• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.178-184
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• 1998

To elucidate contamination levels and distribution of methyl mercury (Me-Hg) in Korean coastal areas, 126 sediment samples were collected from Kyeonggi Bay, Namyang Bay, Chinhae Bay, and Lake Shihwa during 1995-1996, and the Me-Hg concentrations were determined by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVAFS). Contamination levels of Me-Hg in sediments from Kyeonggi Bay, Namyang Bay, Chinhae Bay, and Lake Shihwa were 274 ${\pm}$ 990, 108 ${\pm}$ 24, 294 ${\pm}$ 342, and 1080 ${\pm}$ 760 pg/g, respectively. Concentrations of Me-Hg in sediments were significantly correlated with total organic carbon and sulfur contents, but were independent of mud contents and mean grain size. The highest concentration of Me-Hg (7100 pg/g) was observed at Incheon North Harbor (Site Kl9) in Kyeonggi Bay. This Me-Hg concentration was one or two orders of magnitude higher than those in other Kyeonggi Bay sediments were. The average concentration of Me-Hg in sediments from Lake Shihwa was higher than in those from other study areas. The three peaks of Me-Hg concentrations were observed on three sites (55, 56,and 510) in Lake Shihwa and gradually decreased in distance-dependent manner around these sites. High concentrations of Me-Hg at surface and 10-cm sediment depth in Chinhae Bay maybe due to higher rates of methylation process by active sulfate-reducing bacteria or higher concentrations of total mercury available to sulfate-reducing bacteria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.58-68
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• 2012

An investigation was conducted on the enhancement of production and purification of an oxidant and SDS-stable alkaline protease (BHAP) secreted by an alkalophilic Bacillus horikoshii, which was screened from the body fluid of a unique Korean polychaeta (Periserrula leucophryna) living in the tidal mud flats of Kwangwha Island in the Korean West Sea. A prominent effect on BHAP production was obtained by adding 2% maltose, 1% sodium citrate, 0.8% NaCl, and 0.6% sodium carbonate to the culturing medium. The optimal medium for BHAP production contained (g/l) SBM, 15; casein, 10; $K_2HPO_4$, 2; $KH_2PO_4$, 2; maltose, 20; sodium citrate, 10; $MgSO_4$, 0.06; NaCl, 8; and $Na_2CO_3$, 6. A protease yield of approximately 56,000 U/ml was achieved using the optimized medium, which is an increase of approximately 5.5-fold compared with the previous optimization (10,050 U/ml). The BHAP was homogenously purified 34-fold with an overall recovery of 34% and a specific activity of 223,090 U/mg protein using adsorption with Diaion HPA75, hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) on Phenyl-Sepharose, and ion-exchange chromatography on a DEAE- and CM-Sepharose column. The purified BHAP was determined a homogeneous by SDS-PAGE, with an apparent molecular mass of 28 kDa, and it showed extreme stability towards organic solvents, SDS, and oxidizing agents. The $K_m$ and $k_{cat}$ values were 78.7 ${\mu}M$ and $217.4s^{-1}$ for N-succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA at $37^{\circ}C$ and pH 9, respectively. The inhibition profile exhibited by PMSF suggested that the protease from B. horikoshii belongs to the family of serine proteases. The BHAP, which showed high stability against SDS and $H_2O_2$, has significance for industrial application, such as additives in detergent and feed industries.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to quantify the settling velocities of cohesive sediments from Han estuary and to evaluate their local variation within Han estuary. This study also includes an estimation of their spatial variation, for which the settling velocities of cohesive sediments from Han estuary arecompared with those for sediments from other regions. At the same time, physical-chemical properties, such as grain size distribution, the percentage of organic contents, mineralogical composition etc are measured in this study in order to examine their correlation with settling velocities and their effect on settling velocities. Results from settling tests shaw that the settling velocities of Han estuary mud varies in the range of two orders of magnitude(from 0.01 to 1.5 mm/sec) over the corresponding concentration range of 0.1 to 80 g/L, and a feature of the settling velocity profile is quite different in quantity as compared to those of previous studies for muds from other regions. Particularly in the flocculated settling region, the settling velocity for Han estuary muds is shown to be larger than that of Saemankeum and Keum estuary sediments, while in the hindered settling region all three sediments are shown to have a similar settling velocity. However, local variability of the settling velocities within Han estuary is shown to be insignificant.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.320-332
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• 1999

Investigations were made on the community structure of macrobenthos in the subtidal soft bottom around semi-enclosed Youngsan River estuarine bay, southwest coast of Korea during the period from April 1995 to February 1996. Three macrobenthos samples were collected at 40 stations using a van Veen grab(0.1 m^2) during the study period. A total of 206 species of macrobenthos was identified. Their mean density and biomass (wet-weight, wwt) were $1,137 ind./m^2$ and $65.28 gwwt/m^2$, respectively. Of these, there were 74 species of polychaetes ($36\%$), 60 molluscs ($39\%$), 51 crustaceans ($25\%$) and 21 miscellaneous taxa. Molluscs were represented as a density- and biomass-dominant faunal group with a mean density of $601 ind./m^2$($53\%$ of the total benthic animals) and biomass of $25.37 gwwt/m^2$($39\%$ of total biomass): It was followed by polychaetes with $405 ind./m^2$($40\%$ of the total density). Total number of species and diversity were Bow in the inner estuarine bay containing high mud content and organic matter, whereas they were high in the outer stations containing low mud content and organic matter. Major dominant species were one biralve, Theora fragilis and three Polychaetes, Tharyx sp., Poeciloceatus johnonni and Lumbrineris lontifolia whose mean densities were $490ind./m^2$, $96ind./m^2$, $74ind./m^2$and $52 ind./m^2$, respectively. Cluster analysis indicated that the study area could be divided into four station groups: two innermost station groups, a central bay and an outer station group. The species diversity increased from the inner station group toward the outer groups. These results were discussed in terms of both the environmental factors and distribution of benthic community.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.346-360
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• 2003

In order to investigate the geochemical characteristics of surface sediments in streams of Gwangju City, sediment samples from the main stream of Yeongsan river, Hwangryong river, and Gwangjucheon in the city were collected and analyzed for grain size and metal and organic carbon contents. The sediment types of the streams widely vary from pebble to mud. The metal contents in the sediments from Yeongsan river and Hwangryong river are mainly dependent on the grain size of the sediments and the geology around the streams, while the sediments in Gwangiucheon are controlled by organic matter contents from the domestic sewage. The enrichment factor (Ef) and index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) representing the degree of metal contamination in the sediments are relatively low in the mainstream of Yeongsan river and Hwangryong river. However, those of Gwangjucheon show EF values of P=8.30, Cu=5.54, Zn=14.28 and Pb=7.41 and Igeo values of P=3.78, Cu=2.79, Zn=3.66 and Pb=1.59. The heavy metal contamination is especially significant near the area where the Seobangcheon and Donggyecheon branches of Gwanjucheon, join. Therefore, it is suggested that the metallic contaminations of these small streams are significantly influenced by the domestic sewage of the city.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.233-247
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• 2020

This study was carried out at 5 sites 11 times over two years to identify the variation of benthic environments and benthic polychaetous community and analyze the benthic healthiness in Dangdong Bay, a small semi-enclosed inner bay of Jinhae Bay. The temperature of bottom water showed the typical temporal fluctuation of a temperate zone and was in the range of 5.94 ~ 23.94℃. The salinity did not change significantly during the study period and was in the range of 32.93 ~ 35.72 psu. The concentration of dissolved oxygen of bottom water fluctuated a great deal and was in the range of 0.31 ~ 10.20 mg/L. The lowest DO value was recorded in July 2015, as 0.31±0.04 mg/L corresponding to the hypoxic water mass. The hypoxic water mass was formed continuously at some sites also in July and August 2016. The mean grain size was in the range of 7.57 ~ 9.81Ø and the average was 8.89±0.20Ø. The surface sediments were mainly composed of fine sediment (mud) above 85%. The mean of TOC was 3.09±0.22% and LOI was 13.30±0.47%, showing very high levels in Korean coastal waters. The concentration of AVS was in the range of 0.33 ~ 1.28 mgS/g-dry. The high values of organic contents and AVS indicated that there had been the serious organic enrichment in Dangdong Bay. The number of species and the density of the benthic polychaetous community in Dangdong Bay were in the range of 2 ~ 38 species and 2 ~ 2,185 ind./㎡ during the study period. The number of species and density were highly sustained in winter and spring, and then decreased gradually with the formation of a hypoxic water mass in summer, and the lowest number of species and density were recorded in autumn. In September and November 2015, the dead zone expanded to almost the whole study area. Dominant polychaetous species were Capitella capitata, Lumbrineris longifolia, Paraprionospio patiens and Sigambra tentaculata, each known as opportunistic species and potential organic pollutant indicator species. In particular, Paraprionospio patiens showed a very high population density of 2,019 ind./㎡ in December 2016. Polychaetous communities at each sampling time were classified into 4 temporal groups according to dominant species in each period by cluster analysis and nMDS. 'Period Group AI' was formed in winter and spring of 2015, dominated by Capitella capitata, 'Period AII' in summer dominated by Lumbrineris longifolia, 'Period B' in autumn with no fauna in the dead zone, and particularly 'Period C' in winter of 2016 dominated by Paraprionospio patiens. As a result of analysis of benthic healthiness, the study area was estimated to be in a Fair~Very Poor condition by AMBI and in a Poor~Very Poor condition by BPI during the study period. Both AMBI and BPI showed that the study area was in a Very Poor condition in September and November 2015, and when the dead zone occurred. In Dongdong Bay, the fact that the formation of a hypoxic water mass occurred in summer and a dead zone in autumn were confirmed. In addition, the dominance of opportunistic and organic pollutant indicator species was also observed clearly. The benthic healthiness indexes such as AMBI and BPI showed that organic enrichment was serious in Dangdong Bay.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.9-21
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• 2002

In Korea, many open-air upper palaeolithic sites are located at the river valley, particularly exposed in gently rotting terrain along the river course. They are situated at an altitude less trail 30 m above present river bottom, and covered with the blankets of slope deposits of several meters in thickness. The purpose of this research is to eluridate depositional and vegetational environment of the alluvial upper palaeolithic Jangheung-ri sites on the basis of analytical properties of grain size population, chronology, palynology, soil chemistry and clay mineralogy and magnetic susceptibility of the Jangheung-ri Quaternary formations. The lithostratograpy of Jangheung-ri sit is subdivided into 3 layers based on the depositional sequence and radiocarbon ages. From bottom to top, they are composed of slope deposits with lower paleosol layers, young fluvial sand and gravel with backswamp organic muds, and upper paleosol layers. The upper paleosol was formed under rather dry climatic condition between each flooding period. Dessication cracks were prevalent in the soil solum which was filled with secondarily minuted fragments due to pedogenetic process. The soil structure shows typical braided-typed cracks in the root part of cracking texture, and more diversified pattern of crackings downward. The young fluvial sand gravel were formed by rather perennial streams after LGM. The main part of organic muds was particularly formed after 15Ka. Local backswamp were flourished with organic muds and graded suspension materials in the flooding muds were intermittently accumulated in the organic muds until ca. 11Ka. This episode was associated with migration of Nam River toward present course. Organic muds were formed in backswamp or local pond. Abies/Picea-Betula with Ranunculaceae, Compositae, Cyperaceae were prevalent. This period is characterized with B$\Phi$lling, Older Dryas, Allerod, and Younger Dryas (MIS-1). Stone artefacts were found in the lower paleosol layers formed as old as 18Ka-22Ka. Based on the artefacts and landscape settings of the Jangheung-ri site, it is presumed that settlement grounds of old people were buried by frequent floodings of old Nam River, the river-beds of which were heavily fluctuated laterally and river-bed erosions were activated from south to north in Jangheung-ri site until the terminal of LGM9ca 17Ka).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.23-33
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: The golden apple snail(GAS, Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck) is an invasive freshwater snail. It has occurred 34 years since the introduction of the GAS to the Korea. The GASs have been used recently for weed control in wet rice cultivation. The GASs'adaptability to the environment of GAS has been improved and the GASs devour the young stage of the crops as well as weeds. METHODS AND RESULTS: We surveyed the survival area of the snails throughout the country during the winter seasons from 2000 to 2017 and crop damage due to GASs in 2017. Local maximum, minimum, and average air temperatures were monitored daily. The surveyed regions for the survival of the GASs in winters were Gangjin, Goheung, Shinan, Haenam, Gimhae, Haman, Busan, Jeju, and Seogwipo. The survival durations at low temperatures were 12 hours at $-5^{\circ}C$, 1 day at $-3^{\circ}C$, 2 days at $-1^{\circ}C$, 10 days at $0^{\circ}C$, and over 30 days at $3^{\circ}C$. The eggs of GASs were not able to overwinter. The overwintering condition of the GAS needed a water depth of 10-20 cm with well formed mud. Crop damages caused by the overwintering GASs occurred in rice and water dropwort. CONCLUSION: The overwintering GAS was first identified in Haenam, South Korea 2000 after introduction of the GAS. The overwintering area of GAS expanded to the mid-southern parts of Korea. We propose that it has not yet become a pest to rice or any other crop.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.102-115
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• 2014

The stamped earth method is a typical ancient engineering technique which consists of in-filling wooden frame with layers of stamped earth or sand. This method has been universally used to construct earthen walls and buildings, etc. The purpose of this article is to understand the construction method and principles of the stamped earthen wall through analysis of various construction techniques of Pungnaptoseong Fortress(Earthen Fortification in Pungnap-dong). First of all, the ground was leveled and the foundations for the construction of the earthen wall were laid. The underground foundation of the earthen walls was usually constructed by digging into the ground and then in-filling this space with layers of mud clay. Occasionally wooden posts or paving stones which may have been used to reinforce the soft ground were driven in. The method of adding layers of stamped earth at an oblique angle to either side of a central wall is the most characteristic feature of Pungnaptoseong Fortress. Even though the traces of fixing posts, boards, and the hardening of earth - all signatures of the stamped earth technique - have not been identified, evidence of a wooden frame has been found. It has also been observed that this section was constructed by including layers of mud clay and organic remains such as leaves and twigs in order to strengthen the adhesiveness of the structures. The outer part of the central wall was constructed by the anti-slope stamped earth technique to protect central wall. In addition a final layer of paved stones was added to the upper part of the wall. These stone layers and the stone wall were constructed in order to prevent the loss of the earthen wall and to discharge and drain water. Meanwhile, the technique of cementing with fire was used to control damp and remove water in stamped earth. It can not be said at present that the stamped earth method has been confirmed as the typical construction method of Korean ancient earthen walls. If we make a comparative study of the evidence of the stamped earth technique at Pungnaptoseong Fortress with other archeological sites, progress will be made in the investigation of the construction method and principles of stamped earthen wall.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.429-442
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• 2002

The faunal assembalges of macrobenthos and their habitat conditions on the soft-bottoms around Dokdo(Dok Island) was investigated using a box corer and a van Veen grab in Sept. 1999 and May 2000. The sediments in the slope sites were composed of sand particles and those in Ullneung Basin were mud. The sediments in the shelf sites were in the range of fine to medium sand. The organic content of the slope sediments was in the range of 1 to 2%. The macrobenthos occurred at the slope sites represented by 15faunal groups belonging to 8 phyla, and the major faunal group was polychaetous annelids. They comprised ca. 80.6% in slope sites, and 84.8% in shelf sites. Dominant species in the slope were Exogone verugera(40.9%), Cossura longocirrata (8.4%), Tharyx sp. (6.6%), Scalibregma inflatum (4.9%), Aedicira sp. (4.7%), Aricidea ramosa (3.8%), and Sigambra tentaculata (3.7%). Dominant species in the shelf were Chone sp. (49.3%), Tharyx sp. (18.4%), Ophelina acuminata (6.7%), Chaetozone setosa (3.8%), Glycera sp. (2.6%), and Aedicira sp. (2.4%). The mean densities of macrobenthos in the slope and shelf area were $2,028\;ind./m^2$ and $456\;ind./m^2$, respectively. The trophic composition of benthic polychaete worms in the slope area was different from that in shallow shelf area: surface deposit feeding worms were most abundant in slope area whereas filter feeding worms in shelf area. According to the cluster analysis and MDS plots, the spatial distribution of macrobenthos in Dokdo slope region was related with the sediment properties such as particle size and organic content. In the case of vertical distribution of macrobenthos in slope sites, most faunas concentrated in the upper sediment layer within 2cm depth.