• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.215-219
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• 2005

We isolated and identified three protease-producing bacteria that had inhabited the region around the Korean Arctic Research Station Dasan located at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway $(79^{\circ}N,\;12^{\circ}E)$. Biofilms were collected from the surface of a floating pier and from dead brown algae in a tide pool near the seashore. The biofilm samples were transported to the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) under frozen conditions, diluted in sterilized seawater, and cultured on Zobell agar plates with 1% skim milk at $10^{\circ}C$. Three clear zone forming colonies were selected as protease-producing bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences showed that these three stains shared high sequence similarities with Pseudoalteromonas elyakovii, Exiguobacterium oxidotofewm Pseudomonas jessenii, respectively. We expect these Arctic bacteria may be used to develop new varieties of protease that are active at low temperatures.

• 한국지형학회지
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.89-101
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• 2018

In Mt. Halla, an arctic-alpine plant Diapensia lapponica var. obovata largely clings to rock surfaces. We observed the rock-surface temperatures of a rocky ridge on the summit area of the mountain from late April 2009 to early May 2010 in order to examine the diurnal and annual temperature variations and the thermal amplitude. We also investigated temperature regimes such as the frequency of freeze-thaw cycles and the temperature change, which might endanger the habitat through frost weathering. For comparison of slope aspects, temperature monitoring was carried out on the north and south faces of the same rocky ridge. The south face experiences the high daily maximum rock-surface temperatures and the high thermal amplitudes during the unfreezing season of May to November 2009. The temperature regimes are considered to exert physiological stress to the arctic-alpine plant. In addition, the south face shows the high frequency of freeze-thaw cycles during the seasonal freezing period of December 2009 to April 2010. This indicates that the south face is susceptible the exfoliation and granular disintegration of rock surfaces, which results in habitat destruction. As a consequence, the south face is believed to be less favorable for the establishment and growth of the arctic-alpine plant than the north face on the summit area of Mt. Halla.

• Journal of Ship and Ocean Technology
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.24-38
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• 2007

It is a very challenging work to design large Arctic LNG carrier, since LNG carrier requires high reliability for the structural safety and the environment of Arctic region is known to be very severe. Therefore, special attention should be paid for the verifying the structural safety of LNG career particularly with regard to LNG leakage. In this paper, the safety of the hull structure and cargo containment system of 208K MK $III^{TM}$ type LNG carriers with Arc4 is investigated based on the direct calculation of ice loads as well as wave loads. From the whole investigation, it is clear that the developed vessel - 208K MK $III^{TM}$ type LNG carrier with RMRS Ice class Arc4 - has enough strength and is safe to be operated in Arctic region.

• 대한원격탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한원격탐사학회 2006년도 Proceedings of ISRS 2006 PORSEC Volume II
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• pp.1019-1022
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• 2006

Satellite sea ice data from 1978 to the present reveal that the perennial ice (or ice that survives the summer) has been rapidly declining at almost 10% per decade. Warming due to increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is now also being reflected in winter with drastic reductions in the maximum extent observed in 2005 and 2006. The retreat of the perennial ice also exposes more open water and has revealed an asymmetric distribution of chlorophyll a pigment concentration in the Arctic basin. Phytoplankton blooms are most dominant at high latitudes, partly on account of sea ice, but in the Arctic basin, it appears that pigment concentrations in the Eastern (Laptev Sea) Region are on the average three times higher than those in the Western (Beaufort Sea) Region. Such asymmetry suggests that despite favorable conditions provided by the melt of sea ice, there are other factors that affects the productivity of the region. The asymmetry is likely associated with much wider shelf areas in the East than in the West, with sea ice processes that inhibits the availability of nutrients near the surface in deep water regions, and river run-off that affects nutrient availability. The primary productivity in the pan-Arctic region have been estimated using the pigment concentrations and PAR derived from SeaWiFS data and the results show large seasonal as well as interannual variability during the 1998 to 2005 period. The data points towards increasing productivity for later years but with only 9 years of data it is too early to tell the overall effect of the sea ice retreat.

• 해양환경안전학회지
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.328-333
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• 2019

During the winter of 2017/2018, significantly low water temperatures were detected around the western and southern coasts of Korea (WSCK). In this period, sea surface temperature (SST) in the Korea Waters was about $2^{\circ}C$ lower than mean temperature. Using the real-time observation system, we analyzed the temporal variation of SST during this period around the western and southern coasts. Low water temperature usually manifested over a period of about 10 ~ 20 days. The daily Arctic oscillation index was also similarly detectable with the variation of SST. From the cross-correlation function, we compared two periodic variations, which were SST around the WSCK and the Arctic oscillation index. The cross correlation coefficients between both variations were approximately 0.3 ~ 0.4. The time lag of the two time series was about 6 to 7 days. Therefore, significantly low water temperatures during winter in the Korean coastal areas usually became detectable 6 to 7 days after the negative peak of Arctic oscillation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권10호
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• pp.1275-1283
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• 2022

Understanding soil microbial community structure in the Arctic is essential for predicting the impact of climate change on interactions between organisms living in polar environments. The hypothesis of the present study was that soil microbial communities and soil chemical characteristics would vary depending on their associated plant species and local environments in Arctic mature soils. We analyzed soil bacterial communities and soil chemical characteristics from soil without vegetation (bare soil) and rhizosphere soil of three Arctic plants (Cassiope tetragona [L.] D. Don, Dryas octopetala L. and Silene acaulis [L.] Jacq.) in different local environments (coal-mined site and seashore-adjacent site). We did not observe any clear differences in microbial community structure in samples belonging to different plant rhizospheres; however, samples from different environmental sites had distinct microbial community structure. The samples from coal-mined site had a relatively higher abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. On the other hand, Acidobacteria was more prevalent in seashore-adjacent samples. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria decreased toward higher soil pH, whereas that of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes was positively correlated with soil pH. Our results suggest that soil bacterial community dissimilarity can be driven by spatial heterogeneity in deglaciated mature soil. Furthermore, these results indicate that soil microbial composition and relative abundance are more affected by soil pH, an abiotic factor, than plant species, a biotic factor.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.461-476
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• 2015

Global warming has accelerated glacial retreat in the high Arctic. The exposed glacier foreland is an ideal place to study chronosequential changes in ecosystems. Although vegetation succession in the glacier forelands has been studied intensively, little is known about the microbial community structure in these environments. Therefore, this study focused on how glacial retreat influences the bacterial community structure and its relationship with soil properties. This study was conducted in the foreland of the Midtre Lovénbreen glacier in Svalbard (78.9°N). Seven soil samples of different ages were collected and analyzed for moisture content, pH, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents, and soil organic matter fractionation. In addition, the structure of the bacterial community was determined via pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA genes. The physical and chemical properties of soil varied significantly along the distance from the glacier; with increasing distance, more amounts of clay and soil organic carbon contents were observed. In addition, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were dominant in soil samples taken close to the glacier, whereas Acidobacteria were abundant further away from the glacier. Diversity indices indicated that the bacterial community changed from homogeneous to heterogeneous structure along the glacier chronosequence/distance from the glacier. Although the bacterial community structure differed on basis of the presence or absence of plants, the soil properties varied depending on soil age. These findings suggest that bacterial succession occurs over time in glacier forelands but on a timescale that is different from that of soil development.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.5.1-5.16
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• 2021

Background: Arctic-like (AL) lineages of rabies viruses (RABVs) remains endemic in some Arctic and Asia countries. However, their evolutionary dynamics are largely unappreciated. Objectives: We attempted to estimate the evolutionary history, geographic origin and spread of the Arctic-related RABVs. Methods: Full length or partial sequences of the N and G genes were used to infer the evolutionary aspects of AL RABVs by Bayesian evolutionary analysis. Results: The most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) of the current Arctic and AL RABVs emerged in the 1830s and evolved independently after diversification. Population demographic analysis indicated that the viruses experienced gradual growth followed by a sudden decrease in its population size from the mid-1980s to approximately 2000. Genetic flow patterns among the regions reveal a high geographic correlation in AL RABVs transmission. Discrete phylogeography suggests that the geographic origin of the AL RABVs was in east Russia in approximately the 1830s. The ancestral AL RABV then diversified and immigrated to the countries in Northeast Asia, while the viruses in South Asia were dispersed to the neighboring regions from India. The N and G genes of RABVs in both clades sustained high levels of purifying selection, and the positive selection sites were mainly found on the C-terminus of the G gene. Conclusions: The current AL RABVs circulating in South and North Asia evolved and dispersed independently.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.281-288
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• 2018

The transmission of solar light according to the distribution of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was measured in the Pacific Arctic Ocean. The Research Vessel Araon visited the ice-covered East Siberian and Chukchi Seas in August 2016. In the Arctic, solar [ultraviolet-A (UV-A), ultraviolet-B (UV-B), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)] radiation reaching the surface of the ocean is primarily protected by the distribution of sea ice. The transmission of solar light in the ocean is controlled by sea ice and dissolved organic matter, such as CDOM. The concentration of CDOM is the major factor controlling the penetration depth of UV radiation into the ocean. The relative CDOM concentration of surface sea water was higher in the East Siberian Sea than in the Chukchi Sea. Due to the distribution of CDOM, the penetration depth of solar light in the East Siberian Sea (UV-B, $9{\pm}2m$; UV-A, $13{\pm}2m$; PAR, $36{\pm}4m$) was lower than in the Chukchi Sea (UV-B, $15{\pm}3m$; UV-A, $22{\pm}3m$; PAR, $49{\pm}3m$). Accelerated global warming and the rapid decrease of sea ice in the Arctic have resulted in marine organisms being exposed to increased harmful UV radiation. With changes in sea ice covered areas and concentrations of dissolved organic matter in the Arctic Ocean, marine ecosystems that consist of a variety of species from primary producers to high-trophic-level organisms will be directly or indirectly affected by solar UV radiation.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.282-291
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• 2022

Background: The Arctic permafrost stores enormous amount of carbon (C), about one third of global C stocks. However, drastically increasing temperature in the Arctic makes the stable frozen C stock vulnerable to microbial decomposition. The released carbon dioxide from permafrost can cause accelerating C feedback to the atmosphere. Soil organic matter (SOM) composition would be the basic information to project the trajectory of C under rapidly changing climate. However, not many studies on SOM characterization have been done compared to quantification of SOM stocks. Thus, the purpose of our study is to determine soil properties and molecular compositions of SOM in four different Arctic regions. We collected soils in different soil layers from 1) Cambridge Bay, Canada, 2) Council, Alaska, USA, 3) Svalbard, Norway, and 4) Zackenberg, Greenland. The basic soil properties were measured, and the molecular composition of SOM was analyzed through pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS). Results: The Oi layer of soil in Council, Alaska showed the lowest soil pH and the highest electrical conductivity (EC) and SOM content. All soils in each site showed increasing pH and decreasing SOC and EC values with soil depth. Since the Council site was moist acidic tundra compared to other three dry tundra sites, soil properties were distinct from the others: high SOM and EC, and low pH. Through the py-GC/MS analysis, a total of 117 pyrolysis products were detected from 32 soil samples of four different Arctic soils. The first two-axis of the PCA explained 38% of sample variation. While short- and mid-hydrocarbons were associated with mineral layers, lignins and polysaccharides were linked to organic layers of Alaska and Cambridge Bay soil. Conclusions: We conclude that the py-GC/MS results separated soil samples mainly based on the origin of SOM (plants- or microbially-derived). This molecular characteristics of SOM can play a role of controlling SOM degradation to warming. Thus, it should be further investigated how the SOM molecular characteristics have impacts on SOM dynamics through additional laboratory incubation studies and microbial decomposition measurements in the field.