• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.6 no.6
• /
• pp.595-604
• /
• 1997

To investigate characteristics of biogeochemical environment of the Korea Deep Ocean Study(KODOSI area in the northeast Pacific Ocean, we preferentially measured Inorganic nutrients and fluorescent organic matters. Typically. the permanent thermocline was well developed at the depth of 200~1000m In the study area. Nitrate. phosphate and silicate were low In the surface mixed layer and Increased with depth. N/P and N/Si showed 15 and 0.2 respectively In the deeper layer. Two fluorophores, biomacromolecule(protein-like) and geomacromolecule (humid-like) , were observed by three dimensional fluorescence excltatlon/ emission spectra matrix. Biomacromolecule(maximum fluorescence at $Ex_{280m}/Em_{330nm}$) ranged from 41.9 to 147.0 TU with its maximum In the surface mixed layer and minimum in deeper water, This is a same trend that has been reported for DOC in the equatorial Pacific. This suggests that biomacromolecule might be labile and converted to refractory humic substance after bacterial degradation In the deeper layer. On the contrary, geomacromolecule(maximum fluorescence at $Ex_{330m}/Em_{430m}$), ranged from 7.6 to 46.5 QSU, showed minimum in the surface nixed layer(euphotic zone) Implying photodegradation and then increased with depth at all stations. In the characteristics of vertical profiles, the relationship between biomacromolecule and geomacromolecule showed negative correlation. Such trend can be attributed to biochemical regeneration or formation of fluorescent materials accompanying oxidation and rennnerallzation of settling organic matter.

• 한국해양학회지
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.341-354
• /
• 1995

Fluorescence characteristic and amino acids composition of organic matter were determined from extracted seawater samples at eight stations in the East Sea of Korea. Organic compounds have been extracted onto C-18 Sep-Pak cartridges. Three dimensional excitation/emission fluorescence contouring of extracts showed two markedly distinct characterized fluoroscopies representing protein-like biomacromolecule and humic-like geomacromolecule. Protein-like biomacromolecule showing fluorescence maxima at 280 nm/330 nm (excitation/emission) were abundant in the surface mixed layer and then apparently decreased below the thermocline at most stations. It suggests that source of biomacromolecule is comely related with vigorous biological synthetic activity in the surface layer and bacteria decompose its biologically labile components near the thermocline and in the deeper layer. On the other hand, humiliate geomacromolecule showing fluorescence maxima at 330 nm/430 nm (excitation/emission) were low in the surface mixed layer implying photochemical oxidation and then increased below the thermocline at most stations. It suggests that geomacromolecule might be transformed by condensation of bio-refractoryorganic fraction after decomposition of biomacromolecule and particulate organic carbon derived from the surface mixed layer. HPLC measurements of amino acids showed similar composition between seawater and extracted organic macromolecule after hydrolysis. Glycine, serine and alanine were predominant, accounting for more than 50% of total amino acids. Dissolved free amino acids of seawater were more abundant in the surface layer(0.7∼1.8 uM) than the deeper layer (0.2∼0.4 uM). D/L racemic ratio of alanine of extracted organic matter showed lower value in the surface layer than the deeper layer. It suggests that biomacromolecule predominant in the surface layer is relatively young, rapidly recycling and biologically labile.

• 한국해양학회지
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.171-182
• /
• 1994

Dissolved free amino acid (DFAA) dissolved hydrolyzable amino acid (DHAA) and D/L amino acid racemic ratio in the dissolved organic compounds were studied to investigate the biogeochemical characteristics of dissolved organic compound in the Yellow Sea. Concentration of total DFAA ranged from 0.06 uM to 0.26 uM in the study area. DFAA composition showed that aspiratae, glutamate, serine, glycine and alanine were predominant. According to characteristics of functional group of amino acid, these belonged to hydroponic group. C-18 short column cartridge (Sep-Pak) activated by methanol was used to extract organic macromolecules in the seawater. In operational scheme, macromolecules were divided into two fractions. Geomacromolecule fraction eluted with 50% methanol was used to extract organic macromolecules in the seawater. In operational scheme, macromolecules were divided into two fractions. Geomacromolecule fraction eluted with 50% methanol was moderately hydrophilic and showed characteristics of humic substance in the seawater. Biomacromolecule fraction eluted with 100% methanol was hydrophobic and most abundant in the surface seawater samples. DHAA was much higher than DFAA in this study area. DHAA ranged from 2.05 uM to 6.19 uM in the B-fraction and from 8.13 uM to 24.46 uM in the G-fraction. DHAA was higher in the surface water than in the bottom water where the vertical stratification developed well. The result of HPLC analysis of D/L amino acid showed that low racemic ratio was found in the B-fraction. It implies that the B-fraction is relatively younger than the G-fraction and freshly derived from biosphere.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.196-203
• /
• 2004

To understand the geochemical processes in the Han River Estuary, distributions and behaviors of nutrients, dissolved organic matters, and uranium were investigated and analyzed during estuarine tidal mixing in June 2000 and February 2001. The distribution of inorganic nutrients showed very dynamic distributional patterns implying an apparent nitrification process and a concave non-conservative mixing along the salinity gradient. Dissolved organic carbon was high in the upstream region and decreased sharply in the low salinity region of around 5 psu. The 3-D fluorescence characteristic of dissolved organic matter showed two distinct fluorophores in the study area. Biomacromolecules originated mainly from the indigenous biochemical processes and geomacromolecules from terrestrial humic materials. In the study area, the distribution of geomacromolecule showed a concave non-conservative property along the salinity gradient presumably due to the flocculation and removal processes in the estuary. Meanwhile, distribution of the dissolved uranium, mainly in the form of stable uranium carbonate complex, also showed a concave non-conservative property along the salinity gradient in the Han River Estuary. From this study, the removal rate of dissolved uranium in the Han River Estuary was estimated to be about 7.1 ton per year.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.87-99
• /
• 2007

This study was conducted to understand the source and behavior of organic matter using the fluorescent technique (excitation-emission matrix) as a part of environmental monitoring program in the Korea manganese nodule mining site in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. Water samples were collected at $0^{\circ},\;6^{\circ}N$, and $10.5^{\circ}N$ along $131.5^{\circ}W$ in August 2005. The concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) ranged from 58.01 to $171.93\;{\mu}M-C$. The vertical distribution of TOC was characterized as higher in the surface layer and decreased with depth. At $6^{\circ}N$, depth-integrated (from surface to 200 m depth) TOC was $337.1\;gC/m^2$, which was 1.4 times higher value than other stations. The exponential decay curve fit of vertical profile of TOC indicated that 59% of organic carbon produced by primary production in the surface layer could be decomposed by bacteria in the water column. Dissolved organic matter is generally classified into two distinctive groups based on their fluorescence characteristics using three-dimensional excitation/emission (Ex/Em) fluorescence mapping technique. One is known as biomacromolecule (BM; protein-like substance; showing max. at Ex 280/Em 330), mainly originated from biological metabolism. The other is geomacromolecule (GM; humic-like substance; showing max. at Ex 330/Em 430), mainly originated from microbial degradation processes. The concentration of BM and GM was from 0.42 to 7.29 TU (tryptophan unit) and from 0.06 to 1.81 QSU (quinine sulfate unit), respectively. The vertical distribution of BM was similar to that of TOC as high in the surface and decreased with depth. However, the vertical distribution of GM showed the reverse pattern of that of BM. From these results, it appeared that BM occupied a major part of TOC and was rapidly consumed by bacteria in the surface layer. GM was mainly transformed from BM by microbial processes and was a dominant component of TOC in the deep-sea layer.