• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.201-206
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• 2005

Interpretation of high-resolution seismic profiles from the southeastern continental shelf of Korea reveals that the sedimentary deposits consist of seven seismic units formed during the late Quaternary. These units comprise lowstand, transgressive, and highstand systems tracts. The lowstand systems tract consists of a lowstand prograding wedge (SU1) and a mass flow deposit (SU2) including slumps and slides. The transgressive systems tract contains four seismic units: an ancient beach/shoreface deposit (SU3), a channel-fill deposit (SU4), a transgressive sand layer (SU5), and a transgressive sand ridge (SU6). The highstand systems tract consists of an inner-shelf mud deposit (SU7) derived from the Nakdong and Seomjin rivers during the last 6 ka when sea level was close to the present level.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.5 no.1_2 s.6
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• pp.1-8
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• 1997

Seismic stratigraphic analysis of the high resolution profiles obtained from the southeastern shelf of Korea divided the deposits into 4 sequences; 1) sequence D, 2) sequence C, 3) sequence B and 4) sequence A (Holocene sediments). Sequence D was deposited in shallow-water environment at west of the Yangsan Fault as the basin subsided. On the other hand, the eastern part was formed at the slope front. Landward part of the slope-front fill sediments were eroded and redeposited nearby slope due to the syndepositional tilting of the basin. This tilting probably resulted from the continuous closing of the Ulleung Basin. Sequence C is made of stacked successions of the lowstand fluvial sediments, transgressive sediments and marine highstand sediments derived from the paleo-river in the western part of the Yangsan Fault. Sequence C in the eastern part of the Yanshan Fault was formed at the shelf break. Progradation of the lowstand sediments resulted in broadening of the shelf. Sequence C in the eastern part was also tilted but the tilting was weaker than in Sequence D. During the formation of sequence B the tilting stopped and the point source instead of the line source started in both sides of the Yangsan Fault. Sequence B was composed of the highstand systems tract partially preserved around the Yokji island, lowstand systems tract mainly preserved in the Korea Trough and transgressive systems tract. After the stop of the tilting, the force of compression due to the closing of the Ulleung Basin may be released by the strike-slip faults instead of tilting.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.169-183
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• 1989

Polychaete assemblages and their responses to habitat conditions were investigated in the southeastern continental shelf of Korea. The result of cluster analysis revealed that the study area could be divided into two regions, one including the shallow coastal region and the other the offshore region. The shallow coastal region sustained 4 polychaete assemblages: Nothria holobranchiata assemblage in the most northern part of fine sediments off Pohang, Magelona-Maldane assemblage off Gampo, Ophelina acuminata assemblage in the middle coastal area off Ulsan, Nothria conchylega assemblage in the south part off Pusan. These coastal polychaete assemblages contained less than 10 species per station and showed very low species diversity (H' = 1.22-1.52). The offshore also contained 4 assemblages: Terebellides-Aglaophamus assemblage in the northern and deep area of very fine sediments, Myriochele oculata and Spiophanes kroyeri assemblages in the central area of sandy bottoms, and Ninoe palmata assemblage in the southern offshore of sandy bottom. The offshore assemblages showed rather more species and higher diversity than coastal assemblages (H' = 1.90-2.26). The offshore region consisting of sandy sediment showed very low population densities. Some dominant species showed specific preference to sediment types and this phenomenon could be detected through their feeding modes. Depth or bottom temperature seems to be related to the distribution of most dominant worms. Thus the polychaete assemblages of the study area are found to be under the control of both a gradient of sedimentary properties and that of bottom temperature.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.338-348
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• 1999

Physical properties of mudbelt sediments in the southeastern inner shelf of Korea are studied from 14 cores. Physical properties, compressional wave velocity, and sediment texture for core sediments are analyzed. The major source of sediment in the study area is the Nakdong River. Fine-grained sediments from the river are transported northeastward by coastal circulation and the Tsushima Current, resulting in a gradual northeastward increase in porosity and a decrease in wet bulk density and velocity. The trend matches well with the bathymetry. The mean grain size appears to be the most important variable to determine the physical properties and velocity. The variations of physical properties with burial depth are dependent more strongly on sediment texture than compaction and/or consolidation. Correlations between the physical properties and the sediment texture show slight deviations from those of the continental terrace sediment in the North Pacific and inner shelf sediment in the South Sea of Korea. The velocity is higher than that of the North Pacific and the South Sea sediments between these areas. This is probably due to differences in sedimentary, environment and mineral compositions. The higher sediment velocity in the study area may also be attributed to the escape of gas from pore space which decreases void ratio.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.5 no.1_2 s.6
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• pp.9-15
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• 1997

The study area is located in the Central Bransfield Basin, Antarctica. To analyze the morphology of seafloor, structure of basement, and seismic stratigraphy of the sedimentary layers, we have acquired, processed, and interpreted the multi-channel seismic data. The northwest-southeastern back-arc extension dramatically changes seafloor morphology, volcanic and fault distribution, and basin structure along the spreading ridges. The northern continental shelf shows a narrow, steep topography. In contrast, the continental shelf or slope in the south, which is connected to the Antarctic Peninsula, has a gentle gradient. Volcanic activities resulted in the formation of large volcanos and basement highs near the spreading center, and small-scale volcanic diapirs on the shelf. A very long, continuous normal fault characterizes the northern shelf, whereas several basinward synthetic faults probably detach into the master fault in the south. Four transfer faults, the northwest-southeastern deep-parallel structures, controlled the complex distributions of the volcanos, normal faults, depocenters, and possibly hydrocarbon provinces in the study area. They have also deformed the basement structure and depositional pattern. Even though the Bransfield Basin was believed to be formed in the Late Cenozoic (about 4 Ma), the hydrocarbon potential may be very high due to thick sediment accumulation, high organic contents, high heat flow resulted from the active tectonics, and adequate traps.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.194-210
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• 2022

The monthly inventory of dissolved inorganic carbon (C_T) and its fluxes were simulated using a box-model for the southeastern Yellow Sea, bordering the northern East China Sea. The monthly C_T data was constructed by combining the observed data representing four seasons with the data adopted from the recent publications. A 2-box-model of the surface and deep layers was used, assuming that the annual C_T inventory was at the steady state and its fluctuations due to the advection in the surface box were negligible. Results of the simulation point out that the monthly C_T inventory variation between the surface and deep box was driven primarily by the mixing flux due to the variation of the mixed layer depth, on the scale of -40~35 mol C m^-2 month^-1. The air to sea CO₂ flux was about 2 mol C m^-2 yr^-1 and was lower than 1/100 of the mixing flux. The biological pump flux estimated magnitude, in the range of 4-5 mol C m^-2 yr^-1, is about half the in situ measurement value reported. The C_T inventory of the water column was maximum in April, when mixing by cooling ceases, and decreases slightly throughout the stratified period. Therefore, the total C_T inventory is larger in the stratified period than that of the mixing period. In order to maintain a steady state, 18 mol C m^-2 yr^-1 (= 216 g C m^-2 yr^-1), the difference between the maximum and minimum monthly CT inventory, should be transported out to the East China Sea. Extrapolating this flux over the entire southern Yellow Sea boundary yields 4 × 10⁹ g C yr^-1. Conceptually this flux is equivalent to the proposed continental shelf pump. Since this flux must go through the vast shelf area of the East China Sea before it joins the open Pacific waters the actual contribution as a continental shelf pump would be significantly lower than reported value. Although errors accompanied the simple box model simulation imposed by the paucity of data and assumptions are considerably large, nevertheless it was possible to constrain the relative contribution among the major fluxes and their range that caused the C_T inventory variations, and was able to suggest recommendations for the future studies.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.97-110
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• 2000

To investigate characteristics of water masses and current structures around Noto Peninsula located in south-east coastal region of the East Sea, observation results of CREAMS (Circulations Research of the East Asian Marginal Seas) cruise and data report of oceanographic observation (Japan Meteorological Agency) in June, 1995 and 1996 were used. Water mass showing characteristics of Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) exists over the continental shelf. The depth is shallower than 200m and its width and thickness are 190km and 200m, respectively. Minimum level of dissolved oxygen occurred at the layers of maximum salinity. In the current structure, a noteworthy phenomenon is that the positions of the high-salinity water (more than 34.6 psu) match well with the distributions of the southwestward flow. In June of 1995 and June of 1996, a southwestward flow were separated into two parts along line C and line G. Current directions derived from the temperature and salinity match well with the distributions of the geostrophic currents in the vertical sections. The isothermal lines and the isohaline, which exist horizontally along the coastal area of the Japan, change abruptly at the frontal area of the Noto Peninsula, then turn toward the center of the East Sea. The dynamic depth anomalies centering around the region far northwest of the Noto Peninsula were relatively high, compared to those of other regions. The isopycnic surface (sigma-t, 25.8) existed near the surface in the central part of the East Sea, but, at the depth of 100m, the isopycnic surface was found in the coastal waters.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.84-95
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• 1989

The feeding guild classification proposed by Fauchald and Jumars (1979) and the relationship between this guild structure and the habitat environment were examined based on the quantitative polycheate samples collected on the continental shelf off the southeastern coast of Korea. Total 12 feeding guilds were found and the major feeding guilds of polychaetes were BSX (burrowing, sessile, non-jawed), SDT (surface deposit feeding, discretely motile, tentaculate), SST (surface deposit feeding, sessile, tentaculate), BMX (burrowing, motile, non-jawed), BMJ (burrowing, motile, jawed), SDJ (surface deposit feeding, discretely motile, jawed). There were more significant associations between feeding guilds and mean grain size (${\phi}$); SST and BMJ showed a positive correlation with mean phi, whereas CDJ (carnivore, discretely motile, jawed) and FDT (filter feeding, discretely motile, tentaculate), a negative value. The CDJ and CMX (carnivore, motile, non-jawed) guilds showed positive correlations with sand content, but only SST guild showed a positive correlation with clay. The heterogeneity of sediment or sorting value (${\phi}$) was highly associated with various feeding strategies of polychaetes. Surface deposit feeders and filter feeders, sessile, and tentaculate strategies were associated with poorly sorted or heterogeneous sediments. Some preliminary polychaete feeding surfaces were posed. Southern and northern coastal region composed of muddy sediment were characterized by SDJ; northern slope of mud by SST; central coast of mud by SDT, BSX; and BMX; southern offshore of sandy sediment by SDJ and IDT (interface feeding, discretely motile, tentaculate).

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.166-174
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• 1987

Distribution, bathymetry and textural parameters of the bottom sediment deposited between Geoje and Namhae Islands were studied to understand the depositional environment of the area. The study area is divided into three different provinces. Except for the Gwangyang Bay and Changseon Channel, mud dominates in the western part whereas sandy mud and muddy sand prevail in the southeastern part including the eastern area of the Yogji Island. The relict sediment is located in the eastern part of the area. Generally, the Holocene sediment, located in the northern part of the area, is considered to be transported and deposited by a pelagic suspension mode. Influence of strong tidal currents results in some depressions in the vicinity of Changseon Island and the eastern part of the Yogji Island, The Tsushima Warm Current is supposed to affect the southern part of the area. The two parallels sand ridges lying in the southeastern part of the area are covered with very thin Holocene mud. This seems to be caused by the winnowing effect of the current. The similarity between the two directions of the current and the ridges encourages this idea. The boundary between the Holocene and relict sediment, however, lies further south the ridges.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.15-31
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• 1991

A total of 90 surface sediment samples, collected from the continental margin area bordering east and southeast coast of Korea, were subject to the geochemical analyses with the aim of filling the gap in our knowledge of this environment. The analyzed items included the major elements (Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, K, Na, p and Mn), organic carbon, and some trace metals (Ba, Co, Cu, Sr and Zn). The sediment grain-size exerted a predominant influence on the contents of most elements, with the exceptions of Ca, K, Sr and Ba. The Ca and Sr contents, being closely interrelated each other, were mainly controlled by the calcium carbonate content. The K content, on the other hand, appeared to be influenced by both illite and feldspar. The Ba content showed a certain relationship with that of K, suggesting a common source of these two elements; potassium feldspar. The R-mode factor analysis result also reaffirmed the above-mentioned controlling factors on the sediment geochemistry. The grain-size dependency of trace metals obscures their areal distribution pattern from the total contents. However, with the metal/aluminum ratios we could differentiate the subtle difference in the metal enrichment. Hence, sediments of the southern coastal area appear to receive some anthropogenic inputs of metals, though the effect is still negligible.