• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.158-177
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• 2023

An estuary is a transitional water area that links the land and sea through rivers and streams, transporting various components from the land to the sea, which plays an important role in determining primary productivity in the coastal environment, and this coastal ecosystem captures a huge amount of carbon into biomass, known as blue carbon, which mitigates climate change as a potential carbon reservoir. This study examined the variation of mean grain size and organic carbon content of the surface sediments for 6 years and analyzed their relationship in the western and southern estuarine areas (Han River Estuary, Geum River Estuary, Yeongsan River Estuary, Seomjin River Estuary, and Nakdong River Estuary) and the East Sea upwelling area. During the sampling period (2015 to 2020), seasonal variation of both properties was not observed, because their variations might be controlled by diverse oceanographic environments and hydrographic conditions within each survey area. However, despite the synoptic problem of all samples, the positive relationship was obtained between the averages of mean grain size and organic carbon content, which clearly distinguishes each survey area. The unique positive relationship in all estuarine areas implies that the same process by sediment clay particles is important in the organic carbon accumulation. However, additional important factor may be expected in the organic carbon accumulation in the East Sea upwelling area. Further necessary data (sedimentation rate, dry bulk density etc) should be required for the estimation of carbon stock to evaluate the major estuaries in Korea as potential carbon reservoirs in the coastal environment.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.601-610
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• 2021

The tidal current patterns at Keum River Estuary before and after the construction of coastal structures were compared according to the CASES. The depth-integrated and tidal difference treatment applied FLOW2DH numerical model was used for the tidal current predictions. The test conditions consisted of before construction of coastal structures (CASE1), after construction of coastal structures (CASE2), and the addition of watergate operation(CASE1Q and CASE2Q), and present (CASE3). CASE1 showed a stable tidal current pattern, such as a natural estuary. In CASE2, the tidal current velocities and directions of the Keum River Estuary were changed due to the installed coastal structures. In particular, the tidal current velocities of the Gaeya open channel sections (P5~P9) in CASE2 were calculated to be 10~30% larger than that of CASE1. In the case of the Gunsan Inner Harbor (P4), which is closest to the Geum River Estuary, the ebb flow rate was approximately 250~300% faster than that of other CASEs due to the discharge of the watergate operation for 2.7 hours during the ebb of CASE1Q and CASE2Q. This will affect sediment transport, and it is predicted to lead to seabed changes. CASE3 is considered to be entering the stabilization stage according to the simulation of the tidal current velocities and directions of the Keum River Estuary and the surrounding coastal area.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.52-62
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• 2014

As a case study of the changed aquatic environment due to an estuary dam, the Geum River Estuary Dam System (GREDS) has been investigated for the last two decades. We sought the similarities and differences in the disrupted aquatic environment between the estuarine and lacustrine sides of the GREDS. Both sides of the GREDS shared similar aquatic disruptions, such as elongated hydraulic residence times, deteriorated water quality, highly accumulated organic-rich sediments, and considerable siltation of river-transported materials prior to reaching coastal waters. The disruptions of water quality such as high nutrients concentration and frequent bloom of blue-green algal are much more noticeable in the reservoir than in the estuary. However serious siltation problem has been reported from the estuary, which will possibly threaten the proper functioning of the natural Kunsan Estuarine System.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.274-294
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• 2007

The most reasonable method of counting the number of the estuaries in Korea may be counting the number of streams flowing into the sea. The number counting of the streams should be carried out based on the river classes (National River, Regional 1st Class River and Regional 2nd Class River) given by the River Act. The National River scale estuaries are totaled to thirteen, i.e. Han River(including Imjin River), Anseongcheon, Sapgyocheon, Geum River, Mankyeong River, Dongjin River, Yeoungsan River, Tamjin River, Seomjin River, Gawhacheon, Nakdong River(including West Nakdong River), Taewha River, and Hyeongsan River estuaries. The Regional 1st Class River scale estuaries are counted as four, i.e. Yeoungdeok Osipcheon, Samcheok Osipcheon, Gangneung Namdaecheon, and Yangyang Namdaecheon. While, the Regional 2nd Class River estuaries are arranged as the Province and counted as total 444; Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, Chungnam, Jeju Province have the 108, 94, 52, and 35 estuaries, respectively. The counted estuary numbers, however, can be slightly increased/decreased on what references are applied, e.g. whether or not including the streams lost estuary functions by the sea-dike construction or integrated nearby streams, and so on.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.42 no.1 s.118
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• pp.121-132
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• 2007

This paper examines the spatial and temporal variability in the water depth caused by artificial structures in Geum Estuary of South Korea. Water depth data set extracted from marine maps of 1979, 1990, 1996 and 2004 were used in a GIS to derive volumetric estimates of gains and losses of sedimentary material. Artificial structures caused above 2m in water depth to be shallow between 1979 and 2002 in the estuary system, particularly through disturbance of a natural transport in suspended sediment concentrations. The mutt significant change in suspended sediment transport were observed in area affected by embankment for fresh water, inducing the water depth shallower than before in almost 80% of the area. This was probably because of an continuous abundant mud supply from coastal river oven after blocking the fresh water. The spatial analysis made it possible to identify area wide patterns of water depth change subject to many different type of artificial structures, which tanner be acquired by traditional field sampling. It is anticipated thai this research could be used as a valuable reference to confirm the outputs from past field researches for sedimental process in more visual and quantitative manner.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.817-825
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to research about salt marsh flora and vegetation in the Dongjin-river estuary area where has a project for Sea Man Geum Reclaimed Land so that we can foster foundation on restoration of an ecological habitat, development of applicable plant and establishment of a conservation policy after deceloping the reclaimed land for salt marsh vegetation which has great value ecologically. In conclusion, we was distributed that there are 7 families 21 genera, 25 species, 2 varieties of vascular plant at the Dongjin-river estuary area which have 27 taxa in total and are $0.64\%$ among 4,191 of korean vascular plant. There are also 2 family, 2 genus, 2 species of a naturalized plant which are $1.1\%$ of indicator of a naturalized plant salt marsh vegetation of the downstream are very much affected by the time of inundation, tidal water so that a low degree of salt marsh has frequent flooding by sea water and has a pure group of Suaeda japonica. A Phragmites communis, Carex scabrifolia are distributed mainly around a waterway of salt marsh and Zoysia sinica, Atriplex subcordata, Phragmites communis are living in stock as forming into patch around medium salt marsh. Suaeda asparagoides, Phacelurus latifolius are living around a little high ground and a Phragmites communis is a behind vegetation of Phacelurus latifolius and a part of the Phragmites communis are living along with waterway in a salt marsh as a community. By the 2-M method twelve plant communities were recognized ; Suaeda japonica. Carex scabrifolia, Zoysia sinica, Artemisia scoparia, Phacelurus latifolius, Phragmites communis, Suaeda maritima, Suaeda japonica-Atriplex gmelini, Phragmites communis-Suaeda japonica, Suaeda japonica-Salicornia herbacea, Salicornia herbacea-Suaeda aspar-agoides and Scirpus planiculmis community. The actual vegetation map was constructed on the grounds of the communities classified and other data.

• ALGAE
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2005

Myrionecta rubra, a mixotrophic ciliate, is a cosmopolitan red tide species which is commonly found in neritic and estuarine waters. M. rubra had long been listed as an “nculturable protist”until 2 different laboratory strains were finally established in 2 research groups at the beginning of this century, enabling us to perform initiative investigation into various aspect of the live M. rubra strains (Gustafson et al. 2000; Yih et al. 2004b; Johnson and Stoecker 2005). Field sampling was carried out on high tide at 2 fixed stations around Kunsan Inner Harbor (St.1 near the Estuarine Weir and St.2 off Kunsan Ferry Station) every other day for 4 months from mid-February 2004 to understand detailed figure of the recurrent spring blooms of M. rubra following the onset of the water gates operation of the Keum River Estuarine Weir on August 1994. With its maximum abundance of 272 cells mL$^{-1}$ in St.1, fluctuation pattern of the M. rubra population at the 2 stations was strikingly similar. Notable growth of M. rubra population started on late April, to cause M. rubra red tides during one month from mid-May in which “xceptionally low salinity days”without its red tide were intermittently inserted. High abundance of M. rubra over 50 cells mL$^{-1}$ was recorded at samples with their water temperature and salinity higher than 15${^{\circ}C}$ and 4.0 psu, respectively. During pre-bloom period when salinity fluctuation is moderate and the water temperature is cooler than 15°C, Skeletonema costatum, a chain-forming centric diatom, was most dominant. Cyanobacterial species such as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Phormidium sp. replaced other dominant phytoplankters on the days with “xceptionally low salinity”even during the main blooming period of M. rubra. To summarize, M. rubra could form spring blooms in Keum River Estuary when the level of salinity fluctuation was more severe than that for the dominant diatom Skeletonema costatum and milder than that for the predominance by freshwater cyanobacteria. Therefore, optimal control of the scale and frequency of freshwater discharges might lead us to partially modify the fluctuation pattern of M. rubra populations as well as the period of spring blooms by M. rubra in Keum River Estuary. Sampling time interval of 2 days for the present study or daily sampling was concluded to be minimally required for the detailed exploration into the spring blooms by M. rubra populations in estuaries with weirs like Keum River Estuary.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.735-749
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• 2018

In this study, one studied the principal factors and water-quality components that determine the concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in seawater in estuaries, such as the Han, Geum, Youngsan, Seomjin, and Nakdong rivers in Korea. The principal factors determining the concentration of COD in seawater indicated by the principal component analysis were salinity, exogenous origin and autochthonous resources based on chlorophyll-a. Moreover, organic matter in the submarine sediment layer also had a secondary effect. Regression slope assessed the contribution of water-quality components to determine the concentration of COD in the estuary. One found that the effect of salinity on the overall survey was significant. Moreover, the effect of chlorophyll-a was also appeared in April and August. In each estuary, the most significant contribution factor was chlorophyll-a in the Nakdong River and salinity in the Han and Yongsan rivers. The contribution of salinity and chlorophyll-a were found to be the largest in the Geum River. The salinity and chlorophyll-a in the Seomjin River showed a low contribution.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.482-489
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• 2012

Visual monitoring is hard to apply on fish because they are living in a water system. To overcome this problem, acoustic telemetry, which is effective for underwater monitoring, is often used for studying fish behaviors, such as movement distance, route and patterns. In this study, in order to monitor the movement pattern of Squaliobarbus curriculus (family Cyprinidae), we used acoustic telemetry and identified the home range and movement distances. A total of nine individuals were released at two different locations: one is at the estuary barrage (Sc1~3) and the other is at the lower part of Baekjae Weir (Sc4~9), located in Geum River. Approximately, a 70 km section from the estuary barrage was investigated. Fish, which were released at the estuary barrage, utilized up to 12.7 km upstream as home range from the release site. At the lower part of Baekjae Weir, most of the fish moved and stayed within a 7.2 km downstream area, except for Sc6, which moved 53.4 km (linear maximum distance from release site) downstream from the release site. Relatively small sized fish (Sc7~9) did not show any movement. Accumulated movement distance significantly correlated with the standard length of S. curriculus ($r_s$=0.715, p=0.03). Moreover, the standard length of moving fish was significantly larger than that of not moving fish (Mann-Whitney U test, p=0.024). Therefore, the movement distance of S. curriculus has been correlated with fish size; movement distance was increased with the standard fish length. Although the sample size of monitored fish was small, various meaningful data were collected by acoustic telemetry. Consequently, this technique could be a method available for effectively monitoring the behavior and ecology of native Korean and endemic species.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.34-44
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• 2015

Fish fauna, difference of stable isotope ratio between freshwater and seawater, and trophic guilds of freshwater fishes were investigated in the lower Geum River. The study was conducted in 2011, and total study area was about 30 km of 20 km upstream and 10 km downstream from the Geum River estuary barrage. Only freshwater fishes were used for analyzing trophic guilds, and discriminant function analysis (DFA) was utilized to reclassify trophic guilds based on stable isotope ratio. Fish fauna in freshwater and seawater areas were entirely different each other, but small number of migratory species such as Coilia nasus and Chelon haematocheilus occurred both areas. Other species were not collected in the different areas because they did not have physiological ability to adapt different salinity concentrations. Stable isotope ration of two areas were different considerably due to food sources. Estuary and seawater fishes uptake food sources originated from marine, and freshwater fishes were from freshwater and terrestrial. Some migratory species showed reverse stable isotope ratio. Even though they collected in freshwater, they showed stable isotope ratio of seawater. This is because ecological characteristics of each species. Trophic guilds of freshwater fishes were reclassified by DFA, and showed slight difference with literatures. However, because this result is related with ontogenetic shift of species, more studies are needed to explain exact and correct trophic guilds. Stable isotope ratio can be changed among regions, seasons and ontogenetic stage, thus we always consider these aspects when analyzing results to get a right answer.