• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.91-109
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• 2022

The ocean is a significant sink for atmospheric anthropogenic CO₂, absorbing one-third of the total CO₂ emitted by human activities. In return, oceans have experienced significant declines in seawater pH and the aragonite saturation state also called ocean acidification. This study evaluates the distribution of aragonite saturation state, an indicator to assess the potential threat from ocean acidification, by combining newly obtained data from the west coast of South Korea with previous datasets covering the Yellow Sea, East Sea, northern South China Sea, and southeast coast of South Korea. In general, offshore waters absorb atmospheric CO₂; however, most of the collected water samples show aragonite oversaturation. On the southeast coast, the aragonite saturation state was significantly affected by river discharge and associated variables, such as freshwater input with nutrients, seasonal stratification, biological carbon fixation, and bacterial remineralization. In summer, hypoxia and mixing with relatively acidic freshwater made the Jinhae and Gwangyang Bays undersaturated with respect to aragonite, possibly threatening marine organisms with CaCO₃ shells. However, widespread aragonite undersaturation was not observed on the west coast, which receives considerable river water discharge. In addition, occasional upwelling events may have worsened the ocean acidification in the southwestern part of the East Sea. These results highlight the importance of investigating site-specific ocean acidification processes in coastal waters. Along with the above-mentioned seasonal factors, the dissolution of atmospheric CO₂ and the deposition of atmospheric acidic substances will continue to reduce the aragonite saturation state in Korean waters. To protect marine ecosystems and resources, an ocean acidification monitoring program should be established for Korean waters.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.473-481
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• 2016

We examined the effects of ocean acidification (OA) and eutrophication on the physiology of a red alga, Gracilariopsis chorda, using specimens collected at Wando Island, Korea, in July of 2015. The samples were transported to a laboratory and placed on growth media for treatments involving low or high levels of ammonium ($4{\mu}M$ or $60{\mu}M\;NH_4{^+}$) and low or high pH(7.5 or 8.2). The control treatment used filtered seawater (pH 8.2 and $4{\mu}M\;NH_4{^+}$). All experiments were conducted at $20^{\circ}C$ and under a lighting intensity of $80{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$, with or without an injection of $CO_2$ (pH 7.5). In addition, we calculated rates of respiration under darkness, at a pH of 7.5 and $60{\mu}M\;NH_4{^+}$. Fluctuations in pH as well as the evolution of photosynthetic oxygen and $NH_4{^+}$ uptake rates were monitored for 6 h. The greatest increase in pH levels, from 7.50 to 8.65, occurred in response to $60{\mu}M\;NH_4{^+}$, whereas the largest decrease, from 7.50 to 7.42, was associated with elevated respiration rates. At a pH of 7.5, rates of oxygen evolution were higher (236% saturation) for samples treated with $60{\mu}M\;NH_4{^+}$ than for the control (121% saturation). Ammonium uptake was highest at pH 7.5 and $60{\mu}M\;NH_4{^+}$, with a rate of $0.526{\pm}0.002{\mu}mol\;g^{-1}\;FW\;h^{-1}$, followed in order by the treatments of $pH\;8.2/60{\mu}\;NH_4{^+}$, $pH\;7.5/4{\mu}M\;NH_4{^+}$, and the control ($pH\;8.2/4{\mu}M\;NH_4{^+}$). We speculated that the rates of photosynthesis and $NH_4{^+}$ uptake could be enhanced at a higher ammonium concentration and lower pH because $CO_2$ concentrations were increased through greater photosynthetic activity. Therefore, these findings suggest that the physiology of G. chorda populations can be improved by the interaction of optimized $CO_2$ concentrations and an adequate supply of essential nutrients such as ammonium.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.18 no.E4
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• pp.191-201
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• 2002

The pH, electric conductivity. and the major ionic components were analyzed for the precipitation samples collected at 1100 Site of Mt. Halla and Jeju city. The quality of analytical data was verified by the comparison of ion balances, conductivities and acid fractions, all of which correlation coefficients were over 0.952. The ionic strengths lower than 10$^{-4}$ M were found in 57 and 28% at 1100 Site and Jeju city respectively. The precipitation in Jeju city was influenced more by the oceanic effect than those in 1100 Site. The acidification of precipitation was caused mostly by S $O_4$$^{2-}$and N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ in both areas, and the organic acids have contributed to the acidity with only 7~8%. The neutralization factors by N $H_3$ were about 44 and 47％ at the 1100 site and the Jeju city, respectively, whereas those by CaC $O_3$were 21 and 24%, and the free acidity were about 38 and 28％ at two sites. From the investigation of seawater and soil enrichment factors, the S $O_4$$^{2-}$, N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ and N $E_4$$^{+}$ were immigrated by other sources rather than from the seawater or soil origins. but not in the case of $Mg^{2+}$, C $l^{[-10]}$ , N $a^{+}$, and $K^{+}$. Factor analysis has shown that the precipitation at the 1100 site had been influenced mostly by anthropogenic sources, followed by soil and sea-water sources. On the other hand, the precipitation at the Jeju city was mainly influenced by oceanic sources, followed by anthropogenic and soil sources.urces.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.243-252
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• 2006

Influence of the increasing carbon dioxide concentration in seawater on various marine organisms is assessed in this article with regard to the impacts of anthropogenic $CO_2$ introduced into surface or deep oceans. Recent proposals to sequester $CO_2$ in deep oceans arouse the concerns of adverse effects of increased $CO_2$ concentration on deep-sea organisms. Atmospheric introduction of $CO_2$ into the ocean can also acidify the surface water, thereby the population of some sensitive organisms including coral reefs, cocolithophorids and sea urchins will be reduced considerably in near future (e.g. in 2100 unless the increasing trend of $CO_2$ emission is actively regulated). We exposed bioluminescent bacteria and benthic amphipods to varying concentrations of $CO_2$ and also pH for a short period. The ${\sim}l.5$ unit decrease of pH adversely affected test organisms. However, amphipods were not influenced by decreasing pH when HCl was used for the seawater acidification. In this article, we reviewed the biological adverse effects of $CO_2$ on various marine organisms studied so for. Theses results will be useful to predict the potential risks of the increase of $CO_2$ concentrations in seawater due to the increase of atmospheric $CO_2$ emission and/or sequestration of $CO_2$ in deep oceans.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.707-716
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• 1998

The chemical characteristics of precipitation was investigated in Pusan area. Samples were collected from January to November in 1996 at 4 sites, and analyzed pH, major soluble ionic components(C $l^{[-10]}$ , N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ , S $O_4$$^{2-}$, N $a^{+}$, $K^{+}$, N $H_4$$^{+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$). The order of anion and cation concentrations for the initial precipitation were C $l^{[-10]}$ ＞ S $O_4$$^{2-}$ ＞ N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ , and $Ca^{2+}$ ＞ N $a^{+}$ ＞ N $H_4$$^{+}$ ＞ $Mg^{2+}$ ＞ $K^{+}$, respectively. At coastal sites(P1 and P2) C $l^{[-10]}$ and N $a^{+}$ of maritime sources (seasalt) were high, but at inland sites(P3 and P4) nss-C $a^{2+}$ and nss-S $O_4$$^{2-}$ were high. Calcium ion for the initial precipitation showed high value of enrichement factor(EF) relative to seawater composition. The contribution of seasalt to the composition of precipitation was higher at bite P1 (53.5%) than those of the other sites. Throughout the year the concentrations of major ions for the initial precipitation were low in the heavy rain season. The mean pH for the initial precipitation was 5.4 and showed the negative relationship with the precipitaion amount. The S $O_4$$^{2-}$ and N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ do not play an important role in rain acidification due to the high(97%) neutralizing effect of amonia and calcium species.and calcium species.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.363-368
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• 2003

The major ionic components of precipitation collected at the 1100 Site of Mt. Halla and Jeju city have been determined. The reliability of the analytical data was verified by the comparison of ion balances, electric conductivities and acid fractions; all of their correlation coefficients were above 0.94. Ionic strengths lower than $10^{-4}$ M were found in 53% of the 1100 Site samples and 28% of the Jeju city samples. Compared with other inland areas, the wet deposition of $Na^+,\;Cl^-\;and\;Mg^{2+}$ was relatively larger, but that of $NH_4^+,\;nss-SO_4^{2-}$(non-sea salt sulfate) and $NO_3^-$ was lower. Especially the wet deposition increase of $Ca^{2+}$ in the spring season supports the possibility of the Asian Dust effect. The acidification of precipitation was caused mostly by $SO_4^{2-}\;and\;NO_3^-$ in the Jeju area, and the organic acids have contributed only about 7% to the acidity. The neutralization factors by NH₃were 0.47 and 0.48, and that of CaCO₃was 0.31 and 0.25 at the 1100 Site and Jeju city, respectively. Investigation into major influencing sources on precipitation components by factor analysis showed that the precipitation at the 1100 Site had been influenced mostly by an anthropogenic source, followed by soil and seawater sources. The precipitation at Jeju city was mainly influenced by oceanic sources, followed by anthropogenic and soil sources.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2019

Climate change is a very vital issue that can be no longer avoided. Korea has been a top-level country Iin dealing with carbon dioxide emissions since 1960. Many studies have been conducted to suppress or eliminate carbon dioxide emissions, which account for a large portion of greenhouse gases. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), the most practical method of them, plays a significant role. However, these methods have the disadvantage of the limits of geographical distribution and high possibility of re-emission into the atmosphere. Recently, ocean storage has been studied using Accelerated Weathering of Limestone (AWL), a technique for storing carbon dioxide in the ocean as an alternative to CCS, an underground storage. AWL is a method of converting carbon dioxide into concentrated water in the form of bicarbonate ion and discharging it to the ocean to dilute and store it. It does not cause re-emission to the atmosphere, and the discharged concentrated water increases the alkalinity of the ocean to prevent marine acidification. The objective of this study was to understand the behavior of DIC (Dissolved Inorganic Carbon) including carbon dioxide during the ocean discharge of bicarbonate ion concentrated water in AWL method. This study area was set near Ulleung-do where sufficient water depth and operational efficiency were secured. CORMIX model was used to calculate the material diffusion by submerged discharge using ship.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.209-220
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• 2022

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a key controller of the carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM), and is known to be affected by ambient pH and CO₂ compositions. Herein, we characterized three novel CAs genes (PmCA1, 2, and 3) from the marine dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum, and evaluated the relative expressions of the PmCAs and photosynthetic genes PmatpB and PmrbcL under different pH conditions. Each PmCA was predicted to have amino acid residues constituting the zinc binding site. With signal peptide, PmCA1 and PmCA2 were predicted to be intracellular CAs located in the cytoplasm and chloroplast membrane, respectively. On the other hand, PmCA3 was predicted to be extracellular CA located in the plasma membrane. Also, PmCA1 was classified into the beta family, and PmCA2 and PmCA3 were classified into the alpha family via phylogenic analysis. The photosynthesis efficiency of P. minimum was similar at pH 7 to 9, and decreased significantly at pH 6 and pH 10. Overall, relative gene expression levels of the three PmCAs decreased at low pH, and increased as pH increased. Photosynthesis related genes, PmatpB and PmrbcL, showed similar expression patterns to those of PmCAs. These results suggest that changes in seawater pH may affect photosynthesis and CO₂ metabolism in marine dinoflagellates.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2013

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the biochemical adverse effect of increased carbon dioxide in seawater on marine polychaete, Perinereis aibuhitensis. We measured the available energy reserves, Ea (total carbohydrate, protein, and lipid content) and the energy consumption, Ec (electron transport activity) of Perinereis aibuhitensis exposed for 7-d to a range of $CO_2$ concentration such as 0.39 (control =390 ppmv), 3.03 (=3,030 ppmv), 10.3 (=10,300 ppmv), and 30.1 (=30,100 ppmv) $CO_2$ mM, respectively. The cellular energy allocation (CEA) methodology was used to assess the adverse effects of toxic stress on the energy budget of the test organisms. The results of a decrease in CEA effect of increased carbon dioxide in seawater from all individual in Ea and Ec. Increase of carbon dioxide reduced pH in seawater, significantly. The chemical changes in sea- water caused by increasing $pCO_2$ might cause stresses to test organisms and changes in the cellular energy allocations. Results of this study can be used to understand the possible influence of $CO_2$ concentration increased by the leakage from sub-sea bed storage sites as well as fossil fuel combustion on marine organisms.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2010

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the biologically adverse effect of increased carbon dioxide in seawater on marine bacteria, Vibrio fischeri. We measured the bioluminescence and cell density at every 6 hours for 24 hours of the whole incubation period after exposing test microbes to a range of $CO_2$ concentration such as 380(Control), 1,000, 3,000, 10,000 and 30,000 ppm, respectively. Significant effect on relative luminescence(RLU) of V. fischeri was observed in treatments with $CO_2$ concentration higher than 3,000 ppm at t=12 h. However, the difference of RLU among treatments significantly decreased with the incubation time until t=24 h. Similar trend was observed for the variation of cell density, which was measured as optical density using spectrophotometer. The results showed that a significant relationship between $CO_2$ concentration and bioluminescence of test microbes was observed for the mean time. However, the inhibition of relative bioluminescence and also cell density could be recovered at the concentration levels higher than 3,000 ppm. The dissolved $CO_2$ can be absorbed directly by cell and it can decrease the intracellular pH. Our results implied that microbes might be adversely affected at the initial growing phase by increased $CO_2$. However, they could adapt by increasing ion transport including bicarbonate and then could make their pH back to normal level. Results of this study could be supported to understand the possible influence on marine bacteria by atmospheric increase of $CO_2$ in near future and also by released $CO_2$ during the marine $CO_2$ sequestration activity.