• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2012

Transport of marine debris between countries is a potential source of diplomatic conflicts. U-i Island in Shinan County, Jeonnam Province has been reported by media as being damaged by marine debris from foreign countries. However, scientific researches on those marine debris have not been published. So, the features of foreign marine debris on Seongchon Beach in U-i Island were surveyed on Feb. 2012. The ratio of marine debris from foreign countries was 34.7% by number of items, 56.3% by weight, and 48.5% by volume in $200m^2$ transacts. Most of them, 98.9% in number, were inferred to be originated from China. The most abundant items were plastic beverage bottles and black floats. The total number of black floats was 539 within the 1,100m beach. Fifteen of them had information on manufactured locations, of which 87.6% were Liaoning Province in northern China. As domestic policy cannot prevent the inflow of the marine debris from foreign countries, countermeasures should be sought out from the international cooperation with the neighboring countries. For the black floats, recycling method should be developed as lots of the same types of black floats are drifted ashore in winter. And, as the U-i Island is a National Park with its valuable natural heritages, methods should be designed to minimize impacts on dune topography and ecology.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.89-100
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• 2012

The aim of this study knows to occurrence characteristics and monthly transition of foreign marine debris by changing in the marine environment for the national marine debris monitoring areas in the west coastal area. The Jeju Island (5,112) had the highest number for foreign marine debris flowed in the coast. Many areas in the next were surveyed by Hajo Island (1,967), Imja Island (507). Plastic bottles were the most common type to 2,925 piece of the whole collection. Then, the monthly occurrence amount was concentrated in July, September. At this time, analysis results of the marine environment are as follows: The sea surface wind of southerly or southeasterly were predominated. In addition, the sea surface circulations were dominated by inflow of seawater southward along the China Coast and northward from the East China Sea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2011

A study on the occurrence and movement of marine debris is required for protecting the marine environment and ecosystem from marine pollution. The aim of this study is to show annual production and movement characteristics through analysis for the flow path, composition and the sources of marine debris. This study analyzed the distribution and characteristics of marine debris collected in the region of $100\;m{\times}20\;m$($=2,000\;m^2$) at the Daekwang Beach in the Yellow Sea. During the collection period from 2008 to 2010, the total weight of the marine debris was 1,445 kg in this site. The most marine debris was plastic amounting to 46.5% of the whole collection; the rest were styrofoam(20%) and wooden material(12.6%). The amount of marine debris mused from foreign country observed 155.5 kg, more than 90% of them was plastic came from China such as buoys. Additionally, this study analyzed seasonal change if marine environment to understand occurrence amount change if marine debris. 2009 and 2010 was high occurrence ratio in season that the north wind is very strong and the occurrence rate appeared highest by 40% in the summer(July) of 2008 that appeared westbound tidal current. Overall, marine Debris mused from foreign country was high occurrence ratio in January, May and then November has a lot of quantity secondly. While, occurrence ratio was the highest by 46% summer(July) in 2008, but in 2009 and 2010 showed the lowest rate to 4%.