• 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.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.27-35
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• 2008

Sediment cores were obtained from Upo and Mokpo in Upo Wetland and core samples were divided by depth into 20 ~ 21 subsamples. The heavy metal concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, AS, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, and Cr in the sediments of each depth were determined by ICP-MS. The texture of sediemnts from Upo Wetland appeared to be clayey silt with average grain size of $7.52{\sim}11.15{\mu}m$ for physical properties. It was found to have a clear tendency of depth profile with respect to TOC and ignition loss. Organics were stabilized in the range of 0.5 ~ 0.7 % TOC and 8 ~ 9 % ignition loss in 30 years, whereas, the surficial sediments have the highest concentrations of about 3.0 % of TOC and 13 ~ 15 % ignition loss. Those are much higher than the values of the main stream, the Nakdong River, which reflects the deposit of biodegradable organics from plants and other lifes. The vertical distribution of heavy metals in two sediment cores was investigated to elucidate historical trends of heavy metals deposited into Upo wetland. The depth profile concentrations of each heavy metal were compared and discussed with the Concensus-Based Sediment Quality Guidelines for freshwater ecosystems. All the Cd data for the vertical distribution in the sediments were detected above PEC value for Cd, which predict harmful effects on sediment-dwelling organisms expected to occur frequently. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Cr in all sediment samples for depth profile were detected below the TEC values, which provided a basis predicting the absence of toxicity by Zn, Cu, and Cr.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of metal pollution in the sediment from rivers, lakes, and streams in active gold mining districts in Ghana. Two hundred and fifty surface sediment samples from 99 locations were collected and analyzed for concentrations of As, Hg, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Mn using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Metal concentrations were then used to assess the human health risks to resident children and adults in central tendency exposure (CTE) and reasonable maximum exposure (RME) scenarios. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As were almost twice the threshold values established by the Hong Kong Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines (ISQG). Hg, Cu, and Cr concentrations in sediment were 14, 20, and 26 times higher than the Canadian Freshwater Sediment Guidelines for these elements. Also, the concentrations of Pb, Cu, Cr, and Hg were 3, 11, 12, and 16 times more than the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) sediment guideline values. The results of the human health risk assessment indicate that for ingestion of sediment under the central tendency exposure (CTE) scenario, the cancer risks for child and adult residents from exposure to As were $4.18{\times}10^{-6}$ and $1.84{\times}10^{-7}$, respectively. This suggests that up to 4 children out of one million equally exposed children would contract cancer if exposed continuously to As over 70 years (the assumed lifetime). The hazard index for child residents following exposure to Cr(VI) in the RME scenario was 4.2. This is greater than the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) threshold of 1, indicating that adverse health effects to children from exposure to Cr(VI) are possible. This study demonstrates the urgent need to control industrial emissions and the severe heavy metal pollution in gold mining environments.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.946-956
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• 2018

The gut microbiota of aquatic animals plays a crucial role in host health through nutrient acquisition and outcompetition of pathogens. In this study, on the basis of the high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons, we examined the bacterial communities in the gut of freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium nipponense) and in their living environments (sediment and pond water) and analyzed the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on the shrimp gut bacterial communities. High bacterial heterogeneity was observed in the freshwater shrimp gut samples, and the result indicated that both the surrounding bacterial community and water quality factors (particularly dissolved oxygen and temperature) could affect the shrimp gut bacterial community. Despite the observed heterogeneity, 57 genera, constituting 38-99% of the total genera in each of the 40 shrimp gut samples, were identified as the main bacterial population in the gut of M. nipponense. In addition, a high diversity and abundance of lactic acid bacteria (26 genera), which could play significant roles in the digestion process in shrimp, were observed in the shrimp gut samples. Overall, this study provides insights into the gut bacterial communities of freshwater shrimp and basic information for shrimp farming regarding the application of probiotics and disease prevention.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 2019

Owing to a distinct environmental regime and anthropogenic effects, freshwater bacterial communities of urban streams are considered to be different from those of large freshwater lakes and rivers. To obtain unrecorded, freshwater bacterial species in Korea, water and sediment samples were collected from various urban streams of the Han River watershed in 2018. After plating the freshwater samples on R2A agar, approximately 1000 bacterial strains were isolated from the samples as single colonies and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. A total of 26 strains, with >98.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with validly published bacterial species but not reported in Korea, were determined to be unrecorded bacterial species in Korea. The unrecorded bacterial strains were phylogenetically diverse and belonged to four phyla, six classes, 12 orders, 16 families, and 21 genera. At the generic level, the unreported species were assigned to Nocardioides, Streptomyces, Microbacterium, Kitasatospora, Herbiconiux, Corynebacterium, and Microbacterium of the class Actinobacteria; Paenibacillus and Bacillus of the class Bacilli; Caulobacter, Methylobacterium, Novosphingobium, and Porphyrobacter of the class Alphaproteobacteria; Aquabacterium, Comamonas, Hydrogenophaga, Laribacter, Rivicola, Polynucleobacter, and Vogesella of the class Betaproteobacteria; Arcobacter of the class Epsilonproteobacteria; and Flavobacterium of the class Flavobacteriia. The details of the 26 unreported species, including Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, biochemical properties, and phylogenetic position are also provided in the strain descriptions.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.193-201
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• 2018

Culturable bacterial diversity was investigated using freshwater and sediment samples collected from the North Han River basin in 2017, as a part of the research program 'Survey of freshwater organisms and specimen collection'. Over a thousand bacterial strains were isolated from the samples and identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Among the bacterial isolates, 22 strains showing higher than 98.7% sequence similarity with validly published bacterial species, but not reported in Korea, were classified as unrecorded species in Korea. The 22 bacterial strains were phylogenetically diverse and assigned to 6 classes, 11 orders, 15 families, and 21 different genera. At the generic level, the unreported species were affiliated with Flavobacterium of the class Flavobacteria, Flexibacter of the class Cytophagia, Blastomonas, Brevundimonas, Elstera, Rhizobium, Roseomonas, Sphingomonas, and Xanthobacter of the class Alphaproteobacteria, Albidiferax, Cupriavidus, Curvibacter, Ferribacterium, Hydrogenophaga, Iodobacter, Limnohabitans, Polaromonas, Undibacterium, and Variovorax of the class Betaproteobacteria, Pseudomonas of the class Gammaproteobacteria, and Arcobacter of the class Epsilonproteobacteria. The unreported bacterial species were further characterized by examining Gram reaction, colonial and cellular morphology, and biochemical properties. The detailed descriptions of 22 strains of the unreported bacterial species are also provided.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.374-378
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• 2005

A diffusion - precipitation method was developed to determine acid volatile sulfide (AVS) concentrations in freshwater sediments. This method uses silver nitrate as a sulfide trap solution and the concentration of trapped sulfide is determined gravimetrically. The proposed diffusion - precipitation method is more rapid and less expensive than previously developed purge- and - trap methods. Spiked sodium sulfide recoveries using this method $(97\~120\%)$ were similar with a previously developed diffusion - absorption method $(93.8\~115\%)$ and about $20\%$ greater than a previously developed purge-and-trap method $(74.6\~105\%)$. Detection limit of this method $(0.1\;{\mu}mole\;S\;g^{-l})$ was comparable with that of diffusion-absorption method $(0.06\;{\mu}mole\;S\;g^{-l})$ and purge-and-trap method $(0.05\~0.5\;{\mu}mole\;S\;g^{-l})$.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.9-12
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• 1996

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) is one of major toxic pollutants in marine environments, This artificial chlorinated compound has been found in freshwater, seawater, soil, sediments and organismes living in various environments. Because of its toxicity and degradability, its uses in industrial processes have been banned after 1984 in Korea. Coastal area is an important environment for agriculture, industry, transportation, reduction of pollution loads through biogeochemical processes, cycling of nutrients and recreation. Input of pollutants from land and freshwater has been occurring through runoff, rivers and estuaries. Concentrations of PCBs were determined with GC-ECD. Concentrations of PCBs were in the range of 1.0 - 19.2 ng/g-dry weight of sediment(g-d.w.) at Ulsan, 4.5 -8,2 ng/g-d.w. at Onsan, 2.7 - 33.5 ng/g-d.w. at Masan and 4.0 - 60.7 ng/g-d.w. in Kwangyang, In Inchon area, PCBs were not detected in sediments. In sediments of Nakdong estuary, the distribution of PCBs' concentrations was 0.19 - 303 ng/g-d.w.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.507-512
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• 2013

Aquatic oligochaetes were investigated from a small amount of sediment sampled from the Jungnang Stream, an urban stream in Seoul, Korea, in November 2012. Sorted oligochaetes were observed under a light microscope in a drop of carbonated water, and then preserved in 70% ethanol. Some specimens were slide mounted using glycerin and Eupharal. As a result, the following 12 species were identified including 8 new Korean records, Bothrioneurum vejdoskyanum Stolc, Branchiodrilus hortensis (Stephenson), Chaetogaster cristalinus Vejdosky, Nais communis Piguet, Nais pardalis Piguet, Dero obtusa d'Udekem, Piguetiella denticulata Liang, and Haemonais waldvogeli Brescher and 4 additional known species, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Cleparede, Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, Chaetogaster diastrophus (Gruithuisen), and Stylaria fossularis Leidy. This study shows how freshwater oligochaetes are diverse even in urban streams in Korea, if a proper sampling and examining method is employed.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.155-165
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• 2023

In this study, we isolated several fungal strains from filtered water and sediment collected from rivers and streams. The strains were identified by molecular phylogenetic analyses of rDNA sequences (internal transcribed spacer [ITS], large subunit of ribosomal DNA [LSU]). The morphological characteristics of the fungi were investigated using microscopy, and the culture characteristics of fungi grown on several media were examined. We identified four species previously unknown in South Korea, namely, Dissophora globulifera, Linnemannia exigua, Mortierella rishikesha and Umbelopsis autotrophica.