• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.35-37
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• 2005

Sediment samples from five stations at the Shihwa Lake sewage outfall, west coast of Korea, were collected to evaluate the effect of the outfall on benthic foraminifera. Heavy metal (Cu and Zn) polluted eastern part of the Shihwa Lake, adjacent to the Shihwa-Banwol Industrial Complexes, shows barren or nearly barren of benthic foraminifera, and the lowest number of species both at the core top and downcore. Excepting for the barren zone, pyritized benthic foraminifera abundantly occur both at the surface and downcore sediments in the western part of the Shihwa Lake, suggesting that foraminiferal disease by anoxic bacteria. Recent intrusion of pollutants from the Shihwa-Banwol Industrial Complexes and adjacent six major streams severely polluted the Shihwa Lake as shown by the low abundance (number/10 g) of benthic foraminifera, low number of A. beccarii, low species diversity, and absence of both Elphidium spp. and ostracodes at the surface sediments compared to the downcore. Except the barren zone, both pyritized and non-pyritized Ammonia beccarii occur dominantly in the surface sediments and downcore. Elphidium spp. (either pyritized or non-pyritized) do not occur in the surface sediments of whole stations. However, they occur from the entire downcore sediments except in the eastern part of Shihwa Lake. Arenaceous foraminifera do not inhabit in the heavily polluted areas as evidenced by the occurrence of relatively deep core depth (11-50 cm). Ostracodes occur at the downcore sediments, but they do not occur at the surface sediments. Ostracodes also do not occur at the heavily polluted areas in the eastern part of the Shihwa Lake both at the surface and downcore sediments, indicating that the abundance of ostracodes also can be used for a pollution indicator.

• International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Korean Journal of Geophysical Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.59-73
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• 1998

Sediment samples from five stations at the Shihwa Lake sewage outfall, west cost of Korea, were collected to evaluate the effect of the outfall on benthic foraminifers. Heavy metal (Cu and Zn) polluted the eastern part of the Shihwa Lake, adjacent to the Shihwa-Banwol Industrial Complexes, shows barren or nearly barren of benthic foraminifers, and the lowest number of species both at the core top and downcore. Excepting for the barren zone, pyritized benthic foraminifers abundantly occur both at the surface and downcore sediments in the western part of the Shihwa Lake, suggesting that foraminiferal disease by anoxic bacteria. Recent intrusion of pollutants form the Shihwa-Banwol Industrial Complexes and adjacent six major streams severely polluted the Shihwa Lake as shown by the low abundance (number/10 g) of benthic foraminifers, low number of Ammonia beccarii, low species diversity, and absence of both Elphidium spp. and ostracodes at the surface sediments compared of both downcore. Except the barren zone, both pyritized and non-pyritized Ammonia beccarii occur dominantly in the surface sediments and downcore. Elphidium spp. (either pyritized or non-phyritized) do not occur in the surface sediments of whole stations. However, they occur from the entire downcore sediments except in the eastern part of Shihwa Lake. Arenaceous foraminifers do not inhabit in the heavily polluted areas as evidenced by the occurrence of relatively deep core depth (11-15 cm). Ostracodes occur at the downcore sediments, but they do not occur at the surface sediments. Ostracodes also do not occur at the heavily polluted areas in the eastern part of the Shihwa Lake both at the surface and downcore sediments, indicating that the abundance of ostracodes also can be used for a pollution indicator.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.195-205
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• 1988

Distribution of organic materials In the surface sediments was investigated in September 1983 in Chinhae Bay System. Bottom waters containing less than 1ml/l of dissolved oxygen were found in Masan Bay, and in part of Kohyonsong Bay and Wonmunpo Bay. Organic carbon content in the surface sediments of Masan Bay was about 25mg/g and it decreased with increasing distance from the inner Masan Bay. Mean organic carbon contents in Wonmunpo Bay and Kohyonsong Bay were 25.48 and 31.39mg/g, respectively, which are higher values than those in Masan Bay where large amount of domestic and industrial wastewaters art discharged into the surface water and extensive phytoplankton occurs almost year round. Mean organic nitrogen and pheophyton contents were also the highest in Kohyonsong Bay amont eight subareas. In Masan Bay, settling of organic materials on the surface sediments seemed to be not significant because of active tidal mixing and relatively small size of particulate materials. In Kohyonsong Bay and Wonmunpo Bay large fecal pellets produced in shellfish farms could be easily settled down on the sediment because of weak current regime. DO content in the bottom waters were low in the organic material rich areas, and that suggests biodegradation of organic materials in the surface sediments could be an important oxygen consuming process during the study period of September 1983.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2001

Chemical speciation of five heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) has been analyzed from 37 surface and 2 core sediments of Kyeonggi Bay, using the modified sequential extraction method based on Tessier et at. (1979). The results show that heavy metals in the Kyeonggi Bay surface sediments are associated dominantly with the crystal lattice fraction. But in the polluted sediments of the Incheon North Harbor, the importance of the labile fractions increased while that of the lattice fraction decreased. In particular, the adsorbed and the easily reducible fractions showed a noticeable increase. In the core samples emerged a speciation pattern which differed significantly from that of the surface sediments. A sharp increase in the percentage of the reducible and organic/sulfide fractions and a decrease in the lattice fraction were observed. Throughout the vertical column, however, the metal contents in the lattice fraction showed stability while those of the labile fractions showed an upward increase. The strong association of heavy metals with the organic/sulfide fraction could be attributed in part to the sulfate reduction prevailing in the polluted harbor sediments.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.385-394
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• 2011

Organotin compounds (OTs), namely butyltins compounds (BTs) and phenyltin compounds (PhTs), were measured in surface and core sediments collected in Jeju harbor. The horizontal and vertical distribution was examined and the relationship between the concentration of OTs and organic matter content and particle size distribution was also studied. BTs were detected in significant concentrations in sediments inside Jeju harbor. PhTs were detected in very low concentrations, compared to BTs. The main species in BTs and PhTs were dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT), monophenyltin (MPhT), respectively. In the relationships between the concentrations of total BTs and organic carbon content, the significant correlations ($r^2$=0.4898 in surface sediments, $r^2$=0.53 in one core sediments) and no correlation in another core sediments obtained, which is estimated that the distribution of BTs in sediments were affected by several factors, such as their physicochemical properties including organic carbon content, and a tide, etc. In the relationships between the concentrations of total BTs and particle size (mud, sand, and gravel) in sediments, the concentrations of total BTs were higher in the sediments with higher mud content, indicating that higher BTs were distributed with increasing sediments of fine granules.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.89-106
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• 2016

The Gochang open-coast intertidal flat is located in the southwestern coast of Korea (the eastern part of the Yellow Sea), characterized by macro-tidal range, an open-coast type, and sand substrates. This study has investigated seasonal variation in sedimentary facies of surface sediments in the Gochang intertidal flat. In the four seasons of February, May, August, and November, 2014, surface sediments of 252 sites in total were sampled and analyzed along three survey lines. The surface sediments of the Gochang intertidal flat in 2014 consisted mainly of fine-grained sand sediments showing a trend in grain size to be coarser in winter and finer in summer. Based on seasonal wave and tidal level data recorded near the study area, it was interpreted that the seasonal effects of wave were stronger than those of tide as a factor controlling surface sedimentation. High waves in winter resulted in the coarsening trend of grain size in surface sediments, whereas, during summer time, the sediments became finer by relatively low waves. Spatial sedimentary facies of the Gochang intertidal flat in 2014 represented that seasonal deviation of the upper tidal zone was larger than that of the lower tidal zone, hence sediments getting coarser in grain size and poorly sorted in the upper tidal zone. From upper to lower tidal zone, the grain size became finer and sediments were better-sorted, showing smaller seasonal deviations.

• 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.

• Geosciences Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.989-1000
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• 2018

The provenance of the Central Yellow Sea Mud (CYSM) in the Yellow Sea has been attracted a great deal of attention over the last three decades, but a consensus is not yet reached. In this study, 101 surface sediment samples collected from the CYSM were investigated to determine provenance and transport mechanisms in the area using the clay minerals and major element components. The Huanghe sediments are characterized by higher smectite, but the Changjiang sediments are more abundant illite contents. Western Korean rivers contain more kaolinite and chlorite than do Chinese rivers. The Chinese rivers have higher $Fe_2O_3$, MgO, and CaO than the Korean rivers at the same $Al_2O_3$ concentration. Therefore, the clay minerals and major element concentrations can be useful indicator for the source. Based on our results, we suggest that the surface sediments in CYSM were composed mainly of Changjiang sediments, mixed a partly with sediments from the Huanghe and the western Korean rivers. Although the northwestern part of CYSM is proximate to the Huanghe, the contents of smectite and CaO were extremely low. It could be evidence that the Huanghe materials do not enter directly into the CYSM due to the Shandong Peninsula Front. Considering the oceanic circulation in the Yellow Sea, the Changjiang sediments could be transported eastward with the Changjiang Diluted Water and then mixed in CYSM via the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC). Huanghe sediments could be provided by coastal currents (Shandong Coastal Current and Yellow Sea Coastal Current) and the YSWC. In addition, sediments from western Korean rivers might be supplied into the CYSM deposit via the Korean Coastal Current, Transversal Current, and YSWC.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.146-158
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• 2010

In order to evaluate the characteristics of sediments and pollution by organic matter and metallic elements in intertidal sediments along the southwestern coast of Korea, we measured various geochemical parameters, including the mean grain size (Mz), water content (WC), ignition loss (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acid volatile sulfide (AVS), and metallic elements (Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Mn, Hg, As), in intertidal surface sediments. The Mz of the surface sediments ranged from 2.1 to 8.3$\phi$, indicating that the surface sediments consist of various sedimentary facies, such as sand, slightly gravelly mud, sandy mud, and silt. The IL and COD in surface sediment ranged from 0.8 to 5.5% (mean $2.9\pm1.2%$) and from 3.9 to $13.8\;mgO_2/g{\cdot}dry$ (mean $8.5\pm2.6\;mgO_2/g{\cdot}dry$), respectively, which were lower than the values for surface sediment in areas near fish and shellfish farms or industrial complexes. No AVS was detected at any sampling station, despite various sedimentary facies. Most of metallic elements in surface sediments showed relatively good positive correlations with Mz and IL, which imply that the concentrations of metallic elements are mainly controlled by grain size and the organic matter content. The concentrations of metallic elements, except As, at some stations were considerably lower than those in the Sediment Quality Guideline (Effect Range Low, ERL) proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States. Similarly, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) class indicated that pollution by metallic elements in intertidal surface sediment, except As, was moderate or non-existent. Our results imply that the intertidal surface sediments along the southwestern coast of Korea are not polluted by organic matter and metallic elements and are healthy for benthic organisms.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.247-255
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• 2009

We measured phosphate benthic fluxes and conducted phosphate adsorption experiments in order to find out the effects of adsorption on phosphate benthic fluxes in the intertidal sediments of Keunso Bay during summer and winter. Organic carbon contents showed little variation with season at St. S1, but noticeable changes were observed at St. S2, which were three times higher in winter than in summer. The higher organic carbon contents in winter resulted from the bloom of benthic algae in surface sediments. Pore water phosphate concentrations were much higher in summer than in winter. The higher phosphate concentration in summer was probably due to the faster remineralization rate of organic matter in summer. At St. S1, benthic fluxes of phosphate showed a negative value in summer and a positive value in winter. However, St. S2 had a negative benthic flux both in summer and winter. The negative benthic flux was ascribed to the phosphate adsorption on iron oxides in surface sediments. The equilibrium concentrations of phosphate obtained from the adsorption experiment were three times higher at St. S1 than at St. S2. The relatively high adsorption coefficient and low equilibrium concentration indicated that phosphate was strongly adsorbed on the surface sediments of Keunso Bay. The strong adsorption affinity significantly reduced benthic fluxes of phosphate in the intertidal sediments.