• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.257-262
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• 2004

Recently, there is a growing interest in microalgae and the use of microalgae focused on the production of various high value metabolite used in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The key limiting factor in high density algal cultivation is the light and algal growth is defined by light intensity and light penetration depth into the culture medium. The effect of light with various light paths, S/V ratios, light intensities, and 50% duty cycle on the growth of microalgae was examined to enhance microalgal biomass productivity and photosynthetic efficiency. We confirmed that the utilization of efficient light energy was obtained from 4 cm of diameter, 57.6% of S/V ratio, 62 ${\mu}$mol/㎡/s of light intensity.

• 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.35 no.2
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• pp.165-180
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• 2019

Water quality data of 81 lakes in Korea, 2013 ~ 2017 were analyzed. Most water quality parameters showed left-skewed distribution, while dissolved oxygen showed normal distribution. pH and dissolved oxygen showed a positive correlation with organic matter and nutrients, which appeared to be a nonsense correlation mediated by the algae. The ratio of $BOD_5$ and $COD_{Mn}$ to CBOD was 21 % and 52 % in the freshwater lakes, respectively. TOC concentration appeared to be underestimated by the UV digestion method, when salinity exceeds $700{\mu}S\;cm^{-1}$. In terms of nitrogen/phosphorus ratio, the limiting factor for algal growth seemed to be phosphorus in most of the lakes. Chlorophyll ${\alpha}$ increased acutely with decrease of N/P ratio. However, it seemed to be a nonsense correlation mediated by phosphorus concentration, since the N/P ratio depended on phosphorus. The N/P ratio of brackish lakes was lower than that of the freshwater, at the same concentration of phosphorus. It is worth examining denitrification that occurs, in bottom layer and sediment, during saline stratification. $Chl.{\alpha}$ concentration decreased in the form of a power function with increase of mean depth. The primary reason is that deep lakes are mainly at the less-disturbed upstream. However, it is necessary to investigate the effect of sediment, on water quality in shallow lakes. Light attenuation in the upper layer, was dominated by tripton (non-algal suspended solids) absorption/scattering (average relative contribution of 39 %), followed by CDOM (colored dissolved organic matter) (average 37 %) and $Chl.{\alpha}$ (average 21 %).

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.181-195
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• 2015

Algal blooms in lakes are one of major environmental issues in Korea. A three-dimensional, hydrodynamic and water quality model was developed and tested in Lake Euiam to assess the performance and limitations of numerical modeling with multiple algal groups using field data commonly collected for algal management. In this study, EFDC was adopted as the basic model framework. Simulated vertical profiles of water temperature, dissolved oxygen and nutrients monitored at five water quality monitoring stations from March to October 2013, which are closely related to algal dynamics simulation, showed good agreement with those of observed data. The overall spatio-temporal variations of three algal groups were reasonably simulated against the chlorophyll-a levels of those estimated from the limited monitoring data (chlorophyll-a level and cell numbers of algal species) with the RMSEs ranging from 2.6 to $17.5mg/m^3$. Also, note that $PO_4-P$ level in the water column was a key limiting factor controlling the growth of three algal groups during most of simulation period. However, the algal modeling results were not fully attainable to the levels of observation during short periods of time showing abrupt increase in algae throughout the lake. In particular, the green algae/cyanobacteria and diatom simulations were underestimated in late June to early July and early October, respectively. The results shows that better understanding of internal algal processes, neglected in most algal modeling studies, is necessary to predict the sudden algal blooms more accurately because the concentrations of external $PO_4-P$ and specific algal groups originated from the tributaries (mainly, dam water releases) during the periods were too low to fully capture the sharp rise of internal algal levels. In this respect, this study suggests that future modeling efforts should be focused on the quantification of internal cycling processes including vertical movement of algal species with respect to changes in environmental conditions to enhance the modeling performance on complex algal dynamics.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.73-87
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• 2011

An abnormal mono-specific bloom of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa had developed at a specific location (transitional zone, monitoring station of Hoenam) in Daecheong Reservoir from middle of July to early August, 2001. The maximum cell counts during the peak bloom reached 1,477,500 cells/mL, which was more than 6~10 times greater than those at other monitoring sites. The hypothesis of this study is that the timing and location of the algal bloom was highly correlated with the local environmental niche that was controled by physical processes such as hydrodynamic mixing and pollutant transport in the reservoir. A three-dimensional, coupled hydrodynamic and ecological model, ELCOM-CAEDYM, was applied to the period of development and subsequent decline of the bloom. The model was calibrated against observed water temperature profiles and water quality variables for different locations, and applied to reproduce the algal bloom event and justify the limiting factor that controled the Microcystis bloom at R3. The simulation results supported the hypothesis that the phosphorus loading induced from a contaminated tributary during several runoff events are closely related to the rapid growth of Microcystis during the period of bloom. Also the physical environments of the reservoir such as a strong thermal stratification and weak wind velocity conditions provided competitive advantage to Microcystis given its light adaptation capability. The results show how the ELCOM-CAEDYM captures the complex interactions between the hydrodynamic and biogeochemical processes, and the local environmental niche that is preferable for cyanobacterial species growth.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.577-588
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• 2022

This study aims to identify the limiting nutrient for algal growth in the Geum River and the significant pollutant sources from the tributaries affecting the water quality and to provide a management alternative for an improvement of water quality. An eight-year of daily data (2013~2020) were collected from the Water Environment Information System (water.nier.go.kr) and Water Resources Management Information System (wamis.go.kr). 14 water quality variables were analyzed at five water quality monitoring stations in the Geum River (WQ1-WQ5). In the Geum River, the water quality variables, especially Chl-a vary greatly in downstream of the river. In the open weir gate operation, TP (total phosphorus) and water temperature greatly influence the growth of algae in downstream of the river. A correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between variables and investigate the factor affecting algal growth in the Geum River. At the downstream station (WQ5), TP and Temp have shown a strong correlation with Chl-a, indicating they significantly influence the algal bloom. The principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to identify and prioritize the major pollutant sources of the two major tributaries of the river, Gab-cheon and Miho-cheon. PCA identifies three major pollutant sources for Gab-cheon and Miho-cheon, respectively. For Gab-cheon, wastewater treatment plant, urban, and agricultural pollutions pollution are identified as significant pollutant sources. For Miho-cheon, agricultural, urban, and forest land are identified as major pollutant sources. PCA seems to be effective in identifying water pollutant sources for the Geum River and its tributaries in detail and thus can be used to develop water quality management strategies.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2008

The abundance and community structure of epilithic diatoms grown on different substrata were investigated in two first-order streams located in a limestone and granite area, north of the Suzuka Mountains in Central Japan. Experiments were conducted as follows: limestone and granite without algae were submerged in their own streambed or another stream station and incubated for seven weeks, while limestone and granite with algae were transferred to another stream station and incubated at the same time. The diatom biomass was consistently high in the lime-stone station experiments compared to those at the granite station. In addition, there was more diatom biomass on granite substrata than on the limestone substrata at both stations. The present results suggested that the difference in water chemistry including the major nutrient concentrations was the limiting factor for algal growth in these two streams; however, when the water chemistry was the same in each stream, the difference in substratum characteristics became the important factor affecting the diatom abundance. The diatom community grown on the transferred substrata with and without algae became similar to those grown on the original substrata in each stream during the incubation period. It was suggested that the effect of the substrata characteristics on the diatom community structure was rather small.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.4 s.109
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• pp.368-372
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• 2004

The development of a benthic filamentous green algal community formed by Spiro gyra sp. in early summer has been observed in the littoral zones in the north basin of Lake Biwa since the 1980s. The development of a Spirogyra sp. community may have an effect on the increase in the biomass of the benthic algal community in early summer and on the alterations in seasonal fluctuation patterns of the biomass. In this mini-review, the causes underlying the development of the Spirogyra sp. community are discussed on the basis of studies in the seasonal fluctuations of benthic algal communities in littoral stony zones carried out in 1963-1964, 1995-1996 and 2000-2001, especially those focusing on the nutrient concentration $(NO_3^--N)$. $NO_3^--N$ concentrations in June were higher than $100{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ in 1995 and 2000 in contrast to a concentration in June 1964 of only $20{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$. These results show that $NO_3^--N$concentrations throughout in 1963-1964 period were considerably lower than those in 1995-1996 and 2000-2001, suggesting that the $NO_3^--N$concentration may have served as a limiting factor on Spirogyra sp. growth in 1963. $NO_3^--N$ concentrations in the pelagic zone in the north basin of Lake Biwa have clearly increased from the 1950s under the impact of economic growth and the increasing population in the watershed. The development of the Spirogyra sp. community seems to be the result of a heady increase in the nutrient supply from human activities.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.53 no.10
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• pp.877-887
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• 2020

A 3-Dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model was applied to evaluate the effects of weir gate operations on water quality and harmful algal bloom (HAB) occurrences at selected locations in the Nakdong River, Geum River, and Yeongsan River. For the Geum River and Yeongsan River, when the gates are left open, annual and summer Chl-a and HABs were decreased at upstream locations, Sejong Weir and Seungchon Weir, but summer average concentrations of Chl-a and HABs were increased at downstream locations, Baekje Weir and Juksan Weir. For the open scenario, the reduced hydraulic residence time in the upper stream areas of the Geum River and Yeongsan River would allow less available time for nutrient consumption that would result in higher dissolved inorganic phosphorus concentrations followed by higher algal growth in the downstream areas. However, in the case of the Nakdong River, both annual and summer Chl-a and HABs were increased in all locations for the open scenario. This condition seems to be resulted in due to increased light availability by reduced water depths. Changes in Chl-a and HABs occurrences due to the water gate control in the study sites are different due to differences in physical, chemical, and biological conditions in each location.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.19-29
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• 2001

Nutrients are key environmental factors in marine ecosystem. They limit algal growth when at low concentrations and cause algal bloom when at high contents. They also control the growth and succession of many other biota including bacteria and zooplankton, either directly or indirectly. Nutrient contents therefore affect both the structure and functions of marine ecosystem. To study the contents and distribution of nutrients in Chinese Bohai Sea, two cruise surveys were undertaken in August 2000 (summer) and January 2001 (winter), respectively. A total of 595 water samples were collected from 91 sites. After collection the samples were transported to the laboratory and five nutrients, i.e., nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, phosphate and silicate, were analyzed. The results showed that tile average concentration of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) in Bohai Sea in winter (6.5293.717 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/) was significantly higher than that in summer (3.717 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/). The phosphorus concentration in winter (0.660 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/) was also significantly higher than that in summer (0.329 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/). Mean silicate concentration in winter (7.858 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/) was not significantly different from that in summer (7.200 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/). Nutrients also varied considerable among different areas within Bohai Sea. TIN concentration in Laizhou Bay (4.444 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/), for example, was significantly higher than those in Bohai Bay (2.270 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/) and Bohai Straight (2.431 ${\mu}$mol$.$l$\^$-1/), which probably reflects tile discharge of large amounts of nitrogen into Laizhou Bay via Yellow River. The nutrients also showed vertical distribution pattern. In summer, nutrients in bottom layer were generally higher than those in surface and medium layers. In winter, however. nutrients in different layers were not significantly different Compared with historic data, TIN contents increased continuously since early 1980s, phosphorus arid silicone contents, nevertheless, fell down to some degree. Based on atomic ratios of different nutrients, nitrogen is still the main limiting factor for algal growth in Bohai Sea.