• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.287-304
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• 2007

This study was carried out to investigate spatio-temporal variations of benthic environment and macrobenthic polychaete communities in Gamak Bay where excessive organic matters from untreated sewage effluents and fish and shellfish farming activities have been accumulated in certain regions. Such environmental variables as sediment composition, organic content, acid volatile sulfide and dissolved oxygen content etc. were measured and polychaete specimens were taken in September 1999 and February 2000. In September 1999, organic contents were up to three times higher in the northwestern part of the bay and the area closed to Gukdong harbor than in the rest of the bay. In particular, benthic environment of the northwestern part of the bay was extremely deteriorated by the occurrence of hypoxia and highly concentrated sulfide. Of 28 stations investigated in summer, 5 stations located in the northwestern part were azoic. In the rest of the stations, a total of 119 polychaete species were sampled with a mean density of 900 $ind./m^2$. While species richness was higher in the entrance and central part of the bay where water exchanges with open sea were relatively active, density was higher in the moderately enriched stations neighbouring Gukdong harbor and fish farms where such potential indicators of organic pollution as Aphelochaeta monilaris, Lumbrineris longifolia were largely dominant. In February 2000, a total of 81 polychaete species appeared with a mean density of 2,802 $ind./m^2$ from 12 stations sampled in winter. Azoic areas were recolonized by Capitella capitata, Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata and Dipolydora socialis which showed maximum density in the innermost station. On the other hand, the rest of the stations were dominated by Euchone alicaudata and Praxillella affinis. The configuration of the stations sampled in summer and winter on the multidimensional scaling plots reflected the position of each stations within the bay in which there were great differences in organic content, sulfide concentration and oxygen content rather than in sediment composition. Therefore, heterogeneities in polychaete community structure in Gamak Bay were primarily influenced by the degree of the disturbance depending on the position within the bay.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.259-268
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• 2003

The damage of water quality like red tide occurs every year inspite of the total load regulation of pollutant inflows from land such as COD, phosphorus and so on around Seto inland sea in Japan. It is attributed to the increase of primary production due to eutrophication. and the rising and settling from the sediment containing nutrient salt. Furthermore, the recent research shows that nutrient salt such as nitrogen and phosphorus, flows into Kii channel from land as well as the Pacific ocean. To investigate the distribution of water quality and flow and residual current in Kitan strait, the field observations were carried out. The field data were obtained a time each season from 1999 to 2002. The results of observations and data of other research institution are used to understand the mechanism of pollution in the strait.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.208-214
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• 1990

Phytoplankton samples for this study were collected by Van Dorn Sampler at 28 oceanographic stations in the southern waters of Korea in February, April and August, 1988 to characterize the distribution and species composition of phytoplankton and their relation to the movement of water masses. During the study periods, phytoplankton standing crops in the southern waters were maximum in April and minimum in February. When the geographical distribution and abundance of the phytoplankton were considered, the highest standing crops were found near the front zone formed between Cheju Island and Tsushima Island. Therefore, their abundance depends ell the location of the front zone. On the other hand, there were relatively low standing crops in the open sea off the coastal area from the front zone in February and August. The cause of the unusal low standing crops found in August at the station 205/01, the central part of the coastal area of the southern waters where the largest standing crops occurred in February and April, seems to be due to the intrusion of Tsushima warm waters. This is because the waters at the station have high temperature and salinity, poor dissolved oxygen and nutrient salts, which are identical to the characteristics of proper Tsushima warm waters. It seems that these warm waters may affect the poor productivity in this area. Seventy-two species in thirty-three genera of the phytoplankton were indentified from the samples. Among them, 61 species in 27 genera belong to diatoms and 12 species in 7 genera to dinoflagellates. The largest number of phytoplankton species occurred in August while the largest number of the tells in April. Predominant species were Eucampia zodiacus in February, Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros curvisetus in April and Chaetoceros affinis in August. Eucampia zodiacus which was dominant in February and April seems to be a indicator of the southern coastal waters of Korea and mixed waters west of Cheju Island.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.161-169
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• 2003

Seawater and sediment quality analysed was calculated to examinate the present environmental characteristics and pollution load was also calculated to evaluate the effect of farming area on the coastal environment. The measurements for seawater quality demonstrate the coastal environment has relatively eutrophicated with significantly decreased DO (0.2-8.5 mg/l) and elevated COD (9.6-31.2 mg/l) in summer. It was also evident that the water quality in Jindong Bay has been influenced by residues tide from Masan Bay with high metal concentration in August of 2002. Annual total pollution load (land and farm-driven) was estimated at 37,316 ton (SS) /yr: 9,809 ton/yr (26.3%) of land-driven load, 23,576 ton/yr (63.2%) of coastal sedimentation and 3,932 ton/yr (10.5%) of feces of cultural organisms. When all ark shell seedling farms are permitted species conversion to ascidian farm, the pollution load would increase by 196%, which may be another source for accelerating the eutrophication of the environment in Jindong Bay.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.392-400
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• 2003

We used an oxygen microelectrode to measure the vertical profiles of oxygen concentration in sediments located near point sources of organic matter. The measurements were carried out between 13th and 17th May, 2003, in semi-closed bay and coastal sediments in the central part of the South Sea. The measured oxygen penetration depths were extremely shallow and ranged from 1.30 to 3.80 mm. This suggested that the oxidation and reduction reactions in the early diagenesis should be studied at the mm depth scale. In order to estimate the oxygen consumption rate, we applied the one-dimension diffusion-reaction model to vertical profiles of oxygen near the sediment/water interface. Oxygen consumption rates were estimated to be between 10.8 and 27.6 mmol O$_2$ m$\^$-2/ day$\^$-1/(average: 19.1 mmol O$_2$ m$\^$-2/ day$\^$-1/). These rates showed a positive correlation with the organic carbon of the sediments. The corresponding benthic organic carbon oxidation rates calculated using an modified Redfield ratio (170/110) at the sediment/water interface were in the range of 89.5-228.1 mg C m$\^$-2/ day$\^$-1/(average: 158.0 mg C m$\^$-2/ day$\^$-1/). We suggest that these results are maximum values at the presents situation in the bay because the sampling sites were located near point sources of organic materials. This study will need to be carried out at many coastal sites and throughout the seasons to allow an understanding of the mechanisms of eutrophication e.g. the spatial distribution of oxygen consumption within the oxic zone and hypoxic conditions in the coastal sea.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.262-271
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• 2000

This study was carried out to clarify the spatial and temporal patterns of benthic environments and macrobenthos on the subtidal soft-bottom in Chonsu Bay. Seasonal surface water temperature was similar to the bottom layer, but freshwater discharges into the outlets dereased the surface salinity around the dyke in summer. Bottom dissolved oxygen was decreased deeply around the dyke and created the de-oxygenated layer during summer. Sediment grain size was consisted of finer at the neighboring of the dyke than the mouth of the bay. Organic matters including the sediment were decreased at the mouth of the bay. A total of 311 species ($769\;ind./m^2$) were identified. Polychaetes were the most abundant faunal group in the number of species and densities. The number of species revealed the spatial patterns that it was higher in the mouth of the bay, and their densities showed seasonal changes by mass recruitment occurred at the most of the area in summer, At this time, opportunistic species, Lumbrineris iongifolia and Theora fragilis, were also recruited massively. Chonsu Bay were classified into five station groups by the cluster analysis. The dominant species around the dyke were composed to opportunistic species, those in middle area were Sternaspis scutata, Paraplionospio pinnata, and those in the mouth of the bay were Mediomastus californiensis, Nephtys polybranchia. Seasonal fluctuations and spatial difference of environments seem to have influenced to the species compositions and affected to the stability of benthic ecosystems spatial-temporally In Chonsu nay.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.121-126
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• 1975

Chlorophyll a content in marine phytoplankton and nutrient in seawater were determined to study the influence of eutrophication of Jinhae Bay area on primary production. Sampels were taken in the surface layer and bottom of 21 stations in Jinhae Bay including Masan Bay and Hengam Bay, ana adjacent waters such as Geoje Bay and the estuary of Naktong River for refrence during summer Period in 1974. Chlorophyll a content was ranged from $0.52\;mg/m^3\;to\;25.16\;mg/m^3$ in whole area. Mean value of chlorophyll a was the highest in Masan Bay and the lowest in GeojeBay. It was noteworthy that chlorophyll a content of Hengam Bay was not much higher than that of neighboring ares and rather lower than that of the estuary of Naktong River in spite of high phosphate content. Linear relationship between increase of nutrients and chlorophyll a was found in Masan Bay and the estuary of Naktong River where N/P ratio of nutrients was over 12. This relationship however could not be found in most area of Jinhae Bay where N/P ratio of nutrients was lower than 2 which might due to the wastewater from the Chemical Fertilizer plant. Red tide and low dissolved oxygen waters due to eutrophication were observed during summer period in Masan Bay.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.179-195
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• 2004

The trophic state of the coastal waters of the southern part of Korea was assessed using biogeochemical data obtained from the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Program conducted by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute for six years. The trophic state of different areas, analyzed by non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis, could divide the areas into three groups. Masan Bay, with suboxic water masses and/or the highest concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus occurred, was assessed as being in a hypertrophic state. Ulsan Bay, Onsan Bay, Busan and Jinhae Bay, located near strong point sources, were in a eutrophic state. Other areas, including Tongyong, Yosu, Mokpo and Jeju island, were evaluated as being in a mesotrophic state. During 1997 to 2002, the average values of excess nitrogen, which is the difference between the measured dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and the corrected DIN using the Redfield ratio, were positive at Ulsan, Onsan, and Busan, where there were inflows from polluted rivers. In contrast, those were negative values in Haengam Bay, Gwangyang Bay and nearby Yosu. This suggests that the limiting element for phytoplankton growth differed among sites. The time series data of excess nitrogen showed gradual decrease over time in the hypertrophic waters, but the opposite trend in the mesotrophic waters. This indicated that the ratio of nitrogen to phosphate varied according to the trophic state of the coastal waters. The enrichment of organic matter in sediment in eutrophic waters would disturb the normal pattern of biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and phosphate. In order to assess the condition of the coastal environment, the benthic boundary layer should be considered.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.77-100
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• 2024

Circulation, tides, currents, harmful algal blooms, water quality, and hypoxic conditions in Jinhae-Masan Bay have been extensively studied. However, these previous studies primarily focused on short-term variations, and there was limited detailed investigation into the physical mechanisms responsible for ocean circulation in the bays. Oceanic processes in the bays, such as pollutant dispersal, changes on a seasonal time scale. Therefore, this study aimed to understand how the circulation in Jinhae-Masan Bay varies seasonally and to examine the effects of tides, winds, and river discharges on regional ocean circulation. To achieve this, a three-dimensional ocean circulation model was used to simulate circulation patterns from 2016 to 2018, and sensitivity experiments were conducted. This study reveals that convective estuarine circulation develops in Jinhae and Masan Bays, characterized by the inflow of deep oceanic water from the Korea Strait through Gadeoksudo, while surface water flows outward. This deep water intrusion divides into northward and westward branches. In this study, the volume transport was calculated along the direction of bottom channels in each region. The meridional water exchange in the eastern region of Jinhae Bay is 2.3 times greater in winter and 1.4 times greater in summer compared to that of zonal exchange in the western region. In the western region of Jinhae Bay, the circulation pattern varies significantly by season due to changes in the balance of forces. During winter, surface currents flow southward and bottom currents flow northward, strengthening the north-south convective circulation due to the combined effects of northwesterly winds and the slope of the sea surface. In contrast, during summer, southwesterly winds cause surface seawater to flow eastward, and the elevated sea surface in the southeastern part enhances northward barotropic pressure gradient intensifying the eastward surface flow. The density gradient and southward baroclinic pressure gradient increase in the lower layer, causing a strong westward inflow of seawater from Gadeoksudo, enhancing the zonal convective circulation by 26% compared to winter. The convective circulation in the western Jinhae Bay is significantly influenced by both tidal current and wind during both winter and summer. In the eastern Jinhae Bay and Masan Bay, surface water flows outward to the open sea in all seasons, while bottom water flows inward, demonstrating a typical convective estuarine circulation. In winter, the contributions of wind and freshwater influx are significant, while in summer, the influence of mixing by tidal currents plays a major role in the north-south convective circulation. In the eastern Jinhae Bay, tidally driven residual circulation patterns, influenced by the local topography, are distinct. The study results are expected to enhance our understanding of pollutant dispersion, summer hypoxic events, and the abundance of red tide organisms in these bays.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.175-187
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• 1997

Benthic community structure was studied in Chinhae Bay during 3 years from June 1987 to May 1990, based on the samples from 12 stations on the seasonal, bimonthly or monthly basis (lim and Hong, 1994a, b). A total of 287 species was sampled with mean density of $1045.5\;ind./m^2$ and biomass of $98.48g/m^2$ during studyperiods. Of these species, there were 91 species of crustaceans $(31.7\%)$, 88 of polychaetes $(30.7\%)$, 56 of molluscs $(19.5\%)$, 22 of echinoderms and 30 of the micellaneous species. Polychaetes were density-dominant faunal group with a density of $824.7\;ind./m^2$, comprising of $18.6\%$ of the total density of the benthic animals. It was followed by molluscs with $14.62\;ind./m^2$ $($14.4\%\;of\;the\;total\;density)$ crustaceans with $50.5\;ind/m^2\;(4.6\%)$ and echinoderms with $13.4\;ind/m^2\;(4.6\%)$. Molluscs were the biomass-dominant faunal group with a mean biomass of $54.62\;g/m^2$. It was followed by polychaetes with $21.74\;g/m^2$ and echinoderms with $6.66\;g/m^2$. Based on community analysis, species richness, diversity and evenness showed decreasing trends toward the inner bay from outer stations, whereas dominance showed increasing. The three most dominant species Lumbrineris longifolia, Paraprionospio pinnata and Theora fragilis had densities over $40\%$ of the total density of benthic organisms in Chinhae Bay. Seasonal changes of benthic communities in the inner bay were high compared to those of the outer bay. It was mainly due to the occurrence of hypoxic condition in the inner area of the bay. Cluster analysis showed that the benthic community could be divided into four stational groups, that is, Group 1, the innermost area, which received the most heavy anthropogenic effects including seawage and waste water, Group II, the central area of the bay, Group III, the transitional area, Group IV, the mouth pan of the bay exposed to the open sea. The areal groups based on the environmental factors coincided with the zonal groups from the species composition. This fact suggests that the overall spatial distribution of macrobenthos in Chinhae Bay was controlled by the sediment organic carbon content of the bay.