• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2000

Benthic environments and composition of macrobenthic fauna around the marine fish culture cages were studied to clarify the effect of fish farming near Tongyong from August, 1995 to february, 1996. Sediment grain size and bottom dissolved oxygen under the fish cages were similar to that of a control site, but organic content was higher under the cages. Fewer species were found under the fish cages than under the control site, but conspicuously higher density was obtained under cages. Capitella capitals, Nebalia bipes were dominant infauna, and Asterina pertinifera and Astelias amurensis were dominant epifauna under the fish cage whereas Lumbrineris longifolia and Anphioplus sp. dominated in the control site. Diversity index showed seasonal variation under the fish cages, but showed little variation at the control site. The benthic fauna under the fish cages showed different community structures from the control site. As results, the fish culture cages affected the benthic environment and the community structure of benthic fauna by input of the organic content and biological effects such as dead shells.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.82-93
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• 2014

A starch ball was devised to conveniently supply carbon source to indigenous microorganisms and to enhance biotransformation of explosive compounds(TNT and RDX) in the sediments of settling basins installed in military shooting ranges. To identify optimum dose/sediment ratio for degradation of explosives in the basin, a series of bench scale settling basin experiments were performed for 30 days while monitoring supernatant pH, DO, concentrations of nitrite, nitrate, sulfate, explosive compounds, and acute toxicity measured by bacterial luminescence. Addition of starch ball induced changes in oxidation conditions from oxic to anoxic in the benthic zone of the basin, which resulted in subsequent reductive degradation of both TNT and RDX in the liquid and solid phase of basin. However, fermentation products of excess starch, acetic acid and formic acid, caused acute toxicity in the liquid phase. The optimum ratio of starch ball/sediment for explosive compounds degradation by inducing changes in bio-geochemical environments without increase in acute toxicity, was found to be 0.009~0.017.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2011

Seawater circulations between a bay and the open sea play an important role to make the ecosystem healthy, providing nutrient and oxygen to the benthic environments and cleaning up pollutions. The health of the benthic environment in a bay is closely related to the flushing characteristics of seawater. In this study, to estimate the seawater distribution and circulation characteristics of benthic environment in the Geunso bay, we calculated the hydraulic turn-over time by a hydro-hypsographic analysis. Digital elevation model (DEM) which was generated using waterline method based upon remotely sensed data and water depth of the subtidal zone estimated by echo-sounding survey was applied to the hydro-hypsograhic analysis through a geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis. The results showed that 95% of the total area of the bay was tidal flat and the hydraulic turn-over time was 1.03 tidal cycle, which indicated that the flushing characteristics of the Geunso bay was very good. Geunso bay was revealed to occupy relatively wide area of benthic environment and to have relatively big tidal range over other domestic and foreign coastal environment, therefore it could have a better seawater circulation characteristics. This result can be effectively applied as fundamental information to establish the system for a quantitative estimate of health of coastal environment in the west coast of Korea and manage the ecosystem in benthic environments.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.107-116
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• 2018

In this study, the distribution of sedimentary environment and benthic macro-fauna in habitats and non-habitats of Zostera marina were investigated. The purpose of this study was to obtain basic data about the sedimentary environment and benthic macro-fauna in the habitats and non-habitats of Z. marina. Sand was dominant within habitat environments, whereas the non-habitats were predominantly composed of silt. As a result, the habitats of Z. marina have a different grain size and organic matter content compared to the non-habitats. These differences in the sedimentary environment were expected to influence the species composition of benthic animals. Benthic communities in the habitats of Z. marina showed a higher density and a greater number of species than in the non-habitats. As a result of an ecological index evaluation, the species diversity index (H') was $3.44{\pm}0.10$ for the habitat; the non-habitat was analyzed as $2.34{\pm}0.35$. It was also found that the stability of community in the habitats was higher than that in the non-habitats. The cluster analysis also clearly showed that habitats and non-habitats of Z. marina have distinct characteristics.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.257-270
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• 2014

In a survey of periphytic and benthic diatoms in Korea, diatoms of genus Stauroneis were found to be widely distributed over freshwaters, rivers and streams, lakes and reservoir, wetlands in lowland and mountain areas, and even subaerial terrestrial habitats. However, it is clear that Stauroneis diatoms prefer peatlands, which can be more or less acidic or oligotrophic environments in freshwaters. In this study, Staurones diatoms were collected mainly from mountain peatlands. Twenty five taxa were confirmed to be species, while some specimens remain unidentified. Approximately twenty species have been reported in Korea in the past, but these are largely S. anceps Ehremberg sensu lato, S. phoenicenteron (Nitzsch) Eherenberg sensu lato, and their infraspecies variety or forma. Sixteen of the twenty five Stauroneis taxa found in this survey are reported for the first time in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22
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• pp.93-102
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• 2004

A total of 110 surface sediment were analyzed in order to understand the geochemical eharacteristics of the surface sediments and to evaluate the benthic environmental condition of Gwangyang Bay. The surface sedimentary distribution can be classified by five facies; mud (M), sandy mud (sM), sand (S), muddy sand (mS) and gravely sand mud ((g)sM). However, mud face is the predominant sedimentary feature of the Gwangyang Bay. The benthic environment based on total organic carbon/total nitrogen (C/N) and total organic carbon/total sulfur (C/S) ratios of organic matter showed that anoxic environment is prevailed in some parts of the study area because the C/S ratio of organic matter was higher than 2.8. The hydrogen sulfide (H$_2$S) content showed extreme variability from site to site. It varies from 307 ppm to 1 ppm (average, 92 ppm). The inter-relationship of redox-sensitive elements (Mn, V, Mo and Cr) showed a relatively strong positive relationship with high accumulation in the sediment at the inner sites of the Bay (left of Myo Island). High content of TOC and hydrogen sulfide, and a high accumulation rate of redox- sensitive element were predominant characteristics in the sediments at the inner sites of the Bay (left of Myo Island), suggesting that this area is in an oxygen deficient, and potentially polluted condition.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.262-271
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• 2000

This study was carried out to clarify the spatial and temporal patterns of benthic environments and macrobenthos on the subtidal soft-bottom in Chonsu Bay. Seasonal surface water temperature was similar to the bottom layer, but freshwater discharges into the outlets dereased the surface salinity around the dyke in summer. Bottom dissolved oxygen was decreased deeply around the dyke and created the de-oxygenated layer during summer. Sediment grain size was consisted of finer at the neighboring of the dyke than the mouth of the bay. Organic matters including the sediment were decreased at the mouth of the bay. A total of 311 species ($769\;ind./m^2$) were identified. Polychaetes were the most abundant faunal group in the number of species and densities. The number of species revealed the spatial patterns that it was higher in the mouth of the bay, and their densities showed seasonal changes by mass recruitment occurred at the most of the area in summer, At this time, opportunistic species, Lumbrineris iongifolia and Theora fragilis, were also recruited massively. Chonsu Bay were classified into five station groups by the cluster analysis. The dominant species around the dyke were composed to opportunistic species, those in middle area were Sternaspis scutata, Paraplionospio pinnata, and those in the mouth of the bay were Mediomastus californiensis, Nephtys polybranchia. Seasonal fluctuations and spatial difference of environments seem to have influenced to the species compositions and affected to the stability of benthic ecosystems spatial-temporally In Chonsu nay.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2019

We carried out basic research to evaluate covering material for improving and managing contaminated benthic environments in coastal areas. Changes in nutrient concentration such as phosphate, hydrogen sulfide of contaminated sediment, and pH, Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) were investigated through mesocosm experiments for 6 months by covering contaminated sediment with granulated coal ash. Calcium oxide eluted from the granulated coal ash was confirmed to neutralize acidified sediment by increasing pH through hydrolysis. Also, calcium oxide and silica eluted from the granulated coal ash adsorbed and precipitated with phosphate in the sediment. The concentration of phosphate in the sediment investigated decreased by ca. 84.31 %. Similarly, the concentration of hydrogen sulfide decreased by 133.5 mg/L in one month. The hydrogen sulfide is considered to have reacted with substances such as manganese oxide which were eluted from the granulated coal ash and precipitated. Also, it was concluded that the hydrogen sulfide was reduced since anaerobic conditions in the sediment weakened. According to the results of these mesocosm experiments, granulated coal ash was found to be effective to remediate and manage benthic environments by covering the surface layer of sediment.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.297-309
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• 2016

This study was carried out to investigate the differences in sedimentary environments and benthic polychaete communities between farming grounds and natural habitats (non-farming ground) in Gamak Bay. Sampling stations of natural habitats were evenly distributed in the entire bay. And mussel farm, oyster farm and ark-shell farm were selected as farming grounds. Dominant sedimentary facies was mud in most sampling stations of farming grounds and natural habitats. However organic contents were higher in the farming grounds than natural habitats of the bay. The species number and mean density of polychaetous community in the natural habitats were greater than those from the farming grounds. Lumbrineris longifolia, known as potential organic enrichment indicator species, was first dominant species both in farming grounds and natural habitats of the bay. However, the next dominant species consisted of different species between two benthic habitats. As a result of community analysis using cluster analysis and nMDS, the natural habitats were divided into several station groups, but most of stations in farming grounds were clustered into one group. Pearson' correlation analysis and PCA showed high relationships between sedimentary environmental factors and benthic polychaetous community in natural habitats, but low or no relationships in farming grounds. That means benthic polychaetous community established in farming ground was under unusual condition such as high input of organic matter. Thus it is necessary to improve the benthic environmental quality of the farming grounds as well as the north-western inner part in Gamak Bay through long-term monitoring efforts.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.180-183
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• 2007

Over the last century the mercury (Hg) concentration in the environment has been increased by human activities with inputs from sources such as atmospheric deposition, urban runoff, and industrial effluents. Mercury can be transformed to methylmercury (MeHg) in anaerobic conditions by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and sediments are the principal location for MeHg production in aquatic environments. Interest in bioaccumulation of Hg and MeHg into lower trophic levels of benthic and pelagic organisms stems from public health concerns as these organisms provide essential links for higher trophic levels of food chains such as fish and larger invertebrates. Fish consumption is the major exposure route of MeHg to humans. Recently, it was reported that blood samples in Korea showed much higher Hg levels (5-8 times) than those in USA and Germany. Although this brings much attention to Hg research in Korea, there are very few studies on Hg biogeochemical cycling and bioaccumulation in aquatic environments. Given the importance of Hg methylation and MeHg transfer through food chains in aquatic environments, it is imperative that studies should be done in much detail looking at the fate, transport, and bioaccumulation of Hg and MeHg in the environment. Moreover, there should be long-term monitoring plans in Korea to evaluate the environmental and health effects of Hg and MeHg.