• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.1026-1036
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• 2014

Real-time monitoring for environmental factors (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a, etc.) and fugacity of carbon dioxide ($fCO_2$) was conducted at an oyster Crassostrea gigas farm in Goseong Bay, south coast of Korea during 2-4th of November, 2011. Surface temperature and salinity were ranged from $17.9-18.7^{\circ}C$ and 32.7-33.8, respectively, with daily and inter-daily variations due to tidal currents. Surface $fCO_2$ showed a range of $390-510{\mu}atm$ and was higher than air $CO_2$ during the study period. Surface temperature, salinity and $fCO_2$ are showed significant correlations with chl.-a and nutrients, respectively. It means when chl.-a value is high in surface water of the oyster farm, active biological production consume $CO_2$ and nutrients from environments and produce oxygen, suggesting a tight feedback between biological processes and environmental reaction. Thus, factors affecting the surface $fCO_2$ were evaluated using a simple mass balance. Temperature and biological productions by phytoplankton are the main factors for $CO_2$ drawdown from afternoon to early night, while biological respiration increases seawater $CO_2$ at night. Air-sea exchange fraction acts as a $CO_2$ decreasing gear during the study period and is much effective when the wind speed is higher than $2-3m\;s^{-1}$. Future studies about organic carbon and biological production/respiration are required for evaluating the roles of oyster farms on carbon sink and coastal carbon cycle.