• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.45-55
• /
• 1998

Phytoplankton community and primary productivity have been investigated in a fall season in the southern coastal waters of the last Sea, Korea. A strong thermocline formed at the 20\~60\;m$ layer and a cold water mass also existed in the bottom around Yong-il Bay. The offshore of the surveyed area was likely to be influenced by relatively warmer water, whereas the inshore represented Higher primary productivity with lower water temperature and lower salinity. A total of 133 species of phytoplankton occurred, representing 107 spp. of diatom, 23 spp. of dinoflagellate 3 spp. of silicoflagellate. Skeletonema costatum and Asterionellepsis glacialis were most predominant with more than $30\%$ dominance ratio, while Leptocylindrus danicus was also dominant at all transect lines. Standing crops of phytoplankton ranged from $2.7{\times}10^3\;to\;141.6{\times}10^3\;cell^{\ell-1}$. Chlorophyll a concentration varied with stations and layers, but the $30\~50$ m layer showed maximun with about $1.18{\mu}g{\ell}^{-1}$ rather than at the surface layer. It is believed that the maximun in standing crops and chlorophyll of phytoplankton formed at the $20\~50$ m layer above the thermocline during the survey. Phytoplankton primary productivity ranged from 0.32 to 3.04 mgC $m^{-3}\;hr^{-1}$, showing higher at the inshore than at the offshore. The range of integrated primary productivity was $263.3\~1085.5 mgC\;m^{-2}\;day^{-1}$ for the euphotic layer. Photosysthesis rates varied with the range from 0.76 to 8.04 mgC mgChl $\alpha^{-1}\;hr^{-1}$. Phytoplankton photosynthesis at the inshore was saturated at lower irradiance ($15\~35\%$ of surface) and showed higher efficiency, Thus, it revealed that the phytoplankton community probably adapted to the middle of euphotic layer because the depth of mixing layer became thinner due to the formation of thermocline.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.647-658
• /
• 2018

The aim of this study is to investigate the seasonal changes of phytoplankton communities based on the environmental changes in a dense oyster farming area (Hansan-Geoje Island) from June to December 2016. The water temperature varied from $14^{\circ}C$ to $28.8^{\circ}C$ and its salinity ranged from 29.4 to 34.2 psu. Nitrate+nitrite was kept at c.a. $3.0{\mu}M$ on the surface layer from June to July, below the concentration limit in August and early September, and then gradually increased from late September. Ammonia was high on July 20 and August 10, and its seasonal characteristics were not clear. Phosphate ranged from 0.01 to $0.7{\mu}M$ on the surface layer, and its seasonal changes were similar to those of nitrate+nitrite. Mean silicate concentrations were $10.7{\mu}M$ on the surface and $15.7{\mu}M$ in the bottom layer, and it was not acted as a limiting factor for the growth of phytoplankton. Among the phytoplankton community, Bacillariophyceae, Dinophyceae and Cryptophyceae was 61.2%, 22.5%, and 13.6%, respectively. In late June, dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense was dominant in the outer waters(St. T1), later on, Cryptomonas spp. and Chaetoceros spp. were dominant, respectively. From late September to October, diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Chaetoceros spp. were stimulated under non-stratified condition after the typhoon. In December, A. sanguinea was found to be $1.7{\times}10^5cells\;L^{-1}$. Seasonally, relative high phytoplankton biomass may be favorable to maintain high production of filter feeder oyster in the dense oyster farming areas of Hansan and Geoje Island.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.141-160
• /
• 2022

The harbor construction projects can lead to various marine environmental problems including habitat degradation and loss, marine water pollution, change of flow patterns, erosion, scour, sedimentation, and so on. The EIA is a measure to prevent various environmental problems in advance from examining and minimizing the environmental impacts before the proposed developments are implemented. In addition, institutions reviewing EIA reports have made efforts to conduct scientific and standardized EIA by applying EIA guidelines for each project. This study aims to create a EIA guideline focusing on the harbor construction projects. Based on the review comments of the harbor construction EIA reports for the past 13 years (2009-2021) and the EIA guidelines of different types of projects, we identified the marine environmental problems and provided the appropriate guideline. This guideline summarizes and presents the contents which must be reviewed in the baseline condition survey, impact assessment, mitigation, and post-environmental impact investigation in the fields of marine fauna and flora, marine physics, and marine water and sediment quality. In the case of a baseline condition survey of marine fauna and flora, a method for selecting survey points considering the characteristics of sea area and project was presented. When estimating the impact of marine fauna and flora, we presented methods for predicting the impact on them due to the spread of suspended sediments and the damage to benthic habitats due to dredging and reclamation. In consideration of the characteristics of the sea area, we divided the survey items of the marine physics into essential items and supplementary items. In predicting the impact of marine physics, various methods for major issues such as seawater circulation, suspended sediment and bottom sediment transport, water temperature and salinity diffusion, seawater exchange, wave transformation, harbor tranquility, and shoreline change were presented. The research results will contribute to protect the marine environment by inducing more systematic and scientific surveys, impact assessments, and mitigation in the EIA process.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.55-63
• /
• 2023

Variations in geochemical and mineralogical properties of the ferromanganese(Fe-Mn) crust reflect environmental changes. In the present study, geochemical and mineralogical analyses, including micro X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction, were utilized to reconstruct the paleo-ocean environment of western Pacific Magellan seamount cluster. Samples of the Fe-Mn crust were collected using an epibenthic sledge from the open seamount XX (151° 51.12' 7.2" E and 16° 8.16' 9.6" N, 1557 meters below sea level) in the Western Pacific Magellan Seamount. According to the structure and phosphating status, the Fe-Mn crust of the OSM-XX can be divided into the following: phosphatizated (L4-L5), massive non-phosphatizated (L3), and porous non-phosphatizated (L1-L2) portions. All ferromanganese layers contain vernadite, and owing to the presence of carbonate fluorapatite (CFA), the phosphatizated portion (L4-L5) is rich in Ca and P. The massive non-phosphatizated section (L3) contains high Mn, Ni, and Co, whereas the porous non-phosphatizated portion (L1-L2), which comprises detrital quartz and feldspar, is rich in Fe. Variations in properties of the Fe-Mn crust from the OSM-XX reflect changes in the nearby marine environment. The formation of this crust started at approximately 51.87 Ma, and precipitation of the CFA during the global phosphatization event that occurred at approximately 36-32 Ma highlights an elevated sea level and low temperature during the associated period. The high Mn, Ni, and Co concentrations and elevated Mn/Fe ratios of samples from the massive phosphatizated portion indicate that the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) was enhanced, and reducing conditions prevailed during the crust formation. The high Fe and low Mn/Fe ratios in the porous portion indicate a weak OMZ and dominantly oxidizing conditions. These data reflect environmental changes following the end of the Mi-1 glacial period in the Miocene-Oligocene boundary. Subsequently, Mn/Fe and Co/Mn ratios increased slightly in the outermost part of Fe-Mn crust because of the enhanced bottom current and OMZ associated with the continued cooling from approximately 9 Ma. However, the reduced carbonate dissolution rate in the Pacific Ocean from approximately 6 Ma decreased the growth rate of the Fe-Mn crust.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.125-137
• /
• 2022

To assess the characteristics of meiofaunal community fluctuations related to environmental factors, seasonal surveys were conducted in the subtidal zone of Hallyeohaesang National Park. The average depth of the study area was about 20 m, and the average water temperature at the bottom was low in winter(11.33℃) and high in summer(17.95℃). The sedimentary particles mainly comprised silt and clay at most stations. The abundance of meiofauna ranged from 81.7 to 1,296.5 Inds. 10 cm^-2, and the average abundance was 589.3 Inds. 10 cm^-2. The average abundance of meiofauna in each season was the lowest at 416.5 Inds. 10cm^-2 in winter and the highest at 704.5Inds.10 cm^-2 in spring. The dominant taxa were nematodes (about 92%) and harpacticoids (about 5%). In the cluster analysis of meiofaunal communities, they were divided into four significant groups. The largest group mainly contained spring and summer samples, and contained stations with a high nematode density of over 500 Inds. 10 cm^-2 and harpacticoids below 50 Inds. 10 cm^-2 with a high composition ratio of nematodes. In the cluster analysis, no regional division was found between the stations, and it was thought to be divided by the seasons with high abundance according to seasonal variation and the composition ratio of nematodes and harpacticoids. In the Spearman rank correlation analysis, the density of total meiofauna and the most dominant taxa, nematodes, was not significantly related to environmental factors. However, the density of harpacticoids had a significant positive correlation with water depth and a negative correlation with sediment particle size.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.87-97
• /
• 2023

In this study, we examined the effects of a large wildfire in the coastal area of Uljin-gun. The analysis of water quality and the dominant species, species composition, and community structure of marine algal was conducted quarterly in 2022 at Nagok (F-1), Hujeong (F-2), Bongpyeong (F-3), and Gongse Port (F-C) in Uljin-gun. As a result of water quality analysis, the pH, a factor of wildfire impact was 8.07~8.30 and 8.12~8.48 in surface and bottom layers, respectively, which are normal values in coastal waters of the East Sea, suggesting no direct impact from wildfires. By marine algal species composition, the coastal areas show the following order: Rhodophyta (58.1%) > Ochrophyta (25.8%) > Chlorophyta (14.5%) > Magnoliophyta (1.6%). By season, Undaria pinnatifida was the most dominant at Nagok and Hujeong in March and June, which in September and November, Gelidium elegans and Lithophyllum sp. were the most dominant in Bongpyeong and Gongse Port, respectively. In the cluster analysis, the stations were divided into two groups according to presence and absence of specific marine algal by season. The dominant species were U. pinnatifida, G. elegans and D. divaricata in group A, and Lithophyllum sp. was mainly present in group B. Thus, the species composition and group structure reflected the normal seasonal change pattern with water temperature variation and showed little significant difference from the control site, suggesting no direct effects of the wildfire on algae distribution in Uljin.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.134-144
• /
• 2009

Paleoproductivity changes in the central part of the Bering Sea since the last glacial period were reconstructed by analyzing opal and total organic carbon (TOC) content and their mass accumulation rate (MAR) in sediment core PC23A. Ages of the sediment were determined by both AMS $^{14}C$ dates using planktonic foraminifera and Last Appearance Datum of radiolaria (L. nipponica sakaii). The core-bottom age was calculated to reach back to 61,000 yr BP. and some of core-top was missing. Opal and TOC contents during the last glacial period varied in a range of 1-10% and 0.2-1.0%, and their average values are 5% and 0.7%, respectively. In contrast, during the last deglaciation, opal and TOC contents varied from 5 to 22% and from 0.8 to 1.2%, respectively, with increasing average values of 8% and 1.0%. Opal and TOC MAR were low ($1gcm^{-2}kyr^{-1}$, $0.2gcm^{-2}kyr^{-1}$) during the last glacial period, but they increased (>5 and >$1gcm^{-2}kyr^{-1}$) during the last deglaciation. High diatom productivity during the last deglaciation was most likely attributed to the elevated nutrient supply to the sea surface resulting from increased melt water input from the nearby land and enhanced Alaskan Stream injection from the south under the restricted sea-ice and warm condition during the rising sea level. On the contrary, low productivity during the last glacial period was mainly due to decreased Alaskan Stream injection during the low sea-level condition as well as to extensive development of sea ice under low-temperature seawater and cold environment.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2008

Eight comprehensive oceanographic cruises on a squared $30{\times}30\;km$ area have been made to investigate the short and long-term impacts on the water qualities due to the sand mining operations at Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the central Yellow Sea from 2004 to 2007. The area was categorized to 'Sand Mining Zone', 'Potentially Affected Zone', and 'Reference Zone'. The investigation covered suspended solids, nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, phosphate), and chlorophyll-a in seawater and several parameters such as water temperature, salinity, pH, and ORP. Additionally, several intensive water collections were made to trace the suspended solids and other parameters along the turbid water by sand mining activities. The comprehensive investigation showed that suspended solids, nitrate, chlorophyll-a and ORP be sensitively responding parameters of seawater by sand mining operations. The intensive collection of seawater near the sand mining operation revealed that each parameter show different distribution pattern: suspended solids showed an oval-shaped distribution of the north-south direction of 8 km wide and the east-west direction of 5 km wide at the surface and bottom layers. On the other hand, phosphate showed so narrow distribution not to traceable. Also ammonium showed a limited distribution, but its boundary was connected to the high nitrate and chlorophyll-a concentrations with high N/P ratios. From the last 4 years of the comprehensive and intensive investigations, we found that suspended solids, ammonium, nitrate, chlorophyll-a, and ORP revealed the sensitive parameters of water quality for tracing the sand mining operations in seawater. Especially suspended solids and ORP would be useful tracers for monitoring the water qualities of remote area like EEZ in Yellow Sea.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.195-207
• /
• 2000

Organic and inorganic characteristics including bacterial cell number, enzyme activity, nutrients, and heavy metals have been monitored in twelve acrylic experimental tanks for two weeks to estimate and compare self-purification capacities in two Korean wet-land environments, tidal flat and rice field, which are possibly different with the environments in other countries because of their own climatic conditions. FW tanks, filled with rice field soils and fresh water, consist of FW1&2 (with paddy), FW3&4 (without paddy), and FW5&6 (newly reclaimed, without paddy). SW tanks, filled with tidal flat sediments and salt water, are SW1&2 (with anoxic silty mud), SW3&4 (anoxic mud), and SW5&6 (suboxic mud). Contaminated solution, which is formulated with the salts of Cu, Cd, As, Cr, Pb, Hg, and glucose+glutamic acid, was spiked into the supernatent waters in the tanks. Nitrate concentrations in supernatent waters as well as bacterial cell numbers and enzyme activities of soils in the FW tanks (except FW5&6) are clearly higher than those in the SW tanks. Phosphate concentrations in the SW1 tank increase highly with time compared to those in the other SW tanks. Removal rates of Cu, Cd, and As in supematent waters of the FW5&6 tanks are most slow in the FW tanks, while the rates in SW1&2 are most fast in the SW tanks. The rate for Pb in the SW1&2 tanks is most fast in the SW tanks, and the rate for Hg in the FW5&6 tanks is most slow in the FW tanks. Cr concentrations decrease generally with time in the FW tanks. In the SW tanks, however, the Cr concentrations decrease rapidly at first, then increase, and then remain nearly constant. These results imply that labile organic materials are depleted in the FW5&6 tanks compared to the FW1&2 and FW3&4 tanks. Removal of Cu, Cd, As from the supernatent waters as well as slow removal rates of the elements (including Hg) are likely due to the combining of the elements with organic ligands on the suspended particles and subsequent removal to the bottom sediments. Fast removal rates of the metal ions (Cu, Cd, As) and rapid increase of phosphate concentrations in the SW1&2 tanks are possibly due to the relatively porous anoxic sediments in the SW1&2 tanks compared to those in the SW3&4 tanks, efficient supply of phosphate and hydrogen sulfide ions in pore wates to the upper water body, complexing of the metal ions with the sulfide ions, and subsequent removal to the bottom sediments. Organic materials on the particles and sulfide ions from the pore waters are the major factors constraining the behaviors of organic/inorganic elements in the supernatent waters of the experimental tanks. This study needs more consideration on more diverse organic and inorganic elements and experimental conditions such as tidal action, temperature variation, activities of benthic animals, etc.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.537-548
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the species composition and the aquatic environment of Jojong Stream and Sudong Stream, which were the original habitats of Zacco koreanus population and restored population re-introduced in Bongseonsa Stream. It also compared and analyzed the states of the growth and reproductive ability of Z. koreanus habiting in each of the three streams. The investigation was conducted in June 2016 which was known as the spawning season of Z. koreanus. The results of the physical aquatic environments showed the slight differences in altitude, width and depth of water among three streams, but the bottom structure was found to be quite different in the composition of the boulder, cobble, and pebble among the streams. The result of the physicochemical aquatic environment analysis showed that there were no significant differences in water temperature, pH, DO, BOD, and EC among the three stream. In the fish fauna investigation, 530 individuals of 11 species of 3 families were collected in Bongseonsa Stream, 293 individuals of 12 species of 4 families were collected in Jojong Stream, and 361 individuals of 11 species of 4 families were collected in Sudong Stream. All three streams were dominated by Z. koreanus and Z. platypus. Six Korean endemic species appeared in each of the three streams, showing the high occurrence rate of indigenous species of 50.0% or more. The aggregation index analysis revealed that the mean dominance index ranged from 0.63 (${\pm}0.05$, BS) to 0.72(${\pm}0.01$, JJ), mean diversity index from 1.55 (${\pm}0.06$, JJ) to 1.78 (${\pm}0.11$, BS), mean evenness index from 0.71 (${\pm}0.03$, JJ) to 0.76 (${\pm}0.02$, BS), and mean richness index from 1.61 (${\pm}0.33$, JJ) to 1.73 (${\pm}0.24$, SD). The result indicated that the observed differences between the stream community indices were statistically nonsignificant. The similarity analysis showed that 75.4% similarity was divided into two groups of A and B and that the fish fauna on each analyzed point was similar. The quantitative habitat evaluation index (QHEI) analysis showed that the average value of QHEI was 151.0 (${\pm}46.0$), which means that it was a suboptimal habitat environment. The result of length-weight analysis of Z. koreanus populations showed that the regression coefficient b of the restoration population and the original habitat population were at 3.0 or higher while the condition factor had a positive slope. Moreover, it was found that the slopes of the regression coefficient b and condition factor of the original habitat population were larger than the restored population. The analysis of the length frequency distribution of the Z. koreanus population revealed that all three streams maintained the stable life cycle although it was found that the growth rate of the original habitat population was faster than the restored population in the one-year-old class. The result of the gonadosomatic index (GSI) analysis showed that the GSI median value of the Z. koreanus population in the restored habitat Bongseonsa Stream was higher than the population in the original habitat Jojong Stream and Sudong Stream for both of males and females.