• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.321-338
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• 2014

This study aims to identify spatial distribution of estuarine wetlands in Korea, and to assess temporal variation of the wetlands in the last few decades. Widely known in environmental and coastal management, watershed-based regions which composed with Han-river(western and eastern parts), Keum-river, Yeoungsan-river, Seomjin-river, Nakdong-river, and Jeju, are analyzed to evaluate temporal change of estuarine wetlands in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, through the land-cover map. Results show that estuarine wetlands dramatically decreased in Han-river(western part), Keum-river, Yeoungsan-river that estuarine circulation have been interrupted with man-made structures such as dyke and drainage. But, estuarine wetlands surrounded by forests and grasslands has been relatively less damaged. Habitat diversity providing healthy estuary ecosystem is lower in interrupted estuaries than circulated estuaries, which are composed of tidal-flat, open water, salt marsh, rocky coasts and sandy shoreline. This study indicates that spatial distribution and temporal variation of estuarine wetlands are different with estuary type and region, so estuary type with seven regions can be applied to provides a framework for estuary management strategies and to establish estuary restoration plans.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.21-31
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• 2007

Estuarine wetland, where freshwater meets saltwater, is a transitional ecosystem that is valuable ecologically for a variety of reasons, such as feeding and breeding sites for birds, fish, and wildlife. However, research on the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of estuarine wetlands in Korea is rare. As a fundamental basis for wetland conservation, this study quantified the wetlands in three major estuaries, and evaluated the temporal dynamics of the wetlands since the 1910s. In particular, this study classified the wetland types into mud flat, sand, and emergent-plant types, and estimated the change of each wetland type, using topographic maps produced in the 1910s, 1970s, and 2000s. The wetlands in both the Han and Youngsan River estuaries have declined since the 1910s, but the rate of wetland decline was relatively low before the 1970s, compared to that since the 1970s. The impact of human activities, such as the Youngsan Watershed Comprehensive Development Project and the construction of estuary barrages, has disrupted the estuary cycles and destroyed huge amounts of wetland in the Youngsan estuary. By contrast, estuarine wetlands have been preserved in the small Gahwa estuary, and provide a variety of habitats for plants and wildlife. A special management strategy for wetlands should be established as soon as possible.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.513-523
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• 2017

We evaluated the viability of phytoplankton along the salinity gradient in the flood and ebb tides of spring tide of February and the ebb tide of neap tide of March 2017 in the Seomjin River Estuary. Additional laboratory experiments were also conducted to determine the reason of the pH changes along the salinity gradient using the field natural sample in February. In field, saltwater was well mixed at downstream vertically and the salinity gradient was horizontally appeared toward upstream of freshwater zone. There were strong negative correlations between salinity and nutrient (nitrate + nitrite R=0.99, p<0.001, and silicate R=0.98, p<0.001), implying that those two nutrients of freshwater origin were gradually diluted with mixing the saltwater. On the other hands, relatively high phosphate concentration was kept in the stations of saltwater over 15 psu, indicating that it was caused by resuspended sediments of Gwangyang Bay and downstream by tidal water mixing.Among phytoplankton community structure in winter, Eucampia zodiacus have occupied to be c.a. 70 % in the most stations. Based on the field survey results for survivability of phytoplankton by phytoPAM instrument, there was positive correlations between salinity and chlorophyll a (R=0.82, p<0.001) and, salinity and active chlorophyll a (R=0.80, p<0.001), implying that the dominant marine diatom species may have significantly damaged in low salinity conditions of upstream. Also, maximum mortality rate of phytoplankton caused by low salinity shock was appered to be 75% in the upstream station. In particular, the pH in spring tides of February had tended to increase with high phytoplankton accmulated stations, suggesting that it was related with absorption of $CO_2$ by the photosynthesis of dominant diatom. In laboratory experiments, phytoplankton mass-mortality caused by low salinity shock was also occurred, which is confirmed with reducing the photosynthetic electron transport activity. Following the phytoplankton mass-mortality, bacteria abundance was significantly increased in 24 hours. As a result, the mass-proliferating bacteria can produce the $CO_2$ in the process of biodegradation of diatoms, which can lead to pH decrease. Therefore, marine phytoplankton species was greatly damaged in freshwater mixing area, depending on along the salinity gradient that was considered to be an important role in elevating and reducing of pH in Seomjin River Estuary.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.735-749
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• 2018

In this study, one studied the principal factors and water-quality components that determine the concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in seawater in estuaries, such as the Han, Geum, Youngsan, Seomjin, and Nakdong rivers in Korea. The principal factors determining the concentration of COD in seawater indicated by the principal component analysis were salinity, exogenous origin and autochthonous resources based on chlorophyll-a. Moreover, organic matter in the submarine sediment layer also had a secondary effect. Regression slope assessed the contribution of water-quality components to determine the concentration of COD in the estuary. One found that the effect of salinity on the overall survey was significant. Moreover, the effect of chlorophyll-a was also appeared in April and August. In each estuary, the most significant contribution factor was chlorophyll-a in the Nakdong River and salinity in the Han and Yongsan rivers. The contribution of salinity and chlorophyll-a were found to be the largest in the Geum River. The salinity and chlorophyll-a in the Seomjin River showed a low contribution.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.164-170
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• 2005

To investigate the aquatic environmental factors and processes controlling primary production in the Seomjin River estuary, chlorophyll a, nutrients, pH, SS, DO, temperature, salinity and primary productivity were measured in February, April, August and October, 2001. Primary productivity values ranged between 50.7 and 14,120.3 mg C $m^{-3} day^{-1}$ during the sampling period. In contrast to other estuaries, light condition did not seem to be the important limiting factor far primary production due to high water-column transparency during most of the time. The autumn bloom occurred in regions where salinity values ranged between 10 and 20 psu. This phenomenon appeared to develop every year and deserves further investigation. The behavior of nutrients, which is one of the major factors controlling the primary productivity, appeared to be governed by salinity regimes. The main source of nitrogenous nutrients seemed to be the freshwater runoff from the Seomjin River. However, that of phosphorus seemed to be from the industrial wastewater in Gwangyang area. The primary pro-duction of phytoplankton in the study area varied with space and time, showing a close correlation with water column transparency, and exhibited higher values compared to those of adjacent coastal regions in Gwangyang Bay.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.115-121
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• 2009

It is to use effectively for stream channel and watershed management as the prediction and the analysis of bed changes characteristics in the Seomjin river downstream. The necessary data (section, bed composition material, pivot point water elevation, coefficient of roughness) with regard to analysis of the bed changes characteristics were based upon the survey data and analysis results in the Seomjin river maintenance basic plan. The prediction of bed changes was also completed with HEC-6 model. The study results were summarized as follows: The main factor of bed changes in the Seomjin river downstream can be decided by extreme extraction of bed aggregate rather than the change of hydrological data. According to the analysis of bed stability based on the relation between friction velocity and representative grain size, and the relation between dimensionless tractive force and representative grain size, the Seomjin river downstream appears to be increased overall. The bed composition material in the stream channel of the Seomjin river of 2003 year shows higher composition rate of gravel and lower composition rate of sand as compared to those of 1989 year. According to result that the prediction of bed changes, it is estimated that the bed will be risen approximately 1.5 m to the place up to 9 km from the estuary, have been repetitively risen and fallen up to 1 m to the place between $9{\sim}21\;km$ section, and fallen about 0.5m to the place between $22{\sim}25\;km$ section. As a result, the bed of the Seomjin river downstream can be decided to be risen gradually. However, since the prediction of this study is based on the assumption that there will be no forced aggregate picking, the bed changes can be much greater than expected when there is a massive aggregate picking as it had happened before.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.216-218
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• 2001

1970년대에 접어들면서 광양만 및 인근해역은 대규모 산업단지 조성에 의해 다량의 생활하수와 산업배(폐)수가 유입되면서 매우 빠르게 부영양화가 진행되게 되어 급격한 생태계의 천이를 발생시키고 있다. 따라서 연구에서는 연안해역의 개발과 인위적 부영양화 과정에 따른 생태계 천이과정을 추구하는 한가지 수단으로 외부 환경변화에 가장 민감하게 반응하는 식물플랑크톤 생물량의 시ㆍ공간적 분포특성을 파악하여 보았다. (중략)

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.237-247
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• 1987

The present study deals with the physico-chemical and meteorological conditions in Porphyra-cultivation ground to determine the relationship between laver production and its environmental factors in Kwangyang Bay from January to April in 1986. As a result, major environmental factors which are thought to have a great influence upon the poor harvest during the cultivation period are as follows; 1) the excessive rainfall in the beginning of cultivation period 2) the accumulation of suspended matters on the thallus of laver 3) the decrease of current velocity and the stagnation of the water in the cultivation ground.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.274-294
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• 2007

The most reasonable method of counting the number of the estuaries in Korea may be counting the number of streams flowing into the sea. The number counting of the streams should be carried out based on the river classes (National River, Regional 1st Class River and Regional 2nd Class River) given by the River Act. The National River scale estuaries are totaled to thirteen, i.e. Han River(including Imjin River), Anseongcheon, Sapgyocheon, Geum River, Mankyeong River, Dongjin River, Yeoungsan River, Tamjin River, Seomjin River, Gawhacheon, Nakdong River(including West Nakdong River), Taewha River, and Hyeongsan River estuaries. The Regional 1st Class River scale estuaries are counted as four, i.e. Yeoungdeok Osipcheon, Samcheok Osipcheon, Gangneung Namdaecheon, and Yangyang Namdaecheon. While, the Regional 2nd Class River estuaries are arranged as the Province and counted as total 444; Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, Chungnam, Jeju Province have the 108, 94, 52, and 35 estuaries, respectively. The counted estuary numbers, however, can be slightly increased/decreased on what references are applied, e.g. whether or not including the streams lost estuary functions by the sea-dike construction or integrated nearby streams, and so on.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.236-244
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• 2014

This study considered a seagrass habitat in order to analyze the characteristics of a marine environment of seagrass located in the Seomjin river estuary, through an analysis of the distribution of the water depth, field observation, and three-dimensional numerical experiments using an EFDC model. The seagrass habitat was usually distributed at D.L(-) 0.5~0.0 m, and was hardly seen in the intertidal zone higher than that range. The distribution of the water temperature was within the range of $7.0{\sim}23.2^{\circ}C$, and the seagrass was demonstrated to have a strong tolerance to changes in the water temperature. In addition, the salinity distribution was found to be 27.2~31.0 psu, with suspended solids of 32.1 mg/L, which were higher than the previous research results (Huh et al., 1998), implying that there may be a reduction in the amount of deposits caused by the suspended solids. As for the sedimentary facies, they were comprised of 62.7% sand, 19.1% silt, and 18.2% clay, indicating that the arenaceous was superior and the sedimentary facies were similar to that of Dadae Bay. According to a numerical experiment, the maximum tidal current was 75 cm/s, while the tidal residual current was 10 cm/s, confirming that it sufficiently adapted to strong tidal currents. The erosion and deposition are predicted to be less than 1.0 cm/year. Thus, it is judged that the resuspension of sediments due to tidal currents and the changes in sedimentary facies are insignificant.