• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.549-556
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• 2017

Rivers continuously transport terrestrial organic carbon matter to the estuary and the ocean, and they play a critical role in productivity and biodiversity in the marine ecosystem as well as the global carbon cycle. The amount of terrestrial organic carbon transporting from the rivers to ocean is an essential piece of information, not only for the marine ecosystem management but also the carbon budget within catchment. However, this phenomenon is still not well understood. Most large rivers in Korea have a well-established national monitoring system of the river flow and the TOC (Total Organic Carbon) concentration from the mountain to the river mouth, which are fundamental for estimating the amount of the TOC flux. We estimated the flux of the total terrestrial organic carbon of five large rivers which flow out to the Yellow Sea, using the data of the national monitoring system (the monthly mean TOC concentration and the monthly runoff of river flow). We quantified the annual TOC flux of the five rivers, showing their results in the following order: the Han River ($18.0{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$)>>Geum River ($5.9{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$)>Yeongsan River ($2.6{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$)>Sumjin River ($2.0{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$)>>Tamjin River ($0.2{\times}10^9gC\;yr^{-1}$). The amount of the Han River, which is the highest in the Korean rivers, corresponds to be 4% of the annual total TOC flux of in the Yellow River, and moreover, to be 0.6% of Yangtze River.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.327-334
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• 2010

The paper describes the history and the evolution of the conflict of the Saemangeum reclamation project, focusing on the court trial processes. The Saemangeum project is the world largest coastal reclamation work, regarded as the most controversial environmental issue in the recent history of Korea. Due to the severe pollution found in Lake Sihwa in 1996, the Saemangeum project began to receive a large degree of public concern on the water quality of the proposed artificial freshwater lake. Unlike the Sihwa case, the Korean court system intervened to resolve the heated conflicts between stakeholders in the Saemangeum case. Based on the same set of facts, the Korean courts showed different perspectives on the economic feasibility, value of the ecosystem, land use, and water quality, which represents the limit of legal system to address complicated environmental problems. After the final judgment by the Supreme Court, 'the Special Act for the promotion of the Saemangeum reclamation project', was enacted with strong political support from local leaders and congressmen. A more developmental-oriented land use plan came out in 2009 based on this Act. The Saemangeum project walked along the different pathway from the Sihwa case. The area should be managed in sustainable manners to appropriately consider conservation and development for the prosperity of local residents and future generations.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.432-440
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• 2017

Compound specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AAs) is being highlighted as an alternative approach for overcoming some restrictions in application of stable isotope analysis of bulk tissue (SIA) for trophic position (TP) estimation. However, this approach has rarely been applied in Korea. The present study determines TP of two Polychaeta (Nephtyidae and Glyceridae) and two fish species(Platycephalus indicus and Lophius litulon) collected from the Geum River estuary using nitrogen isotope ratio of amino acid and compared with the TP values estimated by SIA. The Polychaeta species, sampled in two sites, showed similar TP between SIA(2.7 and 3.1) and CSIA-AAs (2.6 and 3.1). However, for both fish species, TP values displayed a large difference between SIA (3.1 and 2.3) and CSIA-AAs (3.8 and 3.7). In this study TP values estimated by CSIA-AAs showed more similar to the previously reported gut content analysis of both fishes compared with the results of SIA. Current study suggests the applicability of nitrogen isotope ratio of amino acid to understand coastal ecosystem structure and trophic ecology.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.235-244
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• 2010

Ultrastructural characteristics of the testis and spermatogenesis of Crassostrea gigas were investigated by Transmission and Scanning Electron microscope observations. The testis is a diffuse organ consisting of branching acini containing differentiating germ cells in a variety of stages. The acinus is surrounded by an intermitent layer of myoepithelial cells andis divided into subcompartments that are partially separated by pleomorphic accessory cells which remain in close contact with germ cells until late stages of development. these accessory cells contain a large quantity of glycogen particles and lipid droplets in the cytoplasm. Therefore, it is assumed that they are involved in the supplying of the nutrients for germ cell development, while any phenomena associated with phagocytosis of undischarged, residual sperms by lysosomes could be find in the cytoplasm of the accessory cells. The morphology of the spermatozoon has a primitive type and is similar to those of other bivalves. Mature spermatozoa consist of broad, cap-shaped acrosomal vesicle, subacrosomal material (containing axial rod embedded in a granular matrix), a oval nucleus showing deeply invaginated anteriorly, two triplet substructure centrioles surrounded by four spherical mitochondria, and satelite fibres appear to the distal centriole and plasma membrane. Spermatozoa of C. gigas resemble to those of other investigated ostreids. In particular, the anterior region of the acrosomal vesicle is transversely banded. It is assumed that differences in this acrosomal substructure are associated with the inability of fertilization between the genus Crassostrea and other genus species in Ostreidae. Therefore, we can use sperm morphology in the resolution of taxonomic relationships within the Ostreidea. The spermatozoon is approximately $42-47{\mu}m$ in length including an oval sperm nucleus (about $0.91{\mu}m$ in length), an acrosome (about $0.42{\mu}m$ in length) and tail flagellum ($40-45{\mu}m$). The axoneme of the sperm tail flagellum consists of nine pairs of microtubules at the periphery and a pair at the center. The axoneme of the sperm tail shows a 9 + 2 structure. These morphological charateristics of acrosomal vesicle belong to the family Ostreidae in the subclass Pteriomorphia.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2004.05b
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• pp.73-79
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• 2004

When large-scale oil spill happens, it will put the fatal impact on the ecosystem, ultimately harm human being seriously. Accordingly every coastal country invests to improve response technologies, of which oil removal by use of bioremediation agent is taken to be secondary or alternative cleanup method in a specific spilled area In this regards, the author attempts to find out the efficiency and effectiveness of bioremediation agent to oil slick by laboratory experiment as well as the possibility of bioremediation application to future spill accident and gets the some results. In this study, the effectiveness and efficiency of bioremediation agent to oil slick is examined by short-term laboratory test and it is found that bioremediation agent am degrade oils effectively. however, considering the environment c! spill site is quite different from that of lab, the author will carry on the on-scene test of bioremediation for longer period to look into the possibility of biorediation agent as one of oil spill response methods.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.493-504
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• 2008

In the seas around the Korean Peninsula, the seasonal cycle of zooplankton related to North Pacific regime shifts was investigated to understand the reaction of the ecosystem to climate change using long-term data on zooplankton biomass (1965-2000) and the abundance of four major zooplankton groups: copepods, amphipods, chaetognaths, and euphausiids (1978-2000). In general, the zooplankton biomass showed a large peak in spring and a small peak in autumnin Korean waters, but there was a slight difference in the peak time depending on the location and the period before and after the North Pacific regime shift. The zooplankton biomass showed conspicuous seasonal peaks in R-III (1990-2000) compared to R-I (1965-1976) and R-II (1977-1988), and the seasonal peak shifted from the autumn in R-II to the spring in R-III. The peak of copepods and euphausiids in abundance was from April to June, while chaetognaths peaked from August to October. We postulate that the time lag between the peaks for copepods and chaetognaths results from the predator-prey relationship. The regime shift in 1989 did not alter the seasonal cycle of the four major zooplankton groups, although it enhanced their production. The seasonal peaks of the four major zooplankton groups did not shift, while the seasonal peaks of the zooplankton biomass did shift. This was not only becausethe zooplankton biomass included other mesozooplankton groups but also because the abundance of the four major zooplankton groups increased significantly in spring.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.317-324
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• 2018

SWRO-PRO hybrid desalination technology is recently getting more attention especially in large desalination markets such as USA, Middle East, Japan, Singapore, etc. because of its promising potential to recover a considerable amount of osmotic energy from brine (a high-concentration solution of salt, 60,000 - 80,000 mg/L) and also to minimize the impact of the discharged brine into a marine ecosystem. By the research and development of the core technologies of the SWRO-PRO desalination system in a national desalination research project (Global MVP) supported by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) and Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA), it is anticipated that around 25% of total energy consumption rate (generally 3 to $4kWh/m^3$) of the SWRO desalination can be reduced by recovering the brine's osmotic energy utilizing wastewater treatment effluent as a PRO feed solution and an isobaric pressure exchanger (PX, ERI) as a PRO energy converter. However, there are still several challenges needed to be overcome in order to ultimately commercialize the novel SWRO-PRO process. They include system optimization and integration, development of efficient PRO membrane and module, development of PRO membrane fouling control technology, development of design and operation technology for the system scaling-up, development of diverse business models, and so on. In this paper, the current status and progress of the pilot study of the newly developed SWRO-PRO hybrid desalination technology is discussed.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.61-68
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• 2021

Logistics movement using ships has been used for many centuries, but maritime accidents are still difficult to predict and they occur on a large scale. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) made it mandatory to install Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) for safe seas, but S-57 standards applied to equipment were not updated over 30 years. In addition, it is difficult to keep the equipment up-to-date and revise standards as ships move around the world. In consideration of the limitations of S-57, the IHO developed the new standard as S-100 rather than an update of the S-57. In this study, the previously developed S-100 tool and S/W were configured as one platform and applied to the S-100 ECDIS. The platform conducts as the S-100 cycle and ecosystem from the creation of standards to release and practical use in ships. The hydrographic information standard is machine-readable as defined in S-100, and it has been validated that the latest standard can be applied using the Plug and Play (PnP) function without software system updates. It is expected that international organization such as the International Hydrographic Office (IHO) and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) shall develop and release standards and mariners can easily apply the latest standards to equipment through the machine-readable platform.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.5_3
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• pp.1043-1060
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• 2023

An acceleration of climate change in recent years has led to increased attention towards 'blue carbon' which refers to the carbon captured by the ocean. However, our comprehension of marine ecosystems is still incomplete. This study classified and analyzed global marine eco-provinces using k-means clustering considering carbon cycling. We utilized five input variables during the past 20 years (2001-2020): Carbon-based Productivity Model (CbPM) Net Primary Production (NPP), particulate inorganic and organic carbon (PIC and POC), sea surface salinity (SSS), and sea surface temperature (SST). A total of nine eco-provinces were classified through an optimization process, and the spatial distribution and environmental characteristics of each province were analyzed. Among them, five provinces showed characteristics of open oceans, while four provinces reflected characteristics of coastal and high-latitude regions. Furthermore, a qualitative comparison was conducted with previous studies regarding marine ecological zones to provide a detailed analysis of the features of nine eco-provinces considering carbon cycling. Finally, we examined the changes in nine eco-provinces for four periods in the past (2001-2005, 2006-2010, 2011-2015, and 2016-2020). Rapid changes in coastal ecosystems were observed, and especially, significant decreases in the eco-provinces having higher productivity by large freshwater inflow were identified. Our findings can serve as valuable reference material for marine ecosystem classification and coastal management, with consideration of carbon cycling and ongoing climate changes. The findings can also be employed in the development of guidelines for the systematic management of vulnerable coastal regions to climate change.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.235-247
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: Gohyeon Stream is the municipal eco-stream of 7.1km in total length which flows through the downtown area of Gohyeon in Geoje city, rising from the watershed of Mundong Water Fall. Gohyeon district in Geoje city has been a rapid growing area centering in Geoje city and then experienced an rapid increase in population. Large amounts of sewage pollutants have been spewed into Gohyeon Stream from its tributaries, due to the lack of sewer system. Gohyeon Stream is laced with unhealthy levels of fecal coliform (FC). Restoration of water quality in Gohyeon Stream is no less inevitable in behalf of its ecosystem and the citizen. In this study, the water quality of Gohyeon Stream and its tributaries was examined temporally and spatially, and their relationships were comparatively analyzed to give useful basic data applying to a restoration project of the water quality of Gohyeon Stream. METHODS AND RESULTS: The samples ware taken at 20 points in Gohyeon Stream and 19 points in its tributaries during the rainy and dry seasons, respectively, and examined on the parameters of pH, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), suspended solid (SS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; $NH_3$-N, $NO_3$-N, $NO_2$-N), disolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP; $PO_4$-P) and FC. The data were analyzed using a comparative analysis and Pearson's correlation analysis among the parameters. During the rainy season, the concentration of SS was high in the upper region of Gohyeon Stream, and the concentrations of COD, DIN and DIP were low in the upper region and high in the middle and lower regions. During the dry season, the concentration of SS was low and the concentrations of COD, DIN, DIP and FC were high in all regions. The Pearson's correlation analyses showed that the relationships between DO and FC, COD and DIP, and DIN and FC during the rainy season as well as between DO and DIN, SS and FC, COD and DIP, and DIN and DIP during the dry season were significant. CONCLUSION: During the rainy season, the upper region of Gohyeon Stream flowed the high level of SS, the middle region the high level of nutrients due to an agricultural run-off, and the lower region the high level of nutrients due to a sewage inflow. During the dry season, the water quality of Gohyeon Stream was directly and sensitively influenced on the inflow of sewage from the tributaries.