• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.90-103
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• 2014

Distribution characteristics of water masses, dissolved inorganic and organic nutrients were investigated in the southern part of the East Sea of Korea in September, 2011. On the basis of the vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen, water masses in the study area were divided into 4 major groups, such as WM (water mass)-I, WM-II, WM-III, WM-IV. Their characteristics were similar to Tsushima Surface Water (TSW), Tsushima Middle Water (TMW), North Korea Cold Water (NKCW) and East Sea Proper Water (ESPW), respectively. In the vertical profiles of dissolved nutrients, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) concentrations were highest in the WM-IV, followed by WM-III, WM-II, WM-I. On the contrary, distribution of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) were highest in the WM-I, followed by WM-II, WM-III, WM-IV. Although the DIN : DIP ratio in all of the water masses was similar to Redfield ratio(16), the DIN : DIP ratio in mixed layer was about 5.3, indicating that inorganic nitrogen is the limiting factor for the growth of phytoplankton. However, the DON proportion in dissolved total nitrogen (DTN) was about 70% in the mixed layer where inorganic nitrogen is limiting factor. Thus, enriched DON may play an important source of the nutrient for the growth of phytoplankon in the East Sea.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.64-69
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• 2004

The results of analyzing the hydrographic observations in the southwestern sea of Jeju Island in the last 10 days of August 1999 to investigate the characteristics of oceanic front area appeared in the East China Sea in August from is summarized as follows: In Line A, a front appears at Station A5 of 124°E and 31°30'N, showing relatively uniform density of 21.4 to 22.1 in the surface layer of 50m depth, which is distinguished from 22.0 shown in the sides of China and open ocean. In Line B, a front also appears at Station B6 of 124°E and 33°N, of which density is distinguished from 20.0 shown in the sides of China and open ocean as In Line A. As a result, the front area caused by fresh water runoffs from the Yangtze River in the East China Sea is formed at 124°E and 124°30'in the direction of east and northeast from Yangtze River, respectively. Nutrient concentrations in the study area are characterized by higher density in the side of China and by clear density difference between the upper and the lower layers in the side of open ocean, while by uniformly lower density concentration between the upper and the lower layers in the front area. Chlorophyll-α concentrations is high in the sides of China and open ocean, while low in the front area. Judging from the above results, the productivity in the front area is lower according to the inactivity of phytoplankton due to increased flow from vertical mixing between the upper layer and the lower layer. Also, the front area in the East China Sea in summer may be moved towards the adjacent sea of Jeju Island by increasing fresh water runoffs from the Yangtze River in summer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.12 no.2 s.25
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• pp.75-79
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• 2006

In order to study the characteristics of water quality in coastal water and mechanism of phytoplankton blooms, factors of water quality were investigated in diatom bloom area due to rainfall event and no diatom bloom area Diatom blooms occurred after heavy rain and the dominant species were Skeletonema costatum($1,200{\sim}5,000cells/mL$) and Thalassiosira spp.($750{\sim}1,200cells/mL$). In diatom bloom area, water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen were observed at higher level than in no diatom bloom area Although these two areas were only 20 meters apart from each other, sharp difference in coastal water quality between two areas was observed. In diatom bloom area, concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicate were observed at lower level than in no diatom blooms area. This seems to be due to inflow of much trace metal such as Fe, Mo, Se and so on than nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicate by rainfall events. However, distinct differences in DIN/DIP and $DIN/SiO_2-Si$ between these two areas were not observed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.885-892
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• 2017

We estimated the limiting nutrient and DIP limiting history based on alkaline phosphatase (APase) activity during the spring of 2017 in the Southern Sea, Korea. In the frontal area, concentration of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN): DIP ratio and Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) were < $0.2{\mu}M$, 23.2 and $2.2{\mu}g/L$, respectively, indicating high productivity despite DIP limiting. The relationship between APase and DIP indicates that the study area had limited DIP because of a strongly reverse correlation (r= -0.81; P<0.001). Relationship between APase and Chl-a (r=0.61, p<0.001) also indicated that APase may have been induced by phytoplankton (ca. 60 %) and bacteria (ca. 40 %). In DIP limiting history in this study area, frontal area and non-frontal areas might have induced long-term DIP limitation and the recent relief from DIP-limitation, respectively, based on distributions of dissolved APase and particulate APase. Thus, these results suggest that by measuring the enzyme that hydrolyzes organic matter such as APase in frontal area, it is possible to estimate temporal and spatial characteristics of limiting nutrient, thereby improving our understanding of biogeochemistry cycles.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.299-309
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• 2019

This study was designed to assess the quality and quantity of food resources such as the chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a), the particulate organic carbon (POC) and the particulate organic nitrogen (PON), on blood cocke (Tegillarca granosa Linnaeus) farms from May to November 2017 in the northwestern area of Yeoja Bay, Korea. The values of Chl-a, POC and PON were $1.69-7.68{\mu}g{\cdot}L^{-1}$ (average: $3.48{\mu}g{\cdot}L^{-1}$ in the surface), 0.88-2.58 mM (average: 1.97 mM) and 0.17-0.90 mM (average: 0.54 mM), respectively, and these values were higher in the spring and summer and lower in the autumn. Furthermore, Chl-a and POC had higher values on the bottom layer than those vales on the surface, while PON had higher values on the surface than those values on the bottom. The POC/PON ratio and POC/Chl-a ratio were 1.56-7.88 (average: 3.71 on the surface of the water) and 216-967 (average: 700 on the bottom of the water), respectively, with most of the carbon sources being sediment-accumulated particle organic matter, and the contribution by phytoplankton was assessed as being low. These results show that the food source of the blood cockle farms in the northwest area of Yeoja Bay seems to be abundant in quantity, but this is considered to be very poor in quality.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.452-462
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• 2021

Pretilachlor (PRE) is a common acetanilide herbicide used worldwide. However, its effects on aquatic organisms, particularly marine photosynthetic life, are not sufficiently known. Herein, we evaluated the toxic effects of PRE by physiological and molecular parameters in the photosynthetic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum. The cell density, pigment content, and photosynthetic parameters (F_v/F_m and PI_ABS) were considerably decreased with increased PRE exposure time and doses. In addition, photosynthesis-related genes, PmpsbA, PmpsaA, and PmatpB, were significantly upregulated when exposed to 1.0 mg L^-1 of PRE for 24 h (p<0.001). In 72 h treatment, the relative gene expression was significantly increased (0.1 and 0.5 mg L^-1; p<0.01). In contrast, PmrbcL was decreased or little changed compared to the controls. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased after 24 h exposure (p<0.001). However, the transcriptional fold-changes in glutathione S-transferase (GST) were significantly increased (0.5 and 1.0 mg L^-1; p<0.001) at 72 h. These findings suggested that the PmGST might be involved in PRE detoxification in P. minimum. In addition, PRE may affect the photosystem function in phytoplankton similar to other acetanilides, causing severe damage or cell death.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.76-87
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• 2014

Chlorophyll a in seawater which is an indicator of phytoplankton biomass and primary production is determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Fluorometry and Spectrophotometry. In this study, various methods for chlorophyll a determination in seawater are compared using in situ seawater samples from Korean seas. Three inter-laboratory comparison campaigns were carried out using chlorophyll a standard samples (R0) and in situ seawater samples, collected from the East China Sea (R1) and the East Sea (R2). 6 laboratories by HPLC methods, 4 laboratories by fluorometry, and 3 laboratories by spectrophotometry participated. Precisions, defined as the coefficient of variation (CV) were within 9% in standard samples, 0.8~20% (average: 6.1%) in R1, 4~21% (average: 13.2%) in R2. Discrepancy in three methods was approximately 20% within the range of the sample homogeneity intended the laboratory precision (R1: 8%, R2: 15%). The discrepancy in laboratories was greater than the discrepancy in methods. The chlorophyll a concentrations can be produced within 20% discrepancy in spite of using different methods. It is recommended to consider this 20% discrepancy when using the chlorophyll a data produced by different laboratories and different methods.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.178-189
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• 2008

The distribution of inorganic nutrients and their remineralization ratio in the divergence zone ($7^{\circ}{\sim}10.5^{\circ}N$) of the northeastern Pacific were investigated from July 2003 to July 2007. A divergence zone along the boundary of the North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) and North Equatorial Current (NEC) at $10^{\circ}N$ was observed in July 2007 when the La Nina event and divergence-related upwelling was strong. The mean depth of oligotrophic surface mixed layer in the divergence zone was 46, 61, and 30 m in July 2003, August 2005, and July 2007, respectively. Below the surface mixed layer, a nutricline was clearly observed. The depth integrated value of nitrate including nitrite (DIVn) in the upper layer($0{\sim}100$ m depth) ranged from 5.51 to 21.71 $gN/m^2$(mean 12.82 $gN/m^2$) in July 2003, from 5.62 to 8.46 $gN/m^2$ (mean 7.15 $gN/m^2$) in August 2005, and from 8.98 to 27.80 $gN/m^2$(mean 21.12 $gN/m^2$) in July 2007. The maximum DIVn was observed at the divergence zone. The distributions of phosphate(DIVp) and silicate(DIVsi) were similar to that of DIVn and the DIVn/DIVsi ratio was $0.87{\pm}0.11$ in the upper layer. The limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in the study area was identified as nitrogen(N/P ratio=14.6). The nitrate (including nitrite) concentrations were lower in the region mainly affected by NEC than in the region affected by NECC. The study area of low silicate concentrations was also considered to be Si-limiting environment. The remineralization ratios of nutrients were $P/N/-O_2=1/14.6{\pm}1.1/100.4{\pm}8.8(23.44{\leq}Sigma-{\theta}{\leq}26.38)$ in the study area. These ratios suggested remineralization process in the surface layer of divergence zone.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.303-313
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• 2011

Field observations and culture experiments have been carried out during the rainy season (on the 6th, 8th and 27th July 2009) to examine changes in the primary productivity and associated plant pigments in the estuary of the Seom-jin River. Primary productivity was determined at four sampling stations along the salinity gradient. On 6th July (before heavy rain) primary productivity ranged from 689~1,169 mgC $m^{-2}$ $d^{-1}$. On the 8th, just after more than 216.5 mm of precipitation, euphotic layers at all stations were reduced to very shallow water because of the high concentration of suspended solids in the water. This resulted in dramatically decreased primary productivity down to as low as 12~32 mg C $m^{-2}$ $d^{-1}$. However, after the rain, primary productivity on the 27th ranged from 266~999 mgC $m^{-2}$ $d^{-1}$, demonstrating a fast recovery in the upper stream water to similar productivity levels to those before the rainy season. Concentration of fucoxanthin in the water was highest on the 6th July. Before the rain, concentration of the zeaxanthin, increased as the salinity decreased. Immediately after the heavy rain, the Chl b (Chlorophytes) concentration was higher at all sites than before the rainy season. The concentration of fucoxanthin decreased after the heavy rain. At the downstream site, peridinin (Dinoflagellates) were found. During the rainy season, the diatoms contributed to the primary productivity at all sites. However, after the rainy season, Chl b (Chlorophytes) and Peridinin (Dinoflagellates) increased, demonstrating the enhanced contribution of those species in addition to diatoms.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.19-36
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• 2013

Physiochemical characters of sea waters during summer flood- and winter dry-seasons and their spatial variations were investigated along the coastal area off the eastern South Sea, Korea. Using the hierarchical clustering method, in this study, we present comprehensive analyses of coastal waters masses and their seasonal variations. The results revealed that the coastal water of the study area was classified into six water masses (A to F). During summer season, the surface water was mainly occupied by the coastal pseudo-estuarine water (water mass B) with low salinity and high nutrients and the river-dominated coastal water (water mass C) with low nutrients, respectively. The bottom water was dominated by cold water (water mass D) with very low temperature, high salinity and high nutrients, compared to masses of surface water. Notably, the water mass B, with high concentrations of nutrients (silicate and nitrogen) and low salinity, which is strongly controlled by the water quality of river freshwater, seems to play an important role in controlling the water quality and further regulating physical processes on ecosystem in the eastern coastal area of South Sea. The water mass D (bottom cold water) coupled with a strong thermocline, which exists in near-bottom layer along the western margin of Korea Strait, has a low temperature, pH and DO, but abundant nutrients. This water mass disappears in winter owing to strong vertical mixing, and subsequently may act as a pool for nutrients during winter dry-season. On the other hand, vertically well-mixed water column during the winter season was typically occupied by the Tsushima (water mass E) and the coastal water (water mass F) with a development of coastal front formed in a transition zone between them. These winter water masses were characterized by low nutrient concentration and balance in N/P ratio, compared with summer season with high nutrient concentrations and strong N-limitation. Accordingly, the analysis of water masses will help one to better chemical and biological processes in coastal area. In most of the study area, characteristically, the growth of phytoplankton community is limited by nitrogen, which is clearly different with coastal environment of West Sea of Korea, with a relative lack of phosphorus. It showed the western and the southern coasts in Korea are substantially different from each other in environmental and ecological characteristics.