• Title/Summary/Keyword: Antarctic Science

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Ecological and Biogeochemical Response of Antarctic Ecosystems to Iron Fertilization and Implications on Global Carbon Cycle

  • Bathmann, Ulrich
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.27 no.2
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    • pp.231-235
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    • 2005
  • The European Iron Fertilization Experiment EIFEX studied the growth and decline of a phytoplankton bloom stimulated by fertilising $10km^2$ in the core of a mesoscale $(80{\times}120km)$ cyclonic eddy south of the Antarctic Polar Front with about 2 times 7 tonnes of iron sulphate. The phytoplankton accumulation induced by iron fertilization did not exceed $3{\mu}g\;chl\;a\;l^{-1}$ despite a draw down of $5{\mu}M$ of nitrate that should have resulted in at least double to triple the amount of phytoplankton biomass assuming regular Redfield-ratios for draw down after phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean. During EIFEX the fertilized core of the mesoscale eddy evolved to a hotspot for a variety of small and medium sized mesozooplankton copepods. In contrast to copepods, the biomass of salps (Salpa thompson)) that dominated zooplankton biomass before the onset of our experiment decreased to nearly extinction. Most of the species of the rnosozooplankton community showed extremely hiか feeding rates compared to literature values from Southern Ocean summer communities. At the end of the experiment, massive phytoplankton sedimentation reached the sea floor at about 3800m water depth.

Natural and Anthropogenic Heavy Metal Deposition to the Snow in King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula

  • Hong, Sung-Min;Lluberas, Albert;Lee, Gang-Woong;Park, Jun-Kun
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.279-287
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    • 2002
  • Successive 24 snow samples, collected from a 1.2m snow pit at a site on the summit of Main Dome in King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula, were measured for heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn and other chemical species. The mean concentrations of heavy metals are 3.48pg/g for Pb, 0.10pg/g for Cd, 16.6 pg/g for Cu and 15.8 pg/g for Zn, respectively. Pb and Cd concentrations observed in our samples are very comparable to those reported for recent snow at other Antarctic sites, while Zn and Cu levels are much higher than those at other sites. The annual fallout fluxes of all heavy metals approximately calculated are, however, much greater in King George Island than at other sites. With respect to the estimates of natural contributions, sea salt spray is found to be a major contributor to Cd and Zn inputs to the snow and minor to Cu inputs. On the other hand, the anthropogenic input can account for a large part of Pb concentrations. A tentative estimate represents that local emissions could be responsible for more than half of the excess Pb flux to the snow in King George Island.

Origins and Paleoceanographic Significance of Layered Diatom Ooze from Bransfield Strait in the Northern Antarctic Peninsula around 2.5 kyrs BP

  • Yoon, Ho-Il;Kim, Yea-Dong;Park, Byong-Kwon;Kang, Cheon-Yun;Bae, Sung-Ho;Yoo, Kyu-Chul
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.301-311
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    • 2002
  • We used diatom and porewater data of two piston cores from the central subbasin and one from the western subbasin in the Bransfield Strait in the northern Antarctic Peninsula to elucidate the depositional mechanism of the layered diatom ooze. The layered diatom ooze is characterized by an abundance of organic carbon, biogenic silica, sulfde sulfur, and lower porewater sulfate concentration. This lack of pore-water sulfate concentration in the diatom ooze interval may reflect development of reducing micro-environment in which bacterially mediated sulfate reduction occurred. The negative relationship between the total organic carbon and sulfate contents, however, indicates that sulfate reduction was partly taking place but does not control organic carbon preservation in this unit. Rather, well-preserved Chaetoceros resting spores in the layered diatom ooze indicate a rapid sedimentation of the diatom as a result of repetitive iceedge blooms on the Bransfield shelf during the cold period (around 2500 yrs BP) when the permanent seaice existed on the shelf, During this period, it is expected that the downslope-flowing cold and dense water was also formed on the Bransfield shelf as a result of sea ice formation, playing an important role for the formation of layered diatom ooze in the Bransfield subbasins.

Variation of Nitrate Concentrations and δ15N Values of Seawater in the Drake Passage, Antarctic Ocean (남극해 드레이크해협 해수의 질산염 농도와 질소동위원소 값의 변화)

  • Jang, Yang-Hee;Khim, Boo-Keun;Shin, Hyoung-Chul;Sigman, Daniel M.;Wang, Yi;Hong, Chang-Su
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.30 no.4
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    • pp.407-418
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    • 2008
  • Seawater samples were collected at discrete depths from five stations across the polar front in the Drake Passage (Antarctic Ocean) by the $20^{th}$ Korea Antarctic Research Program in December, 2006. Nitrate concentrations of seawater increase with depth within the photic zone above the depth of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW). In contrast, ${\delta}^{15}N$ values of seawater nitrate decrease with depth, showing a mirror image to the nitrate variation. Such a distinct vertical variation is mainly attributed to the degree of nitrate assimilation by phytoplankton as well as organic matter degradation of sinking particles within the surface layer. The preferential $^{14}{NO_3}^-$ assimilation by the phytoplankton causes $^{15}{NO_3}^-$ concentration to become high in a closedsystem surface-water environment during the primary production, whereas more $^{14}{NO_3}^-$ is added to the seawater during the degradation of sinking organic particles. The water-mass mixing seems to play an important role in the alteration of ${\delta}^{15}N$ values in the deep layer below the UCDW. Across the polar front, nitrate concentrations of surface seawater decrease and corresponding ${\delta}^{15}N$ values increase northward, which is likely due to the degree of nitrate utilization during the primary production. Based on the Rayleigh model, the calculated ${\varepsilon}$ (isotope effect of nitrate uptake) values between 4.0%o and 5.8%o were validated by the previously reported data, although the preformed ${\delta}^{15}{{NO_3}^-}_{initial}$ value of UCDW is important in the calculation of ${\varepsilon}$ values.

Surface Flux Measurements at King Sejong Station in West Antarctica: I. Turbulent Characteristics and Sensible Beat Flux (남극 세종기지에서의 지표 플럭스 관측: I. 난류 특성과 현열 플럭스)

  • Choi, Tae-Jin;Lee, Bang-Yong;Lee, Hee-Choon;Shim, Jae-Seol
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.26 no.3
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    • pp.453-463
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    • 2004
  • The Antarctic Peninsula is important in terms of global warming research due to pronounced increase of air temperature over the last century. The first eddy covariance system was established at King Sejong Station located in the northern region of the Antarctic Peninsula in December of 2002 and has been operated over one year. Here, we analyze turbulent characteristics to determine quality control criteria for turbulent sensible heat flux data as well as to diagnose the possibility of long term eddy covariance measurement under extreme weather conditions of the Antarctic Peninsula. We also report the preliminary result on sensible heat flux. Based on the analyses on turbulent characteristics such as integral turbulence characteristics of vertical velocity (w) and heat (T), stationarity test and investigation of correlation coefficient, they fallow the Monin-Obukhov similarity and eddy covariance flux data were reliable. ${\sim}47%$ of total retrieved sensible heat flux data could be used for further analysis. Daytime averaged sensible heat flux showed a pronounced seasonal variation, with a maximum of up to $300Wm^{-2}$ in summer. In conclusion, continuous and long-term eddy covariance measurement may be possible at the study site and the land surface may influence the atmosphere significantly through heat transport in summer.

Fatty Acid Composition of Antarctic Toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni (남극이빨고기(Dissostichus mawsoni)의 지방산조성)

  • Lim, Chi-Won;Jo, Hyun-Su;Yeon, InJa;Seok, KyuJin;Choi, Seok-Gwan;Yoon, Na-Young;Shim, Kil-Bo
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.45 no.6
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    • pp.579-585
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    • 2012
  • The proximate compositions and fatty acid profiles of Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni that was caught in the southern Ross Sea (J, L) of the Antarctic Ocean were studied. The lipid contents of samples from J and L were 18.2 and 21.1%, respectively. The protein and ash contents were similar for samples J and L. The prominent fatty acids in the total lipids of the fish muscle were 18:1n-9, 16:1n-7, 16:0, 14:0, 18:1n-7, 20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA), and 22:6n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA). In addition, the total fatty acids of bycatch products in the toothfish stomachs (Pleuragramma antarcticum, Gerlachea australis, Pasiphaea sp., Trematomus eulepidotus, Chionodraco hamatus, Chionodraco myersi, and Neopagetopsis ionah) were determined. The prominent fatty acids in those species were 18:1n-9, 16:0, 14:0, DHA, EPA, and 18:1n-7.

Radiolarians from Core Sediments (A9-EB2) in Bransfield Basin, West Antarctica (서남극 브랜스필드 동부 분지내 코아 퇴적물(A9-EB2)의 방산충)

  • Bak, Young-Suk;Lee, Jong-Deock;Yun, Hye-Su;Yoon, Ho-Il;Kim, Hyang-Sook
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.22 no.2
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    • pp.130-137
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    • 2001
  • A total of 58 species of radiolarians belonging to 41 genera were identified in 44 samples from core A9-EB2 of the Bransfield Basin in the Antarctic. The radiolarian assemblages from A9-EB2 are generally very low in abundance.The dominant species are Antarctissa denticulata, A. longa, A. strelkovi, Lithomelissa setosa, Lifhomitra lineata, Peridium longispinum and Phormacantha hystrix, constituting 75% of the total assemblage. Genera Challenge개n and Protocystis belonging to family Challeneriidae, found in core A9-EB2 have been recorded in the Quaternary sediments. Therefore, the geologic age of core A9-EB2 in Bransfield Basin is regarded to be Quternary (Pleistocene-Holocene). Typical circumpolar taxa such as Antarctissa strelkovi, A. denticulata, Cycladophora davisiana and Larcopyle buetschlii are representing the influence of waters from Bellingshausen Sea and Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Plectacantha oikiskos and Phomacantha hystrix are considered as a coastal indicator. Also, low amounts of Lithomelissa setosa are related to pelagic condition and entrance of cold waters from the Western Weddell Sea into Bransfield Basin. Therefore, the core sediments in Bransfield Basin were deposited under the coastal condition mainly influenced by the waters from Bellingshausen Sea and Antarctic Circumpolar Current. but also by the water from the Western Weddell Sea of the open-water condition.

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Annotation and Expression Profile Analysis of cDNAs from the Antarctic Diatom Chaetoceros neogracile

  • Jung, Gyeong-Seo;Lee, Choul-Gyun;Kang, Sung-Ho;Jin, Eon-Seon
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.17 no.8
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    • pp.1330-1337
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    • 2007
  • To better understand the gene expression of the cold-adapted polar diatom, we conducted a survey of the Chaetoceros neogracile transcriptome by cDNA sequencing and expression of interested cDNAs from the Antarctic diatom. A non-normalized cDNA library was constructed from the C. neogracile, and a total of 2,500 cDNAs were sequenced to generate 1,881 high-quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs) (accession numbers EL620615-EL622495). Based on their clustering, we identified 154 unique clusters comprising 342 ESTs. The remaining 1,540 ESTs did not cluster. The number of unique genes identified in the data set is thus estimated to be 1,694. Taking advantage of various tools and databases, putative functions were assigned to 939 (55.4%) of these genes. Of the remaining 540 (31.9%) unknown sequences, 215 (12.7%) appeared to be C. neogracile-specific since they lacked any significant sequence similarity to any sequence available in the public databases. C. neogracile consisted of a relatively high percentage of genes involved in metabolism, genetic information processing, cellular processes, defense or stress resistance, photosynthesis, structure, and signal transduction. From the ESTs, the expression of these putative C. neogracile genes was investigated: fucoxanthin chlorophyll (chl) a,c-binding protein (FCP), ascorbate peroxidase (ASP), and heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90). The abundance of ASP and HSP90 changed substantially in response to different culture conditions, indicating the possible regulation of these genes in C. neogracile.

Accumulation of Heavy Metals in the Antarctic Clam Laternula elliptica

  • Lee, Yong-Seok;Jeong, Kye-Heon
    • Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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    • 2004.06a
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    • pp.87-91
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    • 2004
  • Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural experiments were conducted to find out heavy metal accumulation in some selected organs such as the kidney, the hepatopancreas, and the gills of the Antarctic Clam Laternula elliptica According to the immunohistochemical study the subject organs of the clam showed reactions indicating the presence of MT(metallothionein), a metal-binding protein involved in metal detoxifying process. Examination under the transmission electron microscope also revealed that other ligands(e.g. metal-rich granules in the kidney) may play a role in metal accumulating and detoxifying process in L. elliptica. In the artificial exposure of the clam to Cd, it showed immediate subcellular responses, suggesting that this species can be used as rapid and efficient bioindicators for Cd exposure in natural environment.

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Taxonomic Study of Suborder Calcaxonia (Alcyonacea: Octocorallia: Anthozoa) from King Sejong Station, Antarctic

  • Song, Jun-Im;Hwang, Sung-Jin;Moon, Hae-Won;An, In-Young
    • Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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    • v.28 no.2
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    • pp.84-96
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    • 2012
  • Some gorgonians in the families, Primnoidae and Isididae within the suborder Calcaxonia were collected from subtidal zones between depths of 10 and 45 m in the coastal regions of King Sejong Station ($62^{\circ}13'S$, $058^{\circ}47'W$), Korea Polar Research Institute of Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) by SCUBA diving from 2009 to 2011. Three species in the Primnoidae, $Arntzia$ $gracilis$ (Molander, 1929), $Thouarella$ ($Thouarella$) $antarctica$ (Valenciennes, 1846) and $Onogorgia$ $nodosa$ (Molander, 1929), and also one species in the family Isididae, $Tenuisis$ $microspiculata$ (Molander, 1929) are newly recorded to octocorallian fauna in Marian Cove and Potter Cove of King George Island. These four species have been described in detail.