• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.341-352
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• 1997

Retention ponds have been dug along some of the motorways in France to minimize environmental pollution by keeping pollutants from spreading over the surrounding area. In order to study heavy metal pollution and diagenetic behaviour of sediments, eight core samples were collected from the bottom of a retention pond located along the A-71 motorway in Sologne. The metal concentrations in interstitial waters and extractable metal concentrations in sediment layers using sequential chemical extraction method were determined. The depth distributions of Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations in interstitial water and particulate sediments were studied, and distribution coefficients (KD) were also determined to investigate the environmental mobility of these elements. In addition. the index of geoaccumulation and the Fe-normalized enrichment factor were calculated to differentiate the natural accumulation from the anthropogenic pollution. The vertical concentration profiles of heavy metals in core sediments indicate that surface enrichments (0~2 cm) of Pb, Zn, Cd and organic carbon were always observed at each core sample, due to the early diagenesis. However, the major factor contributing to the accumulation of Cd at the sediment surface is attributed to the dissolution of Cd from polluted roadside soil during periods of rainstorms and its subsequent redeposition on the sediment surface after being carried to the retention pond. A comparison of the KD values indiactes that a decrease in the KD values for Pb and Zn was observed with depth while KD values for Cd increase. According to the KD values. the relative mobility of studied metals was determined as following: Mn>Zn>Cd>Pb, for the upper layer, and Mn>Cd>Zn>Pb, for the lower layers.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.412-424
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• 2021

Understanding the distribution of heavy metals in sediment is necessary because labile heavy metals can partition into the water column and bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. Here we investigated six heavy metals (Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in sediment cores using a five-step sequential leaching method to examine the occurrence of heavy metals in the sediment. The results showed that all elements, except Mn, are depleted in the exchangeable and carbonate fractions. However, heavy metal concentrations are much higher in the Fe-Mn oxide and organic matter fractions, especially for Cu, indicating enrichment in the organic matter fraction. Furthermore, contamination parameters (contamination factor and geoaccumulation index) indicate that Mn contamination is high, primarily derived from anthropogenic sources, presenting a potential risk to ecosystems in the Nakdong River.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.777-787
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• 2017

Organic enrichment and pollution was investigated in surface sediments from Jinhae Bay and Geoje-Hansan Bay of Korea, which contain the largest oyster farms in Korean coastal areas. Geochemical indicators (chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, ignition loss, and acid volatile sulfide) in sediments, ammonium and nitrate in pore water, and bioluminescence inhibition test for sediment extracts were analyzed. Temporal changes of organic enrichment were also investigated using sediment core samples from Geoje-Hansan Bay. The level of organic pollution in sediments from Jinhae Bay was significantly greater than that of sediments from Geoje-Hansan Bay. Compared with other sites, Jinhae Bay was one of the most polluted coastal areas of Korea. The levels of geochemical indicators in May were comparable to, or higher than, in August. Ammonium concentrations in pore water were two orders of magnitudes greater than the nitrate concentrations, suggesting that the bays are reducing environments. The concentrations of total organic carbon in core sediment samples from shellfish-farming areas increased significantly from 2000 to the present year, and it seems to be associated with increases in anthropogenic activities.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.2 s.171
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• pp.165-176
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• 2005

Natural gas in deep sediment may occur in three phases based on the physical and chemical conditions. If the concentration of gas in pore water is less than the solubility, gas is dissolved. If the concentration of gas is greater than its solubility (water is saturated or supersaturated with gas), gas occurs as a fee gas below the gas hydrate stability Lone (GHSZ) and is present as solid hydrate within the GHSZ. The knowledge of gas concentration in deep sediment appears critical to determine the phase of natural gases and to understand the formation and distribution of gas hydrate. However, reliable data on gas concentration are usually available only from the upper section of marine sediment by the headspace gas technique, which is widely used for sampling of gases from the sediments. The headspace gas technique represents only a fraction of gases present in situ because sediments release most of the gases during recovery and sampling. The PCS (Pressure Core Sampler) is a downhole tool developed to recover a nominal $1{\cal}m$ long, $4.32{\cal}cm$ diameter core containing $1,465cm^3$ of sediment, pore water and gas at in situ pressure up to 68.9 MPa. During Leg 204, the PCS was deployed at 6 Sites. In situ methane gas concentration and distribution of gas hydrate was measured by using PCS tool. Characteristics of methane concentration and distribution is different from site to site. Distribution of gas hydrate in the study area is closely related to characteristics of in situ gas concentration measured by PCS.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.635-646
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• 2004

Chronic outbreaks of green tide in the Nakdong estuary toll a heavy socioeconomic cost. The paper investigates the influence of sediments on the nitrogen eutrophication, being claimed as the primary cause of green tide. To measure the flux of nitrate at the sediments-water interface, sediment cores were taken in Jan., Mar., May and Sep., 2000 at Noksan located in the West-Nakdong river estuary. The dissolved oxygen was profiled and then the pore water was extracted in situ. Core samples were analyzed for their textural characteristics. Cores were incubated by a novel technique to measure the fluxes of nitrate $(NO_3^-)$ and ammonia $(NH_4^+)$ at the sediment-water interface. The dissolved oxygen was depleted usually within several millimeters in the top sediments. Nitrate started to decrease drastically at the layer where dissolved oxygen was nearly depleted. Nitrate was also exhausted within several centimeters, followed by ammonia build up rapidly. The flux at the sediments-water interface calculated from the pore water concentrations revealed that nitrate was removed from the water column into the sediments. The sediment incubation experiment confirmed the above result. On the other hand ammonia were released from the sediment to the water column. As the incubation went on, however, the nitrate concentration in the overlying water was dropped below that of a top sediment. Then the flux is reversed, i.e., nitrate was released from the sediments to the water column. The implication is that the sediment can supply nitrate to the water column if it falls below a certain level. Thus it is likely that sediments in the eutrophicated river buffers the nitrate concentration in the water column, which leads to a prolonged green tide.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.434-444
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• 1994

Physical and acoustic properties of sediment core samples recovered from the Kwangyang Bay, the Yeosu Sound, and the inner shelf of central South Sea, Korea were investigated. Compressional wave velocity, density, porosity, and shear strength were measured at 10cm interval's along the core depth. Sediment texture(grain size, sand, silt, and clay contents) were also measured and correlated with the physical properties(density, porosity, and shear strength). The physical and acoustic properties of the sediment changed gradually from the Kwangyang Bay to the shelf area in accordance with the distance from the input source of the terrigenous sediment. The Yeosu Sound acted as a route of sediment transport from the estuary(the Seomjin River) to the shelf and vice versa. The physical and acoustic properties of the Yeosu Sound sediment conformed to an intermediate stage between river mouth and shelf areas. These results can be utilized to trace the influence of the Seomjin River on the so-called mud belt of Korea.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.185-195
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• 1998

Two piston cores (94PC-2 and 95PC-4) taken from the East Sea (Sea of Japan) are studied to evaluate the paleoceanographic changes and its interaction with climatic variation. The bulk geochemistry of the non-biogenic fractions of 54 sediment samples is determined using X-ray fluorescence. Four geochemical stratigraphic units at both core sediments are recognized based on the variations in major element concentration. These chemical stratigraphic units correspond well with the sedimentological and paleontological facies. Source materials are considered as basic and/or intermediate rocks judging from silica content. A distinctive boundary around 11 kyr may correspond to Younger Dryas event. The switch of most major elements at this level and the distinctive changes in concentration of typical terrigenous elements (TiO$_2$ and Al$_2$O$_3$) are the strong evidence for the difference in sources of terrigenous materials. The weathering indices exhibit high degree in Core 94PC-2 and low degree in Core 95PC-4. The changes in weathering degree can be distinguished by the lowest value occurred at 11 kyr in Core 94PC-2 and by a gradual decrease from top to bottom in Core 95PC-4. The profiles of potassium and sodium exhibit specific excursions between the Holocene and the late Pleistocene. This implies that sediments of the two cores originating from different sources with different weathering degrees. The distinct two-group distributions in K$_2$O/CaO vs. Na$_2$O/K$_2$O also support the difference in provenance of aluminosilicate materials at the boundary of 11 kyr. Thus, supply patterns of terrigenous materials are stable in Holocene and more complicated in the last glacial period.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.235-244
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• 2004

The shear strength of deep-sea core sediments from the nofheast equatorial Pacific was measured in various conditions to ensure precision of results. The comparison items were 1) two different measuring systems (hand-held vane and motorized vane), 2) in different places of on-board immediately after collecting the core samples and on-land laboratories after storing these samples for three months in a cold room, 3) two different core samples from a multiple corer within a sampling station, and 4) four different measuring points (holes) from a core sample. In this experiment, the values of shear strength in deep-sea sediments show significant change with depth which increase toward the bottom of core. Also, the results of two cores recovered at the same station indicate that vertical variation of shear strength is mainly caused by the change of physical properties. They strongly support the fact that the difference of vue syrtem and/or experimental conditions are not major factor in the variation of geotechnical properties.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2005.09b
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• pp.1189-1192
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• 2005

Due to their slow degradation properties, hydrophobic organic contaminants in estuarine sediment have been a concern for risks to human health and aquatic organisms. Studies of fate and transport of these contaminants in estuaries are further complicated by the fact that hydrodynamics and sediment transport processes in these regions are complex, involving processes with various temporal and spatial scales. In order to simulate and quantify long-term attenuation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) in the Elizabeth River, VA, we develop a modeling approach, which employs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's water quality model, WASP, and encompasses key physical and chemical processes that govern long-term fate and transport of PAHs in the river. In this box-model configuration, freshwater inflows mix with ocean saline water and tidally averaged dispersion coefficients are obtained by calibration using measured salinity data. Sediment core field data is used to estimate the net deposition/erosion rate, treating only either the gross resuspension or deposition rate as the calibration parameter. Once calibrated, the model simulates fate and transport PAHs following the loading input to the river in 1967, nearly 4 decades ago. Sediment PAH concentrations are simulated over 1967-2022 and model results for Year 2002 are compared with field data measured at various locations of the river during that year. Sediment concentrations for Year 2012 and 2022 are also projected for various remedial actions. Since all the model parameters are based on empirical field data, model predictions should reflect responses based on the assumptions that have been governing the fate and sediment transport for the past decades.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.53-64
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• 2012

In order to understand the relationship between the formation of hypoxia sediment by eutrophication and changes in benthic foraminiferal assemblage, micropaleontological and geochemical analyses were carried out on one sediment box core (K-1) recovered in the northern Gamak Bay, which is one of the aquacultural areas in the South Sea of Korea. In this analysis, the PON content in the sediment rapidly increased, while the C/N ratio and the C/S ratio decreased since 1977. These results indicate that eutrophication commenced in 1977 in the northern Gamak Bay, and consequently, the hypoxia sediment is 20 cm thick. Ammonia beccarii-Buccella frigida assemblage occurs before the formation of hypoxia sediment. Trochammina hadai-Buccella frigida assemblage appeared in the transitional period toward hypoxia and Trochammina hadai assemblage with a low abundance and diversity is observed in the hypoxia sediment. The agglutinated species T. hadai is regarded as a bio-indicator (opportunistic species) of the organic pollution in northern Gamak Bay.