• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.291-297
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• 2010

In the summer of 2008 (August 4-14), vertical and horizontal distributions of inorganic nutrients and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured in the southwestern East Sea. Concentrations of DOC were determined for the first time in the southwestern East Sea using the high-temperature combustion oxidation (HTCO) method, and results were compared with those measured by another laboratory. Concentrations of DOC ranged from 58 to 104 ${\mu}M$ in the upper 200 m, showing a typical decreasing pattern with depth. Generally, concentrations of DOC were relatively lower, with higher nutrient concentrations, in the upper layer of the coastal upwelling zone. Concentrations of DOC ranged from 54 to 64 ${\mu}M$ in the deep Ulleung Basin (200-1500 m), and were higher than those in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In association with rapid vertical ventilation of the euphotic, this difference indicates a larger accumulation of semi-labile DOC in the deep East Sea than in the major oceans. A correlation between apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) and DOC in the deep ocean of the East Sea revealed that only a small portion (<10%) of the sinking DOC, relative to the sinking particulate organic carbon (POC), contributes to microbial degradation. Our results present an important data set of DOC in the East Sea, which plays a critical role in carbon cycle modeling and sequestration.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2021

In order to evaluate the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM), as indicators of organic matter in the coastal environments, we measured the concentrations of DOC, FDOM, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in saline groundwater (Woljeong, Pyoseon, and Hwasun beaches) and coastal seawater (Haengwon, Gwideok, Pyoseon, and Yeongnak) in Jeju, Korea. The highest concentrations of DOC and COD in groundwater were found in Woljeong and Pyoseon, and those in coastal water were observed in Haengwon and Pyoseon, indicating that the higher concentrations of DOC and COD seem to be associated with saline groundwater-driven dissolved organic matter (DOM) and/or biogeochemical processes. According to origin and optical properties of DOM using FDOM as a tracer, proportion of humic-like FDOM, more refractory DOM, was relatively greater in the groundwater than in the coastal water. With regard to this result, there was no relationship between DOC and COD in groundwater, while DOC showed a good positive correlation (r² = 0.66) with COD in coastal water. This result indicates that COD as an indicator of assessment of DOM has a limitation in which it is difficult to quantify refractory DOM. Although DOC is a potential alternative to COD in the coastal environments, particulate organic carbon cannot be negligible due to relatively higher concentration compared to the open ocean. Therefore, the use of total organic carbon (TOC) as a replacement of COD in the coastal ocean is important, and the evaluation criterion of the TOC is necessary in order to evaluate of organic matter indicator in the various coastal environments.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.103-111
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• 2023

To evaluate the impact of effluents from land-based fish farms on the coastal ocean of Wando, Korea, we analyzed inorganic nutrients, particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in the effluent and influent of land-based fish farms during the summer (July) of 2021. The average concentrations of nutrients (Dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicate; DIN, DIP, and DSi, respectively) in the effluents of this study area were 17±3.7 μM, 1.4±0.7 μM, and 14±1.6 μM, respectively. The average concentrations of POC and DOC were 37±22 μM and 81±13 μM, respectively, with POC accounting for about 30% for total organic carbon in effluents. The Reduced Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen/Total Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen ratio (0.7), potential short-period index, indicates that the discharge of nutrients excreted by the fish and unconsumed feed into coastal water results in such nutrients being deposited and accumulated in the sediment. Subsequently, this continuous accumulation triggers the release of ammonium ions during organic matter decomposition, and the ammonium-enriched waters that encroach on fish farms as influent seem to be due to the diffusion of high concentrations of ammonium from bottom sediment. Furthermore, we used fluorescence indices to examine the characteristics of organic matter sources, obtaining mean values of 1.54±0.19, 1.06±0.06, and 1.56±0.06 for the humification index, biological index, and fluorescence index, respectively, in the effluent. These results indicate that the organic matters had an autochthonous origin that resulted from microbial decomposition, and such organic matters were rapidly generated and removed by biological activity, likely supplied from the sediment. Our results suggest that the effluent from land-based fish farms could be a potential source of deoxygenation occurrence in coastal areas.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.259-268
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• 2018

The $PM_{2.5}$ samples were collected for every 6th day during one year at a suburban site in the Namwonsi, Jeollanamdo, Republic of Korea. Samples were analyzed for elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and levoglucosan. Although the water-soluble fraction of fine particulate OC consistently showed over a year, levoglucosan fraction of WSOC varied considerably from month to month. In this study, non-biomass-burning WSOC ($WSOC_{NBB}$) and biomass-burning $WSOC_{BB}$ were calculated with measurements of organic source tracer, levoglucosan, to better understand the temporal distribution and sources of WSOC. Two methods of predicting the secondary organic carbon from the biomass-burning $WSOC_{BB}$ Method and the EC-tracer Method were compared. Poor correlations between SOC estimated between two methods suggested that the use of the EC tracer method to estimate SOC may be significantly flawed. Direct measurements of levoglucosan and WSOC can provide a reasonable estimate of secondary organic carbon concentrations.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2006

Various drying conditions, temperatures (40 to $80^{\circ}C$) and durations (overnight to 72 hrs), for the particulate organic matter (POM) fraction after wet-sieving size fractionation have been applied for determination of POM contents in the weight loss-on-ignition method. In this study, we investigated the optimum drying condition for POM fraction in quantification of POM and/or mineral-associated organic matter (MOM; usually indirectly estimated). The influence of the drying conditions on quantifying POM was dependent upon soil properties, especially the amount of soil organic components. In relatively high organic soils (total carbon > 40 g/kg in this study), the POM values were significantly higher (overestimated) with drying at $55^{\circ}C$ than those values at $105^{\circ}C$, which were, for example, 173.2 and 137.3 mg/kg, respectively, in a soil studied. However, drying at $55^{\circ}C$ for longer than 48 hrs of periods produced consistent POM values even though the values were much higher than those at $105^{\circ}C$. Thus, indirect estimates of MOM (MOM = SOM-POM) also tended to be significantly impacted by the dry conditions. Therefore, we suggest POM fractions should be dried at $105^{\circ}C$ for 24 hrs as determining POM and MOM contents. If the POM traction is needed to be dried at a lower temperature (e.g. $55^{\circ}C$) with a specific reason, at least 48 hrs of drying period is necessary to obtain consistent POM values, and a moisture correction factor should be determined to adjust the values back to a $105^{\circ}C$ weight basis.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.42-51
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• 2009

Saturated n-dicarboxylic acids ($C_2-C_7$, $C_9$), unsaturated dicarboxylic acids (maleic, fumaric, phthalic acid), ketocarboxylic acids (pyruvic, glyoxylic acid), and dicarbonyls (glyoxal, methylglyoxal) were determined in size-segregated samples with a high-volume Andersen air sampler at a suburban site in Saitama, Japan, May 12-17 and July 24-27, 2007 and January 22-31, 2008. The seasonal average concentrations of these detected organic acids were 670 $ng/m^3$, accounting for about 4.4-5.7% (C/C) of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and 2.3-3.6% (C/C) of organic carbon (OC). The most abundant species of dicarboxylic acids was oxalic acid, followed by malonic, phthalic, or succinic acids. Glyoxylic acid and methyglyoxal were most abundant ketocarboxylic acid and dicarbonyl, respectively. Seasonal differences, size-segregated concentrations, and the correlations of these acids with ambient temperatures, oxidants, elemental carbon (EC), OC, WSOC, and ionic components were also discussed in terms of their corresponding sources and possible secondary formation pathways. The results suggested that photochemical reactions contributed more to the formation of particulate organic acids in Saitama suburban areas than did direct emissions from anthropogenic and natural sources. However, direct emissions of vehicles were also important sources of several organic acids in particles, such as phthalic and adipic acids, especially in winter.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.969-975
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• 2010

Estimating the organic matter loadings from individual treated sewage has become important for establishment of effective management strategies to control refractory organic matter (R-OM) in watersheds. For this study, regression equations were constructed using treated sewage data to convert the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations, which are mostly available from open database, into total organic carbon (TOC) and R-OM concentrations. Effluent samples were collected from five major sewage treatment plants (STPs) located upstream of the lake Paldang. Variations in the OM concentrations were not associated with either the location of the STP or the sampling season. The effluent investigated were characterized by higher ratio of R-OM with respect to biodegradable organic matter (B-OM) and higher presence of dissolved organic matters (DOM) versus particulate organic matter (POM). Compared to $COD_{Mn}$, $COD_{Cr}$ exhibited higher oxidation efficiencies and greater variations in the concentrations. The concentrations of $COD_{Mn}$ were positively correlated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total organic carbon (TOC), and R-OM concentrations. There was nearly no seasonal and annual variation in the regression equations between $COD_{Mn}$ and TOC or R-OM concentrations. The constructed regression equations for TOC and R-OM were $0.650({\pm}0.071){\times}COD_{Mn}+1.426({\pm}0.575)$ and $0.340({\pm}0.083){\times}COD_{Mn}+2.054({\pm}0.670)$, respectively. The established equations are expected to contribute to estimating OM loadings from the STPs into the lake Paldang and also to compensating for the deficiency of the data for effluent OM concentrations in STP.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.91-96
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• 1997

In order to investigate the behavior of particulate carbon and benzo(a)pyrene(B(a)P) in the ambient air, suspended particle matters were collected from April, 1990 to February, 1992, and total carbon(TC), organic carbon(OC), elemental carbon(EC) and B(a)P were measured by an elemental analyzer and a HPLC. The results were as follows the average concentration of TC was 38.6 $\mug/m^3$ and its concentration was higher in winter(45.4 $\mug/m^3$) and fa11(44.3 $\mug/m^3$) than in summer(36.8 $\mug/m^3$) and spring(28.9 $\mug/m^3$). The monthly concentration trends both of EC and OC was similar, but seasonal variation of EC concentrations was larger than that of OC. The average concentration of B (a)P was 2.2 ng/m$^3$, and was higher in winter(4.1 ng/m$^3$) and fall(3.2 ng/m$^3$) than in spring(1.2 ng/m$^3$) and summer(0.6 ng/m$^3$). The seasonal behavior of carbon and B(a)P was to similar except for summer. The correlation coefficient(r) between EC and B(a)P was 0.71, and the correlation coefficient(r) between OC and B(a)P was 0.66.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.580-586
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• 2017

The fractionation characteristics of organic matter were investigated in inflow and effluent of each other pollution sources and river. While the DOC/TOC ratio in the influent of public sewage treatment plant and livestock disposal facilities was above 0.58, the POC/TOC ratio of human livestock Night soil treatment plant and stormwater runoff was more than 0.7. The TOC removal efficiency of public sewage treatment plant and human livestock Night soil treatment plant were 88.5 % and 99.6 %, respectively. Although the concentration distribution of organic matter pollution most of total organic carbon (TOC) in effluent of pollution sources accounted for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) type (DOC/TOC ratio >0.89) and Refractory-DOC (RDOC)/TOC ratio was higher (>0.65). The fractionation characteristics of organic matter in river were similar with that of sewage treatment plant and TOC concentration showed the positive correlation with DOC ($r^2=0.93$) and RDOC ($r^2=0.89$) concentration. The decay rate of Labile DOC (LDOC) (avg. $0.128day^{-1}$) was higher than labile particulate organic carbon (LPOC) ($0.082day^{-1}$), while that of DOC ($0.008day^{-1}$) was lower than POC ($0.039day^{-1}$) (paired t-test, p < 0.001, n = 5). These study results suggested that it should consider important both TOC and DOC as the target indicator to control refractory organic matter in pollution sources.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.31-39
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• 1990

An analytical method for particulate carbon and other elements by using elemental analyzer was investigated. Carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen was determined as CO$_{2}$, H$_{2}$, and N$_{2}$, respectively. Organic was determined after scparation from elemental carbon(Cae) by volatilization and thermal decomposition in a heated helium flow. With organic materials examined in this reprot, more than 90% of carbon was detected as above 600$^{\circ}$C. But it is considered that a few percents of some compounds were charred above 550$^{\circ}$C. A small amount of Cae was oxidized in the inert atmosphere above 850$^{\circ}$C, but the reason was not explained clearly. Based on the thermal chracteristics of Cao it was found that the optimum temperature of heating in the helium flow of an elemental analyzer for Cao analysis is 630$^{\circ}$C. Carbon in a sample after removing Cao was assumed as Cae and the gramatom ratio of hydrogen to carbon in the sample was 0.4 and less. Rescovery of nitrogen derived from some ammonium salts and nitrates was 100% by two-step measurement with elemental analyzer. By the analytical method investigated in this report, carbon and other elements in suspended particulates(S.P) collected at an urban area in Seoul were measured. There was a good correlation between total nitrogen in SP measured by elemental analyzer and nitrogen estimated form ammonium ions and nitrate ions in SP. The nitrogen from these ions accounts for 80% of the total nitrogen. It is further suggested that the residue(20%) of the total nitrogen is attributed to the other nitrogeneous compounds.