• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.109-117
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• 2005

Daily changes in phytoplankton abundance and species composition were monitored from July to September 2003 (n=47) to understand which factors control the abundance at a station in Jangmok Bay. During the study, the phytoplankton community was mainly composed of small cell diatoms and dinoflagellates, and the dominant genera were Chaetoceros, Nitzschia, Skeletonema and Thalassionema. Phytoplankton abundance varied significantly from $6.40{\times}10^4$ to $1.22{\times}10^7$ cells/l. The initially high level of phytoplankton abundance was dominated by diatoms, but replacement by dinoflagellates started when the NIP ratio decreased to <5.0. On the basis of the N/P and Si/N ratios, the sampling periofd could be divided into two: an inorganic silicate limitation period (ISLP, $14^{th}$ $July-12^{th}$ of August) and an inorganic nitrogen limitation period (INLP, $13^{th}$ of August - the end of the study). Phosphate might not limit the growth of phytoplankton assemblages in the bay during the study period. This study suggests that phytoplankton abundance and species composition might be affected by the concentrations of inorganic nutrients (N and Si), and provides baseline information for further studies on plankton dynamics in Jangmok Bay.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.312-320
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• 2011

In order to estimate a better methodological factor to understand phytoplankton ecology between abundance and bio-volume of phytoplankton, each 1,160 phytoplankton data, including abundance, classification and chlorophyll $a$ concentration were collected in Korean coastal waters of Incheon (Yellow sea), Tongyeong (South sea), and Ulsan (East sea). Based on these data, phytoplankton bio-volume can be calculated through a geometric model. The correlation coefficient between abundance and chlorophyll $a$ concentration was higher than the coefficient between biovolume and chlorophyll $a$ concentration, because a small size phytoplankton has relatively dense chlorophyll contents compared with the proportion of chlorophyll in a large size phytoplankton. Thus, the interpretation using abundance to understand phytoplankton ecology in Korean coastal waters may be more effective than that using bio-volume.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.426-437
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• 2004

To understand the phytoplankton community in adjacent waters of Ulchin nuclear power plant (UNPP), abundance and the size fractionated $chl-\alpha$ concentrations were evaluated through seasonal interval sampling from April 2003 to February 2004. A total of 211 different phytoplankton species was observed and mean abundance of phytoplankton in each study period ranged from 244,286 to 1,221,779 cells $L^{-1}$. The contributions of microplankton $(>20\mu{m})$ to total phytoplankton abundance ranged from 42.5 to 83.6% (average 66.1%) and those of nanoplankton $(>20\mu{m})$ ranged from 16.4 to 57.5% (average 33.9%). Total chl-$\alpha$ concentrations of phytoplankton ranged from 0.52 to $2.26\mu{g}\;L^{-1}$. The contribution of chl-$\alpha$ concentrations of microplankton was higher than that of nano- and picoplankton through the study period with exception of July 2008. The results of abundances and $chl-\alpha$ concentrations suggest that microplankton has an important role in adjacent waters of UNPP. The diminution of abundances and $chl-\alpha$ concentrations of phytoplankton was observed after passage through the cooling water system, but it was gradually recovered by mixing with the ambient waters. Our results suggested that the influence of thermal discharges on phytoplankton should be restricted within narrow limits around outlet area of thermal effluents.

• ALGAE
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.345-352
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• 2005

In order to investigate the distribution of phytoplankton community in the coastal waters of the Chuksan Harbor, East Sea, the abundance and biomass of phytoplankton have been evaluated through seasonal interval sampling from April 2000 to October 2002. A total of 363 different phytoplankton species was observed and most of them were composed of diatoms. The mean abundance and chlorophyll-a concentration of phytoplankton during the study period ranged from 56 ${\times}$ $10^3$ to 720 ${\times}$ $10^3$ cells $L^{-1}$ and from 0.78 to 3.29 μg chl-a $L^{-1}$, respectively. The relative contribution of the size-fractionated phytoplankton to phytoplankton community showed difference according to seasons. The average contribution of nano-phytoplankton(<20 $\mu$m) was over 50% in the total abundance and biomass of the phytoplankton. Our results show that nano-phytoplankton play an important role in the southern coastal waters of the East Sea. And the environmental factors such as suspended substances, phosphates and silicates were positively correlated with the abundances and biomass of phytoplankton.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2005

Spatio-temporal variations of phytoplankton abundance and nutrient concentrations were investigated in the Namdaechon estuary, Yangyang, from April to December, 2003. A total of 51 phytoplankton species were identified with 32 diatom species in the study area. Phytoplankton abundance ranged from 14 cells/mL to 3,798 cells/mL. Small sized benthic and pennate-type diatoms like Cymbella spp., Fragilaria spp., Navicula spp., Synedra spp. were dominant at throughout the whole study area. Various planktonic species like Chlamydomonas sp., Peridinium spp., Euglena spp., Cryptomonas spp. etc. were abundant especially at the estuary of the Namdaechon, from May to August. Phytoplankton bloom (>3,000 \;cells/mL) occurred from the late May to mid June. After September when the sandbank of estuary was broken by the typhoon 'Maemi', planktonic species disappeared. These planktonic species were followed by oceanic diatoms, Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros spp.. Concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and silicate were relatively high at the upstream in summer. In May, before phytoplankton bloom, high concentrations of phosphate $(>3.5\;{\mu}mol/L)$ were observed at all the study area. These results suggested that spatio-temporal variation of phytoplankton in the Namdaechon estuary was related to formation of sandbank at the mouth of the estuary, fluid speed affected by sandbank and nutrients supplied in spring. High correlation $(r^2=0.928)$ between chlorophyll a and biological oxygen demand (BOD) implies that BOD was related to phytoplankton abundance in the Namdaechon estuary.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1403-1411
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• 2008

Wangdol-cho, located 23 km offshore of Hupo in southwest of East Sea, is underwater rock floor, called to Wangdol-Am or Wangdol-Jam and has three tops as Mat-Jam, Middle-Jam and Set-Jam. The composition, abundance, diversity and community structure were investigated in winter and summer in 2002 around Wangdol-cho. The temperature around the Northwest and Southeast part of Wangdol-cho was influenced by the North Korea Cold Current (NKCC) and East Korea Warm Current (EKWC), respectively. Nutrient and chlorophyll-a concentration were higher at the top of Wangdol-cho than other area. A total of 41 genera and 78 species of phytoplankton were identified. The average cell abundance of phytoplankton in winter and summer were $286{\times}10^3\;cells/m^3,\;432{\times}10^3\;cells/m^3$ respectively. The largest community was Bacillariophyta containing 52 taxa. The dominant species were Lauderia anulata and Coscinodiscus spp. which preferred cold water in winter. In contrast, warm water species such as Rhizosolenia stolterfothii and Ceratium spp. were dominant in summer. The average species diversity index of phytoplankton in winter was higher than that in summer. According to dominant species and standing crops, phytoplankton community resulted in a clear separation. One group was western area, which showed low density, and the other was eastern area, which showed the higher density. The abundance and species composition of phytoplankton. were affected by topological characteristics around Wangdol-cho.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.111-123
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• 2012

To understand the phytoplankton community in the eastern part of the Yellow Sea (EYS), in the summer, field survey was conducted at 25 stations in June 2009, and water samples were analyzed using a epifluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and HPLC method. The EYS could be divided into four areas by a cluster analysis, using phytoplankton group abundances: coastal mixing area, Anma-do area, transition water, and the central Yellow Sea. In the coastal mixing area, water column was well mixed vertically, and phytoplankton was dominated by diatoms, chrysophytes, dinoflagellates and nanoflagellates, showing high abundance ($>10^5\;cells\;l^{-1}$). In Anma-do coastal waters characterized by high dominance of dinoflagellates, high phytoplankton abundance and biomass separated from other coastal mixing area. The southeastern upwelling area was expanded from Jin-do to Heuksan-do, by a tidal mixing and coastal upwelling in the southern area of Manjae-do, and phytoplankton was dominated by benthic diatoms, nanoflagellates and Synechococcus group in this area. Phytoplankton abundance and biomass dominated by pico- and nanophytoplankton were low values in the transition waters and the central Yellow Sea. In the surface of the central Yellow Sea, high dominance of photosynthetic pigments, 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin and zeaxanthin implies that haptophytes and cyanobacteria could be the dominant group during the summer. These results indicate that the phytoplankton communities in the EYS were significantly affected by the formation of tidal front, thermal stratification, and coastal upwelling showing the differences of physical and chemical characteristics during the summer.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2004

Based on both field and laboratory experiments, seasonal changes in the species composition and abundance of phytoplankton in the gut contents of the jedo venus clam, Protothaca jedoensis, and its feeding selectivity were investigated. The phytoplankton in the gut contents comprised Bacillariophyceae (diatom), Chlorophyceae, Chrysophyceae, and Dinophyceae, of which the diatoms being the most predominant throughout the year. Although the number of species and the abundance of phytoplankton in the sea water were always more diverse and more abundant than in the gut contents, the relative number and abundance were generally similar in the seawater and in the gut contents. In the laboratory experiments, the relative abundances of Coscinodiscus marginatus and Thalassirosira eccentrica were much more higher in the gut contents than any other algal species, while Paralia sulcata, Skeletonema costatum, and Eucampia zodiacus were abundant in order of cell density in the ambient water. These results suggest that P. jedoensis may feed preferably on single algal cell or smaller chains of algal cells.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2002

To assess the relative contribution of bacterial and phytoplankton biomasses to particulate organic matter (POM) in the water column, microbial abundance and biomass were from two transects in the western channel of the Korea Strait in 1996. Bacterial abundance had a mean value of $5.9{\times}10^5$ cells/ml and chlorophyll-a averaged 0.14 ${\mu}g/l$. Bacterial abundance in the Korea Strait showed a positive relationship with chlorophyll-a concentration, while the distribution of POM did not covary with chlorophyll-a. Particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) concentrations were greater in August than in October. Bacterial carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) concentrations were greater in August than in October. Bacterial carbon and nitrogen biomasses were 7.29 ${\mu}gC/l$ and 1.24 ${\mu}gN/l$, respectively, during the study periods. Bacterial biomass was larger in October than in August due to the autumn phytoplankton bloom. Phytoplankton biomass based on chlorophyll-a was 7.67 ${\mu}gC/l$ for carbon and 1.10${\mu}gN/l$l for nitrogen. The ratio of bacterial carbon (BC) to phytoplankton carbon (Cp) averaged 0.95 in the Korea Strait in 1996. Bacteria may play a more significant role in the dynamics of POM than phytoplankton do in August, with BC/Cp ratio of 1.26. The ratio of BC to Cp increased with a decrease in chlorophyll-a concentration. Averaged over all the samples in both cruises, the contribution of microbial biomass to POC and PON was about 43% and 51%, respectively. Bacterial assemblage constituted a significant fraction of POC (21%) and PON (27%). Phytoplankton accounted for 22% of POC and 24% of PON. Microbial biomass played a more important role in the dynamics of POC and PON in October than in August due to a significant increase in microbial biomass in the southern transect (transect-B) in October by the autumn phytoplankton bloom. This study showed that marine microbes may constitute a significant part in the reservoir of POM in the Korea Strait.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2014

To understand the effects of fluctuations in dam discharge due to river environments and phytoplankton communities, we monitored such environments and phytoplankton communities biweekly, from February 2001 to February 2002 and from February 2004 to February 2005, in the lower Han River (LHR), South Korea. The phytoplankton abundance during the dry season was approximately two times higher than that during the rainy season. In particular, fluctuations in diatom assemblages, which constituted over 70% of the total phytoplankton abundance, were affected severely by the changes in the discharge. When a large quantity of water in a dam was discharged into the LHR, the conductivity and the concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) decreased rapidly, whereas the concentrations of suspended solids (SS), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and dissolved silica (DSi) increased immediately. Time-delayed relationship also revealed that the dam discharge had an immediately significant negative relationship with phytoplankton abundance. On the whole, fluctuations in phytoplankton communities in the LHR were influenced much more by hydrodynamics such as dam discharge than by the availability of nutrients. Thus, the variability in these concentrations usually parallels the strength of river flow that is associated with summer rainfall, with higher values during periods of high river discharge.