• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.651-659
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• 2003

A new method was proposed to control Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) by a biosurfactant sophorolipid. The effect of sophorolipid on the growth, motility, precipitation, and recovery of algal cells was investigated for four common HAB species, Scripsiella trochoidea, Prorocentrum minimum, Cochlodinium polykrikoides, and Heterosigma akashiwo. The motility and growth of algal cells were inhibited significantly at the concentration of 20 and 5 mg/l sophorolipid, respectively, and no recovery was observed under the above concentrations. The concentration of 20 mg/l sophorolipid was considered to be an effective concentration for the mitigation of HABs. A sedimentation test suggested that the maximum precipitation occurred at the end of 1 h, and the algicidal effect of sophorolipid was observed by a microscope. Comparative study showed that sophorolipid had marked algicidal capability. Analysis on biodegradability, toxicity, and cost effectiveness further demonstrated the potential of sophorolipid in future HABs mitigation.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.109-113
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• 1998

The clay and yellow loess have capability to adsorb and precipitate particles. The removal efficiencyes of those flocculents on the dinoflagellate, Cochlodinium polykrikoides, have been studied in laboratory and in field near Tongyong fish farm in September, 1996. The removal efficiencyes in the laboratory experiment was $43\%$ for $2\;g/{\ell}$, $64\%$ for $6g/{\ell}$ and $88\%$ for $10\;g/{\ell}$ in one hour after dispersion. No big difference of removal efficiency was found between the raw and the acid-activated loess. In the field survey, the removal rates ranged from 72 to $80\%$ in 30 min after the dispersion. The effect of loess scattering on water quality was estimated. The concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), chemical of gen demand (COD) and chlorophyll a decreased more or less after dispersion, while the concentration of suspended solid (SS) increased. The concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) and dissolved inorganic phosphorous (DIP) were kept constant. These results indicated that the dispersion concentration of more than $10g/{\ell}$ has a good removal efficiency of above $80\%$ without big variation of water quality after dispersion of yellow loess.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.491-494
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• 2006

The west coast of Northern Borneo is strongly influenced by Asian monsoon. Present research using the satellite ocean color (OC) remote sensing has identified some interesting oceanographic phenomena in this area that could be related to the harmful algal blooms (HAB). Occurrence of seasonal upwelling event was noticed off the northern tip of Borneo Island that could be related to the northeast monsoon wind. Harmful algal blooms by Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum occurred since 1976. Subsequently, during December 2003, there was a report of new HAB by Cochlodinium polykrikoides in Northern Borneo. Analysis of OC images revealed that the Cochlodinium bloom had very high chlorophyll a signal and strong absorption characteristics. Results showed that the Baram River plume and upwelling at Northern Borneo were the source of nutrient for the Cochlodinium bloom in the offshore region. Ocean color images of 2004 showed that the bloom from Northern Borneo had crossed the Balabac Straits, reaching Palawan Island in Philippine. Due to the possibility of transboundary HAB problem, we propose a regional HAB monitoring network for an effective HAB management.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.309-322
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• 2024

Identifying algae in water is important for managing algal blooms which have great impact on drinking water supply systems. There have been various microscopic approaches developed for algae classification. Many of them are based on the morphological features of algae. However, there have seldom been mathematical frameworks for comparing the shape of algae, represented as a planar continuous curve obtained from an image. In this work, we describe a recent framework for computing shape distance between two different algae based on the elastic metric and a novel functional representation called the square root velocity function (SRVF). We further introduce statistical procedures for multiple shapes of algae including computing the sample mean, the sample covariance, and performing the principal component analysis (PCA). Based on the shape distance, we classify six algal species in watersheds experiencing algal blooms, including three cyanobacteria (Microcystis, Oscillatoria, and Anabaena), two diatoms (Fragilaria and Synedra), and one green algae (Pediastrum). We provide and compare the classification performance of various distance-based and model-based methods. We additionally compare elastic shape distance to non-elastic distance using the nearest neighbor classifiers.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.445-449
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• 2005

Various methods to detect the phytoplankton/red tide blooms in the oceanic waters have been developed and tested on satellite ocean color imagery since the last two and half decades, but accurate detection of blooms with these methods remains challenging in optically complex turbid waters, mainly because of the eventual interference of absorbing and scattering properties of dissolved organic and particulate inorganic matters with these methods. The present study introduces a new method called Red tide Index (Rl), providing indices which behave as a good measure of detecting red tide algal blooms in high scattering and absorbing waters of the Korean South Sea and Yellow Sea. The effectiveness of this method in identifying and locating red tides is compared with the standard Ocean Chlorophyll 4 (OC4) bio-optical algorithm applied to SeaWiFS ocean imagery, acquired during two bloom episodes on 27 March 2002 and 28 September 2003. The result revealed that OC4 bio-optical algorithm falsely identifies red tide blooms in areas abundance in colored dissolved organic and particulate inorganic matter constituents associated with coastal areas, estuaries and river mouths, whereas red tide index provides improved capability of detecting, predicting and monitoring of these blooms in both clear and turbid waters.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.471-474
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• 2006

Several planktonic dinoflagellates, including Cochlodinium polykrikoides (p), are known to produce red tides responsible for massive fish kills and serious economic loss in turbid Northwest Pacific (Korean and neighboring) coastal waters during summer and fall seasons. In order to mitigate the impacts of these red tides, it is therefore very essential to detect, monitor and forecast their development and movement using currently available remote sensing technology because traditional ship-based field sampling and analysis are very limited in both space and temporal frequency. Satellite ocean color sensors, such as Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), are ideal instruments for detecting and monitoring these blooms because they provide relatively high frequency synoptic information over large areas. Thus, the present study attempts to evaluate the red tide index methods (previously developed by Ahn and Shanmugam et al., 2006) to identify potential areas of red tides from SeaWiFS imagery in Korean and neighboring waters. Findings revealed that the standard spectral ratio algorithms (OC4 and LCA) applied to SeaWiFS imagery yielded large errors in Chl retrievals for coastal areas, besides providing false information about the encountered red tides in the focused waters. On the contrary, the RI coupled with the standard spectral ratios yielded comprehensive information about various ranges of algal blooms, while RCA Chl showing a good agreement with in-situ data led to enhanced understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of the recent red tide occurrences in high scattering and absorbing waters off the Korean and Chinese coasts. The results suggest that the red tide index methods for the early detection of red tides blooms can provide state managers with accurate identification of the extent and location of blooms as a management tool.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.397-403
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• 2019

Microcystis sp. is one of the most common harmful cyanobacteria that release toxic substances. Counting algal cells is often used for effective control of harmful algal blooms. However, Microcystis sp. is commonly observed as a colony, so counting individual cells is challenging, as it requires significant time and labor. It is urgent to develop an accurate, simple, and rapid method for counting algal cells for regulatory purposes, estimating the status of blooms, and practicing proper management of water resources. The flow cytometer and microscope (FlowCAM), which is a dynamic imaging particle analyzer, can provide a promising alternative for rapid and simple cell counting. However, there is no accurate method for counting individual cells within a Microcystis colony. Furthermore, cell counting based on two-dimensional images may yield inaccurate results and underestimate the number of algal cells in a colony. In this study, a three-dimensional cell counting approach using a novel model algorithm was developed for counting individual cells in a Microcystis colony using a FlowCAM. The developed model algorithm showed satisfactory performance for Microcystis sp. cell counting in water samples collected from two rivers, and can be used for algal management in fresh water systems.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2016

In this year, Koreans have a shortage in agricultural and drinking water due to severe algal blooms generated in major lakes. Waste oyster shells were obtained from temporary storage near the workplace at which oysters were separated from their shells. Heating ($1000^{\circ}C$ for 1 h in air) was employed to convert raw oyster shell powders into calcium oxide powders that reacted efficiently with phosphorus and nitrogen to remove algal blooms from eutrophicated wastewater. As the dispersed amount of heated oyster shell powders was increased, water clarity and visual light penetration were improved. Coagulation, precipitation and carbonation process of the heated oyster shell powders in a water purifier facilitated removal of eutrophication nutrient such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which is both beneficial and economically viable. $CO_2$ implantation by carbonation treatment not only produced thermodynamically stable CaO in oyster shells to derive precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) but also accelerated algal removal by activation of coagulation and precipitation process. The use of oyster shell powders led to a mean reduction of 97% in total phosphate (T-P), a mean reduction of 91% in total nitrogen (T-N) and a maximum reduction of 51% in chemical oxygen demand (COD), compared with the total pollutant load of raw algal solution. Remarkable water quality improvement of algal removal by heated oyster shell powders and PCC carbonation treatment will allow utilization as water resources to agricultural or industrial use.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.7-24
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• 2008

Masan-Jinhae Bay, in Korea, is known for its frequent algal bloom outbreaks. This study was conducted in order to examine the environmental characteristics of the area, with the aim of identifying indicators that could be used to speculate about future algal blooms. The water temperatures and salinities in Haengam Bay, one of the small inner bays within Jinhae, appeared to re relatively higher than those in Masan and Jinhae bays, across most seasons. Furthermore, stratification begins to develop in all three regions from spring to summer as a result of the local heating effects and an increase in the efficient from the surrounding land. As a result, anoxic conditions appear near the bottom layer of the bay, leading to the deterioration of water quality, which has been identified as one of the causes of bloom outbreaks. Compared to Haengam and Jinhae bays, concentrations of DIN and DIP were remarkably higher in Masan Bay. However, the mean ratio of DIN to DIP was 3.3$\sim$13.6 in all three regions throughout the year, suggesting that nitrogen can function as a growth-limiting factor for phytoplankton. The results of mathematical models showed that cumulative organic pollutants may be a trigger for direct algal bloom occurrences, since residual tidal currents appeared to be less than $3\;cm\;\cdot\;s^{-1}$. Furthermore, computed DO concentrations in the four small inner bays of Jinhae during the summer appeared to be $3\;cm\;\cdot\;l^{-1}$ indicating a hypoxic state. Likewise, computed Chl-a concentrations turned out to be more than $0.01\;mg\;\cdot\;l^{-1}$, indicating eutrophication across most seasons. Based on the overall results, Masan-Jinhae Bay appeared to possess a very high potential for algal bloom outbreaks at anytime during the year.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.887-894
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• 2006

Water quality in the Daecheong reservoir has been deteriorated by algal bloom every year. Algal bloom is propagated from eutrophicated tributary into the main body of the reservoir during the wet season. Nutrients from diffuse sources trigger the propagation of the algal bloom. This study is aimed to analyze relationship between the water current by the simulation and algae transport from the main body in the Daecheong reservoir including tributary where algal bloom has occurred seriously every year. Water quality model CE-QUAL-W2 was applied to analyze water movement in draught season (2001) and flooding season (2003). The result of simulation corresponded with the observed water elevation level, 63~80 m and showed stratification of the Daecheong reservoir. In the draught season, as velocity and direction off low in the reservoir was estimated to affect algae transport including nutrient supply from small tributary, algal blooms occurred in the stagnate zone of middle stream of the reservoir. On the other hand, in the flooding season, it was resulted in nutrient transport from upstream of main reservoir and nutrients were delivered up to downstream by fast water velocity. In result, algal blooms occurred in stagnate zone of reservoir downstream as the current of downstream was retarded according to dam outflow control.