• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.122-132
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• 2011

Mercury accumulates in biota mainly as methylmercury. In nature, methylmercury shows high affinity to organic matter and $CH_3Hg^+$-organic matter complexation affects the mobility and bioavailabiity of methylmercury. In this study, we examined the methylmercury binding sites in an aquatic humic acid as affected by the pH condition using Hg $L_{III}$-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). We evaluated methylmercury binding humic ligands using methylmercury-thiol, methylmerury-carboxyl, and methylmercury-amine complexation models. When $CH_3Hg^+$-to-humic reduced sulfur ratio is 0.3, we found that most of $CH_3Hg^+$ binds to thiol ligands at pH 5 and 7. At pH 7, however, some carboxyl or amine ligand contribution is observed, unlike at pH 5 where $CH_3Hg^+$ almost exclusively binds to thiol ligands. The carboxyl or amine ligand contribution may indicate that some types of thiol ligands in the natural organic matter have relatively low complexation constants or acid dissociation constants compared to those of some carboxyl or amine ligands. Analysis results indicate that ~0.2 fraction of methylmercury binds to amine or carboxyl ligands and ~0.8 to thiol ligands at pH 7.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.155-166
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• 2013

A preliminary investigation to establish the status of contamination of trace metals in the Western coast of Ghana was conducted prior to the commercial production of crude oil in the area. The study revealed the presence of heavy metals such as Pb (4.00-79.64 mg/kg), As (8.81-236 mg/kg), Cu (12.86-108.06 mg/kg), V (28.07-953.32 mg/kg), Zn (7.08-264.25 mg/kg), Cr (101.69-1366.62 mg/kg), Ni (42.41-451.43 mg/kg), Mn (16.77-1890.45mg/kg), Br (7.66-142.78 mg/kg), Ti (542.03-19960 mg/kg) and Fe (7472.88-97120 mg/kg) at six sites sampled along the coast. With the exception of Ti and Fe which showed no variation in metal concentration, the rest of the metals varied significantly among the sampled locations. Potential ecological risk of metals particularly of Co, As and Br which exhibited extreme enrichment of the sediments indicates considerable metal pollution in the studied areas. The degree of contamination is of particular concern especially to benthic biota that inhabit this environment for survival.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.130-141
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• 2016

This study was conducted to elucidate the structure of river ecosystem in the watershed of the Seom River and Hoengseong Reservoir located in Hoengseong of Kangwon Province from February to October 2007. Topics of the survey were mainly rainfall, discharge, water quality in abiotic factors and attached algae, benthic macroinvertebrates, fish, birds and mammals of flora and fauna in a biotic factors, respectively. Specifically, the Seom River could be seen as a typical flow rate of the stream is controlled to the effect of the dam. Basic water qualities were great to seasonal effects, it was relatively clean. Diatom Achnanthes, Cymbella, Gomphonema, and Navicula were distributed predominantly in the periphytic algae. Benthic macroinvertebrates were mostly aquatic insects and freshwater shellfish, the aquatic insects were abundant Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera. Freshwater fish was the dominant Zacco platypus, fish species varied toward the downstream. Birds were mainly observed in four species, and species Egretta garzetta, which was distributed in a wide area of the Seom River. In mammals, Lutra lutra of Mustelidae was identified that the number of inhabit widely. In aspects of the ecological trophic level, the Seom River was maintained at a relatively stable state in the producer and the consumer relationship. The results of this study will expected to be utilized as a useful data for understanding the structure and function of the lotic and lentic ecosystems.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 2013

In Korea, more than 300 oil spill accidents occur every year. Despite the frequency, only a small pool of data is available on the initial effect of oil spill on macrobenthic fauna inhabiting rocky shores. The aim of this study was to analyze the variation of macrobenthic fauna composition and community structure on rocky shores, and understand the impact of oil on rocky shore organisms after the Hebei Spirit oil spill. Field surveys were carried out in five regions dose to the wreck site in January, April and September 2008. Polluted sites after the Hebei Spirit oil spill showed that biological index consistently decreased for 9 months limited to breeding and recruitment of organisms by spilled oil. Macrobenthic community was subdivided into 3 groups by species elimination and differences between density of major dominant species: enriched biota community under a relatively stable environment, the second with relatively low ecological index and the last with poor community. In this study, species number did not clearly reflect the effect of oil on the rare and mobile species. However, mean density, biomass and community structure showed the effect of oil by considering breeding activity, decline in recruitment and variation pattern with time.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.103-112
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• 1998

Nature-friendly river project has became common practice in Japan. In order to make it available for the conservation and rehabilitation of desirable water environment, water criteria for water environmental assessment must be established. Especially, the criteria estimating the effects on ecosystem in and around river should be constructed. In this paper, classification method for water quality has been developed using biological indices and applied to observed data in Honmyo River, Nagasaki, Japan. Modified PI method (BI') has been suggested and those of three most abundant species resulted effective estimate for an overall water quality with comparatively simple procedure. Extensive database management code was prepared for the comprehensive ecological monitoring of river basin, which includes various biota. That system enables easy access of all the ecological data for a dissemination of a sound and sustainable water environment. The result of this study could improve knowledge base, serve making consensus for citizens, and help river management plans. In Japan, citizen's realization and action are the most critical factor for nature-friendly river restoration project.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.185-190
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• 2004

Acute aquatic toxicity of effluents discharged from five dyeing plants in Gyeong-gi province were evaluated to assess whether the current Korean water quality standards(KWQS) could protect aquatic life. Chemical analyses of all parameters regulated under KWQS, except for E-coli, were also carried out to determine regulation compliance of the samples. All the effluent samples were satisfied with KWQS except for the color in only one sample. In acute Daphnia magna toxicity tests, significant mortality was observed in one of five samples and EC50 was 12.1%(95% confidence interval 9.1-16.2), which was in compliance with KWQS. The result of the Microtox assay indicated that acute microbial toxicity existed in effluents from three out of five plants, two of which were in compliance with KWQS. The agreement between regulation compliance of chemical concentrations of effluent and observed toxicity from various biological toxicity tests was very poor to fair (kappa = 0.194~0.250). The data presented suggest that exposure to dyeing wastewater which were in compliance with Korean water quality standards may not be safe to aquatic biota, and multiple tropical levels should be considered in aquatic toxicity monitoring of dyeing industry.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.53-65
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• 2000

The objectives of this study are to develop a stormwater management system that would contribute to improving water circulation, recycling storm water and promoting biodiversity in urban areas, to apply the system in an actual site, and to verify its effectiveness in order to generate a stormwater management system applicable in Korea. This study reviewed former researches and case studies, categorized stormwater management system into pre-treatment, retention and infiltration phases, and analyzed the strength and weakness of the techniques by synthesizing unit techniques of each stage. As a result, the process of the stormwater management system includes the following phases: 1) a rubble filtration layer; 2) a retention pond; 3) a infiltration pond; and 4) a stormwater retention pool (recirculation and recycling). Then, an empirical study to design and create the generated system according to the features of a site and to verify its effectiveness was conducted. The future study direction is to verify the effectiveness of the developed stormwater retention and infiltration ponds. To this end, it is planned to perform hydrological monitoring using automatic measuring equipment and monitoring on habitat bases and the biota living on the base. Based on its outcome, the applied model would be refined and improved to develop an alternative stormwater management system that would allow to achieve the improvement of urban water circulation, increase of biodiversity and efficient use of water resources.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.315-324
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• 2011

The actiniarian sea anemone, Entacmaea quadricolor, and the scleractinian coral, Alveopora japonica, host symbiotic dinoflagellates belonging to the genus Symbiodinium (Freudenthal). We studied the host-symbiont specificity of these two anthozoan hosts in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Symbionts within the two hosts were identified using partial large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and complete internal transcribed spacers (ITS) 1 rDNA regions. The host, E. quadricolor, was identified using the partial LSU rDNA molecular marker. Genetic analysis showed that E. quadricolor only harbors dinoflagellates belonging to subclade C1/3 of the genus Symbiodinium. Moreover, no genetic variation was detected among the symbionts of E. quadricolor within the study region (Korea and Japan), even though the two distant sites were separated by more than 1000 km, at collection depths of 1 m in shallow and 13-16 m in deep water. Whilst scleractinian corals host multiple Symbiodinium clades in tropical waters, A. japonica, sampled over a wide geographical range (800 km) within the study region, only hosts Symbiodinium sp. clade F3. The high specificity of endosymbionts in E. quadricolor and A. japonica within the northwestern Pacific Ocean could be accounted for because symbiotic dinoflagellates within the host anemones appear to be acquired maternally, and the Kuroshio Current might affect the marine biota of the northwestern Pacific. However, the consistency of the symbiotic relationships between these two anthozoan hosts and their endosymbionts could change after climate change, so this symbiotic specificity should be monitored.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.75-86
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• 2008

The wetlands have functions those were retention of diverse biota, purification of water quality, control of climate and flood, eco-tourism and supply of agricultural water, and that was the ecosystem of high biodiversity as the zone of transition between inland and water. Therefore, this study showed the conservation and management plan by analyzing in the abiotic and biotic environment of forest swamp, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The results were as follows. Examining the management plan of the abiotic environment, there will need to establish the hydrological plan in continuous expediting the supply of water to maintain a humid soil of swamp, and to try to find the organic farming, use of low toxic agrichemicals and so on to prevent occurring a non-point source pollutants. To prevent changing the flowing of ground water and inflow of earth and sand in modifying the land character, there will be needed to restrict the construction of farmland and slope around swamp. To manage the biotic environment, there needed to offer the habitat by removing the regular interval and individual of a dead tree, and to improve the growth environment of vegetation. Because the naturalized plants disturb the natural vegetation, they will be removed. The afforested trees like Robinia pseudoacacia and Amorpha truticosa will be renewed to prevent the heterogeneity of landscape ecology, and the active conservation plan on wetland species will be established. As this study was carried out to study on the partial swamp, Gyeongsanbuk-do, the ecological environments distributing a swamp in Korea show a some problem. In the future, the study will accomplish to study the accurately and objectively ecological environment and management of a swamp by analyzing the extensive sites.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.59-63
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• 2014

Precision farming aims at reduced environmental impacts with increased productivity. Soils are multi-functional media in which air, water and biota occur together and form an essential part of the landscape with a fundamental role in the environment. The requirement for herbicides and fertilizers can vary within a field in response to spatial differences in soil properties. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is widely used today as a nondestructive analytical technique which is capable of determining a number of physio-chemical parameters. The objectives of this study were to develop optimal models to predict chemical properties of paddy soils by visible and NIR reflectance spectra. Total of 60 soil samples were collected in spring from 20 paddy fields within central regions in Korea. Reflectance spectra, moisture contents, pH, total nitrogen (N), organic matter, available phosphate ($P_2O_5$) of soil samples were measured. The reflectance spectra were measured in wavelength ranges of 400-2,500 nm with 2 nm interval. The method of partial least square (PLS) analysis was used to determine the soil properties. The PLS analyses showed good correlation between predicted and measured chemical properties of paddy soils in the wavelength range of 1,800-2,400 nm. Especially, it showed better performance than the previous results which used the entire wavelength range of the spectrophotometer, without considering the optimal wavelength of each soil properties.