은 식물플랑크톤의 생물량 및 군집구 조의 변화에 빠르게 반응하였으며, 이와 같은 결과는 두 군집 사이에 잠재적인 피식-포식자의 관계가 있음을 암시한다. 따라서 조사기간 동안 종속영양 원생동물은 식물플랑크톤 대증식의 소멸과 관련된 중요한 섭식자로서, 식물플랑크톤 군집을 조절하는데 중요한 역할을 하였을 것으로 사료된다.

The sound wave in the sea propagates under the effect of water depth, sound speed structure, sea surface roughness, bottom roughness, and acoustic properties of bottom sediment. In shallow water, the bottom sediments are distributed very variously with place and the sound speed structure varying with time and space. In order to investigate the seasonal propagation characteristics of low-frequency sound wave in the Yellow Sea, propagation experiments were conducted along a track in the middle part of the Yellow Sea in spring, summer, and autumn. In this paper we consider seasonal variations of the sound speed profile and propagation loss based on the measurement results. Also we quantitatively investigate variation of bottom loss by dividing the propagation loss into three components: spreading loss, absorption loss, and bottom loss. As a result, the propagation losses measured in summer were larger than the losses in spring and autumn, and the propagation losses measured in autumn were smaller than the losses in spring. The spreading loss and the absorption loss did not show seasonal variations, but the bottom loss showed seasonal variations. So it was thought that the seasonal variation of the propagation loss was due to the seasonal change of the bottom loss and the seasonal variation of the bottom loss was due to the change of the sound speed profile by season.

Distribution patterns of sandy bottom macrobenthic communities were studied around the Hupo coastal area. The seasonal surveys were conducted at 15 chosen sites within a depth range of 10 to 50 m along 10 km of the coastline using a Smith-McIntyre grab $(0.05\;m^2)$ in 2005. Overall depth distribution following the direction of the offshore become deeper parallel to the coastline. A total of 319 macrobenthic species were sampled with a mean density of $1,972\;ind./m^2$, and mean biomass was 82.5 wet-weight $g/m^2$. The major individual-dominant species were three polychaetes Spiophanes bombyx ($436\;ind./m^2$), Scoletoma longifolia ($250\;ind./m^2$) and Magelona japonica ($170\;ind./m^2$), and bivalve Adontorhina subquadrata ($73\;ind./m^2$). Cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) analysis based on Bray-Curtis similarity identified 2 major station groups which corresponded to macrobenthic faunal assemblages and their characteristic species. In addition, environmental conditions were significantly different between station groups. Group I contained mostly 20 and 50 m deep sites and was associated with sandy mud. Group I was characterized by high abundance of S. bombyx, S. longifolia, A. subquadrata. It was divided into two sub-groups (I-I and I-II) in relation to depth. Sub-group I-I was associated with deeper sites than sub-group I-II. Group II included mostly inshore area shallower than 15 m and was associated with coarse and medium sand. Group II was characterized by Lumbrinerides hayashii and Urothoe grimaldii japonica.

Temporal (seasonal) and spatial distributions and variations of various physico-chemical factors (salinity, temperature, pH, DO, COD, SPM, POC, silicate, DIP, DIN) in surface and bottom waters were studied in the coastal environment with typical macro-tidal range and monsoonal weather condition, Gyeonggi Bay, west coast of Korea. Spacial distribution patterns of these factors were generally similar to each other, and appeared to be inversely related to the distribution pattern of salinity, suggesting that water quality of the study area was primarily controlled by the physical mixing process of Han-River freshwater with nearby coastal seawater. During flooding season, silicate- and nitrogen-rich Han River water directly flowed into offshore as far as $20\sim30\;km$ from the river mouth, probably causing serious environmental problems such as eutrophication and unusual and/or noxious algal bloom, etc. Except the surface water during summer flooding season, high concentrations of nutrients appeared generally in dry season, whereas low values in spring, possibly because of the occurrence of spring phytoplankton bloom. On the other hand, nutrient flux through the estuary seems to be primarily depending on river discharge, sewage discharge and agricultural activities, especially during the rainy season. Also, nutrients in this coastal waters are considered to be supplied from the sediments of tidal-flats, which developed extensively around the Han-River mouth, especially during fall and winter of dry and low discharge seasons, possibly due to the stirring of tidal flat sediments with highly enriched pore-water nutrients by storm. And also, COD and DIN concentrations in the study area consistently increased during the last 20 years, probably because of agricultural activities and increasing discharge of industrial and domestic wastes.

Recently, coastal erosion has become an important issue in relation to keeping territorial integrity of a nation as well as protecting the coastal marine ecosystem. This study examines some apprehensions about the effectiveness of the existing legal system concerning prevention of coastal erosion. After examining several case studies in Scotland, the USA, and the Netherlands, this study proposes appropriate revisional legal measures that can be applied in Korea: first, the coastal management act should be revised for stronger, enforceable and practical legal grounds emphasizing minimal coastal erosion; second, the proposed "Comprehensive Coastal Erosion Prevention Plan" should be established and implemented in four steps such as characterization of issues through surveys of stakeholders and demand assessment, plan establishment, execution, and maintenance and management; third, there is a demand to establish and implement a legal framework to support monitoring activities which provide important data and information to prevent coastal erosion; fourth, the chronic region of damage is designated as the "Vulnerable Area" to be protected and managed accordingly; fifth, the "Coastal Coordination council" is established and operated for developing an integrated coastal management policy and visions for sustainable coastal zone, as well as coordinating and intervention of any activities which may cause coastal erosion.

Exploitation of transboundary oil and gas on continental shelves may cause conflicts between or among States concerned due to the physical character of these resources. As oil and gas are fluid, exploitation of such a transboundary oil field by one side may affect other parties in other jurisdictions. However, there is no universal international legal regime on the issue. This article tries to find the international legal regime governing such resources through analysing UN Assembly's resolutions, UNCLOS, international judicial opinions, bilateral agreements and ILC activities relating to transboundary natural resources. As a result of this study, it seems that each coastal State has an inherent sovereign right on its part of the transboundary oil and gas deposit, but this right is not unlimited. Each state involved with the deposit has a duty to cooperate with other states-through information exchange, consultation, and negotiation. Furthermore, the state has an obligation to refrain from unilateral action when there is a possibility of causing irrevocable damage to the interests of the other states.

In this study, antioxidant activities of acetone/dichloromethane and methanol extracts of Arctic seaweeds were investigated. The antioxidant properties of both extracts of arctic seaweed were evaluated using two different peroxynitrite tests, including scavenging power on authentic peroxynitrite and inhibitory activities on peroxynitrite generation from 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) producing superoxide anion and nitric oxide simultaneously in vitro. At concentration of $10\;{\mu}g/ml$, the acetone/dichloromethane and methanol extracts of Odonthalia dentata exhibited 54.6 and 64.2% inhibition against peroxynitrite generation from SIN-1 while they exhibited 24.3 and 23.0% scavenging activities on authentic peroxynitrite, respectively. On the other hand, the acetone/dichloromethane extract of Polysiphonia stricta exhibited 61.8% inhibition only against the induced peroxynitrite from SIN-1. Furthermore, the crude extracts of Odonthalia dentata and Polysiphonia stricta were fractionated into n-hexane, 85% aq. MeOH, n-BuOH, and $H_2O$ fractions, successively, and only 85% aq. MeOH fraction exhibited the best inhibition.