• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.349-366
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• 2007

Seasonal variations of various physicochemical components (temperature, salinity, pH, DO, COD, DOC, nutrients-silicate, DIN, DIP) and potential limiting factor for phytoplankton primary production were studied in the surface water of semi-enclosed Masan Bay. Seasonal variations of nutrient concentrations, with lower values in summer and winter, and higher in fall, are probably controlled by freshwater loadings to the bay, benthic flux and magnitude of occurrence of phytoplankton communities. Their spatial distributional patterns are primarily dependent on physical mixing process between freshwater and coastal seawater, which result in a decreasing spatial gradient from inner to outer part of the bay. In the fall season of strong wave action, the major part of nutrient inputs (silicate, ammonium, dissolved inorganic phosphorus) comes from regeneration (benthic flux) at sediment-water interface. During the summer period, high Si:DIN and Si:DIP and low DIN:DIP relative to Redfield ratios suggest a N- and secondarily P-deficiency. During other seasons, however, silicate is the potential limiting factor for primary production, although the Si-deficiency is less pronounced in the outer region of the bay. Indeed, phytoplankton communities in Masan Bay are largely affected by the seasonal variability of limiting nutrients. On the other hand, the severe depletion of DIN (relatively higher silicate level) during summer with high freshwater discharge probably can be explained by N-uptake of temporary nanoflagellate blooms, which responds rapidly to pulsed nutrient loading events. In Masan Bay, this rapid nutrient consumption is considerably important as it can modify the phytoplankton community structures.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.670-679
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• 2017

An experiment to study the effect of temperature, light, and dredging on release of nutrients downstream from Gongjicheon in the Uiam reservoir was carried out in the laboratory using sediments from different depths. At various water temperatures, dissolved total nitrogen was not released, but the average nutrient flux of dissolved total phosphorus was increased (0.034 at $15^{\circ}C$, 0.005 at $20^{\circ}C$, 0.154 at $25^{\circ}C$, $0.592mg/m^2/d$ at $30^{\circ}C$). Dissolved total phosphorous was released in controlled darkness. In contrast, in controlled light, the concentrations of dissolved total phosphorous and dissolved total nitrogen in the overlying water steadily decreased during the study period (70 d), because they were continuously consumed by the growth of photosynthetic algae. However, there was no significant relationship between water nutrient concentration, nutrient release, and the depth of the sediment. We concluded that the dredging of sediment would not affect the nutrient release rate of the sediment, because there were no significant differences in the nutrient concentrations released from the sediment. When the sediment was removed from the surface to 20 cm in depth, the nutrients were not transferred to the water body, implying that the sediment removal had little effect on secondary pollution.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.85-96
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• 2023

The study involved the categorization of domestic lakes located in South Korea into three groups based on their salinity levels: upstream reservoirs with salinity less than 0.3 psu, estuarine reservoirs with salinity ranging from 0.3 to 2 psu, and brackish lagoons with salinity exceeding 2 psu. Subsequently, the research assessed variations in the concentrations of total nitrogen (T-N) and total phosphorus (T-P) in the sediment of these lakes using statistical analysis, specifically one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Additionally, a laboratory core incubation test was conducted to investigate the benthic nutrient fluxes in Songji lagoon (salinity: 11.80 psu), Ganwol reservoir (salinity: 0.73 psu), and Janggun reservoir (salinity: 0.08 psu) under both aerobic and anoxic conditions. The findings revealed statistically significant differences in the concentrations of T-N and T-P among sediments in the lakes with varying salinity levels (p<0.05). Further post-hoc analysis confirmed significant distinctions in T-N between upstream reservoirs and estuarine reservoirs (p<0.001), as well as between upstream reservoirs and brackish lagoons (p<0.01). For T-P, a significant difference was observed between upstream reservoirs and brackish lagoons (p<0.01). Regarding benthic nutrient fluxes, Ganwol Lake exhibited the highest diffusive flux of NH₄⁺-N, primarily due to its physical characteristics and the inhibition of nitrification resulting from its relatively high salinity. The flux of NO₃^--N was lower at higher salinity levels under aerobic conditions but increased under anoxic conditions, attributed to the impact of salinity on nitrification and denitrification. Additionally, the flux of PO₄^3--P was highest in Songji Lake, followed by Ganwol Lake and Janggun Reservoir, indicating that salinity promotes the diffusive flux of phosphate through anion adsorption competition. It's important to consider the influence of salinity on microbial communities, growth rates, oxidation-reduction processes, and nutrient binding forms when studying benthic diffusive nutrient fluxes from lake sediments.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.854-862
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• 2016

In summer 2010, we measured the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) and nutrients in the water collected at the bottom of Cheonsu Bay, off the west coast of Korea. We also measured nutrient fluxes across the sediment-water interface by deploying a fully-automated benthic lander, which collected time-series water samples inside a benthic chamber. We confirmed on-going hypoxia in the northern parts of the bay where polluted lake water was discharged. DO content in the water at the bottom was 2 mg/l, compared to 5 mg/l at the mouth of the bay in the south. Nutrient concentrations showed a trend that was opposite to that of DO. The variation of N/P ratios implies phosphate desorption and a release of nutrients caused by hypoxia. The organic carbon oxidation rate and oxygen consumption rate in the northern parts of the bay were about twice as fast as those at the mouth of the bay. Benthic fluxes of nutrients in the northern part of the bay were 4 to 6 times higher than those at the mouth. Our results imply that it is important to understand the role of hypoxia events to make an accurate estimation of material fluxes across the sediment-water interface.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.11
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• pp.613-625
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• 2017

For two agricultural reservoirs that are rented for fishing spots, benthic nutrient fluxes experiment were performed two times with two sediments from fishing-effective zone and one sediment from fishing-ineffective zone using laboratory core incubation in oxic and anoxic conditions. During benthic nutrient fluxes experiment, the changes in DO, EC, pH, and ORP in the supernatant were not significantly different between fishing-effective zone and fishing-ineffective zone, and were similar to the sediment-hypolimnetic diffused boundary layer in agricultural reservoir. Except for $NO_3{^-}-N$, more benthic nutrient fluxes of $NH_4{^+}-N$, T-P, and $PO{_4}^{3-}-P$ from sediment to hypolimnetic was measured in anoxic than in oxic conditions (p<0.05). As the DO concentration in hypolimnetic decreases, the microorganism-mediated ammonification is promoted, the nitrification is suppressed, and finally the $NH_4{^+}-N$ diffuses out from sediment to hypolimnetic. Also, the diffusion of T-P and $PO{_4}^{3-}-P$ from sediments to hypolimnetic is accelerated through the dissociation of the phosphorus bound to both organic matters and metal hydroxides. The difference in the benthic nutrient diffusive fluxes between fishing-effective zone and fishing-ineffective zone was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Therefore, it was found that fishing activities did not increase the benthic nutrient diffusive fluxes to a statistically significant level. Due to the short fishing activities of 10 years and the rate-limited diffusion of the laboratory core incubation, the contribution of fishing activities on sediment pollution is estimated to be low. No significant correlation was found between the total amount of nutrients in sediment and the benthic nutrient diffusive fluxes in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Therefore, nutrients input from various nonpoint sources of watersheds are considered to be a more dominant factor rather than fishing activities in water quality deterioration, and both aeration and water circulation in hypolimnetic were required to suppress the anoxic environment in agricultural reservoirs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.878-884
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• 2017

It is important to understand interactions in the sediment-water environment because nitrate (N) and phosphorus (P) nutrient fluxes released into overlying water can represent a significant fraction of the total nutrient requirement for primary productivity. In this study, we analyzed and estimated benthic nutrient fluxes at the sediment-water interface, investigating environmental conditions in Gomso and Geunso Bays. Also, we compared previously reported nutrient flux data to identify regional differences. As a result, benthic nutrient fluxes in Beopsan were DIN: $6.14mmol\;m^{-2}d^{-1}$ and DIP: $0.32mmol\;m^{-2}d^{-1}$ higher than other survey sites. Sediment COD were $4.0-10.8mg/g{\cdot}dry$, and environmental deterioration was observed due to organic pollution. If no solution is found for tidal flat farm management, problems such as a decrease in aquaculture production will follow. Therefore, long-term monitoring of tidal flat environments should be pursued to enable the sustainable use of biological resources.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.288-302
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• 2017

Accurate measurement of benthic nutrient fluxes (BNF) is a prerequisite for evaluating the effect of sediments on nutrient cycle in the surface water. The intact sediment cores were collected in July 2015 at the midstream of Nakdong River. We identified pre-incubation time (6, 12, 24 hr), dissolved oxygen concentration (90, 70, 50% saturation), diffusive boundary layer thickness (0, 0.6-0.8, 1.2-1.4 mm), and incubation temperature (10, 17, 20, $25^{\circ}C$) as the most important control factors, and measured the BNF fluctuation with the variation of these factors using the laboratory sediment core incubation method. Since the chemical composition, redox condition, hydrodynamic regimes and microbial activities at the sediment-water interface were changed as a result of the alteration of control factors, sediment core incubation should be conducted under as close to the natural conditions of study site as possible, in order to produce the results similar to actual values. Relative percentage differences between two replicates were below 20% in most control factors, which showed satisfactory precision for strict compliance with the experimental conditions and procedures. In the further studies, we will compare the results of core incubation with those of in situ measurements to confirm the accuracy of the sediment core incubation method.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.188-197
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• 1999

In order to estimate the uranium flux from seawater to sediments, we took pore water samples and deployed benthic chambers on seafloor of Chonsu Bay, Korea. The uranium flux across the sediment-water interface was estimated from the pore water to be 0.112-0.566 mg/$m^2yr$, corresponding to a removal flux of $4.3-21.5{\times}10^7$ gU/yr for the entire Yellow Sea. Nutrient fluxes from sediment to bottom water were estimated to be 135.6 mmol/$m^2yr$ for ammonia, 228.2 mmol/$m^2yr$ for nitrate, 36.8 mmol/$m^2yr$ for phosphate and 23.9 mmol/$m^2yr$ for silicate. The redox boundary, based on the distribution of pore water nitrate and solid phase manganese, was located at 3-5 cm below the sediment surface. Phosphate flux obtained by benthic chambers was 28.S mmol/$m^2yr$. On the other hand, estimates of uranium and silicate fluxes were orders of magnitude greater than those based on pore water profiles. Flux estimates on the basis of pore water concentration is believed to have greater reliability than those obtained from benthic chamber data.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.435-445
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• 2011

We investigated geochemical properties, and microbial sulfate- and iron(III) reduction in sediment influenced by the aquaculture of abalone in the Nohwa-do, southern coastal sea in Korea. Concentrations of ammonium, phosphate, and sulfide in the pore-water were higher at farm sites than at control sites. The differences between the 2 types of sites were most apparent in terms of the weights of abalone and the temperature increase during September. Accordingly, the rates of sulfate reduction at the farm sites during September (61 mmol S $m^{-2}d{-1}$) were 3-fold higher than the sulfate reduction during May (20 mmol S $m^{-2}d{-1}$). In contrast, Fe(III) reduction rates were highest at the control sites in May, but its significance was relatively decreased at farm sites during September when sulfate reduction rates were highest. During September, benthic ammonium flux was 3-fold greater at the farm sites (35 mmol N $m^{-2}d{-1}$) than at the control sites (12 mmol N $m^{-2}d{-1}$), and phosphate flux was 8-fold higher at the farm sites (0.018 mmol P $m^{-2}d{-1}$) than at control sites (0.003 mmol P $m^{-2}d{-1}$). Overall results indicated that the inappropriate operation of a large-scale aquaculture farm may result in excess input of biodeposits and high nutrient fluxes from the sediment, thereby decreasing diversity of the benthic ecosystem and deepening eutrophication in coastal waters.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.225-238
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• 2008

In order to investigate the effects of intertidal sediments on the nutrient cycle in coastal environments, the benthic fluxes of ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and silicate at two stations on the intertidal flat of Keunso Bay were determined during each season. The efflux of ammonium was observed at S1 and resulted from the diffusion of remineralized ammonium and acceleration caused by the bioirrigation of macrofauna. The influx of ammonium at S2 was probably due to nitrification in the water column. The influx of nitrate was observed at both stations during all seasons, indicating that the nitrate in the pore water was removed by denitrification. Vigorous bioirrigation led to the efflux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) at S1, whereas the influx of DIN at S2 was predominantly caused by denitrification. Contrary to the diffusive and bio-irrigated release of remineralized phosphate from the sediment at S1, the influx of phosphate was observed at S2, which may be attributable to adsorption onto iron oxides in the aerobic sediment layer. Silicate, which is produced by the dissolution of siliceous material, was mostly released from the sediment by molecular diffusion and bioirrigation. However, the influx of silicate was observed at S2 during spring and winter, which was ascribed to adsorption by particulate matter or assimilation by benthic microphytes. The annual fluxes of DIN were 328 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S1 and -435 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S2. The annual fluxes of phosphate were negative at both sites (-2.8 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S1 and -28.9 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S2), whereas the annual fluxes of silicate were positive at both sites (843 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S1 and 243 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S2).