• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.81-96
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• 2011

Sediment oxygen demand(SOD) and denitrification rates were measured in four major estuaries(Suncheon Bay, Seomjin river estuary, Goseong stream estuary and Masan Bay) in south coast of Korean peninsula from March of 2009 to May 2010 to estimate organic matter cleaning capacity. SOD was estimated from the temporal dissolved oxygen concentration change and isotopic pairing technique was employed to measure denitrification. Sediment oxygen demand(SOD) was ranged from -5.1 to 24.6 mmole $O_2m^{-2}d^{-1}$ and denitrification rate was ranged from 0.0 to 3.9 mmole $N_2m^{-2}d^{-1}$in the study area. SOD was the highest in Masan Bay(-2.2 to 19.2, average = 10.2 mmole $O_2m^{-2}d^{-1}$) and Suncheon, Goseong, Tae-an and Seomjin followed. Denitrification was also the highest in Masn Bay(0.0 to 3.9, average = 1.0 mmole $N_2m^{-2}d^{-1}$) and Goseong, Seomjin, Suncheon and Taean followed. The effect of benthic photosynthesis by microphytobenthos on denitrification was evident in some season of Tae-an, Seomjin, and Masn Bay. The increased oxygen level produced by photosynthesis stimulated nitrification without severe adverse effect on denitrification and, as a result, coupled nitrification and denitrification was enhanced in these areas. A difference of seasonal patterns of denitrification at each site depended on relative importance of denitrification on different nitrate source($D_w$: nitrate from water column and $D_n$: nitrated produced during nitrification). Denitrification was maximum during spring in Goseong, Suncheon and Masan Bay. On the contrary, denitrification was the highest during summer in Tae-an and Seomjin estuary.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.24-33
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• 2000

The value of beauty and the resources in the southern coastal sea is most important not only ecologically but also economically in Korea. Since 1980s, intensive use and consequent coastal water pollution have caused an increase in the frequency of red tides outbreak in this area. In this study, seawater and sediment were collected in summer and winter of 1998 and 1999, respectively. The status of seawater eutrophication, sediment oxygen demand(SOD), and nutrients release from sediment were measured. There was an obvious trend that COD and total phosphorous concentrations of summer sediments obtained from aquaculture farms were higher than those of winter sediments. It was concluded that sediments accumulated in the shellfish farms of southern coastal sea caused oxygen deficit in the bottom layer of seawater and played an important role for eutrophication.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.176-185
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• 1998

For the sustainable production of cultured arkshell Scapharca broughtonii and pre-estimation of the harvest of it, we investigated the relationship between the habitat environmental factors and the physiological conditions of the arkshell in the two experiment sites near the Chinhae Bay, Korea. For the analysis of habitat environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, DIP (dissolved inorganic phosphate), DIN (dissolved inorganic nitrogen), suspended solids and chlorophyll a of bottom water and T-S (total sulfide) and COD (chemical oxygen demand) of surface sediment were measured, To determine physiolosical condition of cultured arkshell, shell length, fatness, glycogen, hemoglobin content and gametogenesis were examined. Water temperature were higher in Woongchon than in Songdo in 1992, and were Higher in Songdo in 1993. Salinity were higher in Songdo than in Woongchon except from January to May in 1992. COD, suspended solids and chlorophyll a content were higher in Songdo than in Woongchon, while the contents of sediment sulfide, DO, DIP and DIN were higher in Woongchon. Based on the environmental assessment, significant factors affecting the growth and physiological condition of arkshell were quantity of food and total sulfide content in the bottom sediment.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 1993

To investigate the eutrophication process and pollution characteristics in Paldang Lake, Korea, water and sediment samples were analysed during July 1986~June 1987. The transparency, chlorophyll-a concentration, dissolved oxygen concentration and biochemical oxygen demand in Paldang Lake ranged 0.5~3 m, 3-17 ${\mu}gI^{-1}$, 7.2~12.3 ppm and 0.5~2.3 ppm, respectively. Heterotrophic bacterial number fluctuated seasonally between $3.0{\times}10^{3}/ml and 5.0{\times}10^{5}/ml$ in the water column and between $2{\times}10^{6} and 1{\times}10^{8}$ in the I g dry sediment. Water turbulence and water quality of up-stream seem to play important roles for determining the water quality in Paldang Lake particularly where the hydraulic retention time is so short as about 5 days. The present water quality in Paldang Lake according to the criteria of lake water quality was shown to be between mesotrophic and eutrophic state by secchi depth(O.5 ~ 3 m) and chlorophyll-a concentration (3~17 ${\mu}gI^{-1}$). The distribution of coliform bacteria showed that the pollution was mainly due to the human activities in this area and it is needed to establish countmeasurements for the problems.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2007

To find out the effect of the spat planting time and environmental factors in the arkshell, Scapharca broughtonii (Schrenck), we investigated the growth, survival rate of arkshell and habitat characteristics in Gamak Bay, Yeoja Bay and Saryang Island. We planted artificial spats of arkshell in Gamak Bay and Yeoja Bay at November 2004, and also planted domestic and Chinese natural spats in Saryang Island at March 2005. We measured growth, survival rate of arkshell, physiochemical parameters of the water mass (water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients and chlorophyll a) and characteristics of the sediment (oxygen penetration depth, oxygen microprofiles, ignition loss and chemical oxygen demand) by monthly. The cumulative survival ratio of arkshell in Gamak Bay was the highest at December, whereas the ratio of arkshell in Yeoja Bay was recorded as 0% at October. The monthly growth rates of arkshell length in Gamak Bay and Yeoja Bay were the highest in May and the growth rate of the Korean arkshell in Saryang Island was higher than Chinese ones significantly. The high mortality (> 65%) of the arkshell in Yeoja Bay during summer probably caused by high water temperature, inflow of low salinity water, and low dissolved oxygen concentration in sediment. The concentrations of nutrient and sediment COD were considered to play an important role in the monthly survival ratio of arkshell in Gamak Bay and Sarayng Island. We suggest that the growth and mortality of arkshell might be influenced to the planting time of spat and the habitat characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.626-637
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• 2013

We measured the grain size, ignition loss (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acid volatile sulfide (AVS) and trace metals (Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Mn, Hg, and As) of intertidal surface sediment collected from 11 islands (62 stations) in the southern region of Jeollanam Province. The objective of this research was to evaluate the organic matter and trace metals contaminations of sediments from coastal island tidal flats. Surface sediment texture was characterized as follows: mud, sandy silt, muddy sand, and slightly gravelly sand facies. The finer sediments are mainly dominated in the northern part of each island. The concentrations of IL, COD, AVS and some trace metals (Al, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Hg) were higher in the northwestern part of Wan Island and the area between Gogeum and Sinji Islands, and were associated with relatively finer sediment, as compared to other locations. The concentrations of Mn, Pb, Cd, and As were higher in the northwestern and southeastern parts of Geoguem and Pyungil Islands, but were not correlated with mean grain size. Based on sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), the concentrations of trace metals were lower than the values of effect range low (ERL), used in United States, and threshold effects level (TEL), used in Korea, with exception of As. Similarly, the intertidal sediments were moderately contaminated with As, based on the the enrichment factor (EF) and the geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$). The high concentration of As in intertidal sediments from this study region may be due to the input of naturally or artificially contaminated submarine groundwater, contaminated waste from seaweed aquaculture operations and/or land-based seaweed processing facilities. Further studies are needed to identify the sources of As in this study region, and to determine the effects of As contamination on coastal ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.759-771
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• 2011

We evaluated the pollution levels of organic matter and metallic element (Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cr, Mn, As, and Hg) in the intertidal surface sediments of Aphae Island using several sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and assessment techniques for sediment pollution. Based on the textural composition of sediment, the surface sediments were classified into two main sedimentary facies: slightly gravelly mud and silt. The concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) in the sediments ranged from 4.6-9.9 (mean $7.4{\pm}1.1$) $mgO_2/g{\cdot}dry$ and from ND-0.53 (mean $0.04{\pm}0.10$) mgS/$g{\cdot}dry$, respectively. These values were considerably lower than those reported from a farming area in a semi-enclosed bay of Korea and for SQGs in Japan. The metallic element concentrations in the sediments varied widely with the mean grain size and organic matter content, implying that the concentrations of metallic elements are influenced mainly by secondary factors, such as bioturbation, the resuspension of sediment, and anthropogenic input. The overall results for the comparison with SQGs, enrichment factor (EF), and geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$) indicate that the surface sediments are slightly polluted by Cr and Ni, and moderately polluted by As. Our results suggest that the intertidal surface sediments of Aphae Island are not polluted by organic matter or metallic elements and the benthic conditions are suitable for healthy organisms.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.159-164
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• 2003

Effect of the benthic echiurid Urechis unicinctus juveniles on the chemical characteristics of organically enriched sediment, as well as the individual survival rate and growth in various sediments, was investigated in this study to ascertain the effectiveness of U. unicinctus in the bioremediation of organically polluted sediment. The content of acid volatile sulfide (AVS) in the sediment of three coastal areas was 0.4±0.1 mg/gㆍdry sediment in Seonso, 0.1±0.01 mg/gㆍdry sediment in Myo-do, 0.02±0.01 mg/gㆍdry sediment in Dolsan-do, respectively. 500 juveniles with average body length of 1.2±0.3 mm were bred in these sediments. After 30 days, the AVS content of three places decreased to 0.29±0.3, 0.08±0.01 and 0.0l±0.01 mg/gㆍdry. After 60 days, the content was 0.23±0.03, 0.0l±0.01, 0.0l±0.01 mg/gㆍdry. The AVS content in the control (sediment from Seonso without juveniles) was 0.39±0.75 mg/gㆍdry sediment (after 30 days) and 0.45±0.01 mg/gㆍdry sediment (after 60 days). At the same time, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total ingition loss (TIL) of these sediments showed the same trend with that of AVS. Furthermore, 60 days later, the survival rate and growth of juveniles were 71.2%, 11.1±l.0 mm in Seonso, 89.8%, 12.0±1.3 mm in Myo-do and 81.6%, 11.9±1.9 mm in Dolsan-do. It was suggested that U. unicinctus can survive better in less polluted environment. Under different U. unicinctus juvenile density (100, 300, 500, 700, 900 individuals), after 60 days cultivation, the AVS content decreased from 0.4±0.1, 0.4±0.1, 0.4±0.3, 0.4±0.3, 0.4±0.3 mg/gㆍdry to 0.4±0.2, 0.3±0.2, 0.2±0.1, 0.2±0.1, 0.2±0.1 mg/gㆍdry. Therefore, the higher the density of juveniles, the greater the effect in improving the sediment. In comparison to different initial AVS concentration (0.40±0.01, 0.35±0.01, [I can't find a reference to this number above], 0.29±0.02, [I can't find a reference to this number above], 0.18±0.03, [I can't find a reference to this number above], 0.06±0.02 mg/gㆍdry sediment [I can't find a reference to this number above] and the control 0.0±0.0[I can't find a reference to this number above]), after 30 days cultivation with 500 juveniles, the AVS content was 0.29±0.03, 0.19±0.0, 0.15±0.01, 0.12±0.02, 0.05±0.0mg/gㆍdry and 0(control). After 60 days cultivation, the content was 0.23±0.03, 0.12±0.4, 0.10±0.01, 0.18±0.03, 0.06±0.02 mg/gㆍdry and 0 (control). Use % decrease in AVS content to state: The impact of U. unicinctus on the sediments was greater with higher concentrations of AVS. The results of this study indicate that U. unicinctus is effective in the biological treatment of sediments polluted by AVS and other organics.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.4 s.92
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• pp.374-379
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• 2000

To elucidate the degradation mechanisms of organic materials in Lake Paldang, oxygen consuming rates in the water column, high molecular weight (HMW) organic materials and aggregates were analyzed. Also the chlorophyll a concentrations and environmental factors were measured three times in 1999. The concentrations of chlorophyll a ranged $5.5{\sim}14.2\;mg/m^3$ with the highest peak of $57.7\;mg/m^3$ at the surface water in April. Chlorophyll a concentration of aggregates retrieved from traps in 5 m and 20 m depths in May were 2779.5, $9044.8\;mg/m^3$, respectively. Those vlaues were more than 6 times higher compared with other months, and more than 49 times higher than water column chlorophyll a. Oxygen consuming rates of water column were in the narrow range of $0.4{\sim}0.5\;mg\;O_2\;l^{-1}\;day^{-1}$. HMW organic materials were using only small amount of oxygen, $0.01{\sim}0.04\;mg\;O_2\;l^{-1}\;day^{-1}$. The aggregates retrieved from 5 m depth by sediment trap consumed the oxygen in the range of $0.48{\sim}0.69\;mg\;O_2\;l^{-1}\;day^{-1}$, while aggregates collected from 20 m depth, 0.88 to $1.04\;mg\;O_2\;l^{-1}\;day^{-1}$. With these results, the HMW appeared not to be degraded in the water column, instead they seemed to be concentrated and affected the sediment oxygen demand.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.122-131
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• 1999

This study examined the relationship between the sediment pollution and the occurrence of polychaetes in a heavily polluted saltwater lake, Lake Shihwa on the west coast of Korea, separated from the sea by a dike in 1994. The species composition of polychaete assemblage was compared with that found off the lake in Kyeonggi Bay. Environmental variables investigated both in and off the lake were the grain size distribution, chemical oxygen demand(COD) and metal concentrations (Al, Fe, Mn, V, Co, As, Pb, Cr and Cu) in the sediment. We sampled sediments at 10 stations in the lake and 25 stations in Kyeonggi Bay using a modified van Veen grab. The levels of COD, chromium, and copper in sediments were much higher in Lake Shihwa than in Kyeonggi Bay. Differences in the species composition were found along the pollution gradient. An azoic zone was observed in the most heavily polluted area at the upper reach of the lake and the Polydora ligni zone in the center of the lake. Bottom fauna were diverse in Kyeonggi Bay; however, Heteromastus filiformis predominated in the organically enriched sediment. The density of dominant species differed along the pollution gradient. The highest density or H. filiformis was round at the COD level or around 5.8 mg/g. The COD level in the sediment where P. ligni predominated was tow-fold higher than that where H. filiformis occurred in large numbers. The chromium and copper contents at which P. ligni showed a maximum abundance were 120 mg/kg and 127 mg/kg, respectively. The density of H. filiformis was highest at concentrations of 56 mg/kg chromium and 13 mg/kg copper.