• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.924-942
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• 2021

The expansion of the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) plume during summer is known to be a major factor influencing phytoplankton diversity, community structure, and the regional marine environment of the northern East China Sea (ECS). The discharge of the CDW plume was very high in the summer of 2020, and cruise surveys and stationary monitoring were conducted to understand the dynamics of changes in environmental characteristics and the impact on phytoplankton diversity and community structure. A cruise survey was conducted from August 16 to 17, 2020, using R/V Eardo, and a stay survey at the Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS) from August 15 to 21, 2020, to analyze phytoplankton diversity and community structure. The southwestern part of the survey area exhibited low salinity and high chlorophyll a fluorescence under the influence of the CDW plume, whereas the southeastern part of the survey area presented high salinity and low chlorophyll a fluorescence under the influence of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC). The total chlorophyll a concentrations of surface water samples from 12 sampling stations indicated that nano-phytoplankton (20-3 ㎛) and micro-phytoplankton (> 20 ㎛) were the dominant groups during the survey period. Only stations strongly influenced by the TWC presented approximately 50% of the biomass contributed by pico-phytoplankton (< 3 ㎛). The size distribution of phytoplankton in the surface water samples is related to nutrient supplies, and areas where high nutrient (nitrate) supplies were provided by the CDW plume displayed higher biomass contribution by micro-phytoplankton groups. A total of 45 genera of nano- and micro-phytoplankton groups were classified using morphological analysis. Among them, the dominant taxa were the diatoms Guinardia flaccida and Nitzschia spp. and the dinoflagellates Gonyaulax monacantha, Noctiluca scintillans, Gymnodinium spirale, Heterocapsa spp., Prorocentrum micans, and Tripos furca. The sampling stations affected by the TWC and low in nitrate concentrations presented high concentrations of photosynthetic pico-eukaryotes (PPE) and photosynthetic pico-prokaryotes (PPP). Most sampling stations had phosphate-limited conditions. Higher Synechococcus concentrations were enumerated for the sampling stations influenced by low-nutrient water of the TWC using flow cytometry. The NGS analysis revealed 29 clades of Synechococcus among PPP, and 11 clades displayed a dominance rate of 1% or more at least once in one sample. Clade II was the dominant group in the surface water, whereas various clades (Clades I, IV, etc.) were found to be the next dominant groups in the SCM layers. The Prochlorococcus group, belonging to the PPP, observed in the warm water region, presented a high-light-adapted ecotype and did not appear in the northern part of the survey region. PPE analysis resulted in 163 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), indicating very high diversity. Among them, 11 major taxa showed dominant OTUs with more than 5% in at least one sample, while Amphidinium testudo was the dominant taxon in the surface water in the low-salinity region affected by the CDW plume, and the chlorophyta was dominant in the SCM layer. In the warm water region affected by the TWC, various groups of haptophytes were dominant. Observations from the IORS also presented similar results to the cruise survey results for biomass, size distribution, and diversity of phytoplankton. The results revealed the various dynamic responses of phytoplankton influenced by the CDW plume. By comparing the results from the IORS and research cruise studies, the study confirmed that the IORS is an important observational station to monitor the dynamic impact of the CDW plume. In future research, it is necessary to establish an effective use of IORS in preparation for changes in the ECS summer environment and ecosystem due to climate change.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 2006

This study investigated the effect of artificially enhanced mesozooplankton on the phytoplankton dynamics during fall blooming period using a mesocosm in Jangmok bay located in the Southern Sea of Korea in 2001. The four bags with 2,500 liter seawater containment were directly filled with the ambient water. And then, abundances of mesozooplankton in two experimental bags were treated 6 times higher than those in control bags by towing with net($300{\mu}m$) through the ambient water. Phytoplankton community between control and experimental bags were not significantly different in terms of chlorophyll-a(chl-a) concentration and standing crop (one-way ANOVA, p>0.05) during the study period. Initial high standing crop and chl-a concentration of phytoplankton drastically decreased and remained low until the end of the experiment in all bags. Diatoms, accounting for most of the phytoplankton community, consisted of Skeletonema costatum, Pseudo-nitzschia seriata, Chaetoceros curvisetus, Ch. debilis, Cerataulina pelagica, Thalassiosira pacifica, Cylindrotheca closterium, and Leptocylindrus danicus. Noctiluca scintillans dominated the temporal variation of mesozooplankton abundances, which peaked on Day 10 in the control and experimental bags, while the next dominant copepods showed their peak on Day 7. Shortly after mesozooplankton addition, copepod abundance in the experimental bags was obviously higher than that in the control bags on Day 1, however, it became similar to that in the control bags during the remnant period. It was supported by the higher abundance and length of both ctenophores and hydromedusae in experimental bags relative to the control bags. However, the cascading trophic effect, commonly leading to re-increase of phytoplankton abundance, was not found in the experimental bags, indicating that copepods were not able to control the phytoplankton in the bags based on the low grazing rate of Acartia erythraea. Besides that, rapidly sunken diatoms in the absence of natural turbulence as well as N-limited condition likely contributed the no occurrence of re-increased phytoplankton in the experimental bags.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.101-112
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• 2007

In order to examine the short-term variations of phytoplankton and heterotrophic protozoa community structures with bloom events, water samples were collected every other day at one site in the coastal water off Incheon, Korea, from August 15-September 30, 2001. $Chlorophyll-{\alpha}$ concentrations varied widely from 1.8 to $19.3\;{\mu}g\;l^{-1}$ with the appearances of two major peaks of $Chlorophyll-{\alpha}$ concentration during the study period. Size-fractionated $Chlorophyll-{\alpha}$ concentration showed that net-size fraction ($>20\;{\mu}m$) comprised over 80% of total $Chlorophyll-{\alpha}$ during the first and second bloom periods, nano-size fraction ($3{\sim}20\;{\mu}m$) comprised average 42% during the pre- (before the first bloom) and post-bloom periods (after the second bloom), and pico- size fraction ($<3\;{\mu}m$) comprised over 50% during inter-bloom periods (i.e. between the first and second bloom periods). Dominant phytoplankton community was shifted from autotrophic nanoflagellates to diatom, diatom to picophytoplankton, picophytoplankton to diatom, and then diatom to autotrophic nanoflagellates, during the pre-, the first, the inter, the second, and the post-bloom periods, respectively. During the blooms, Chaetoceros pseudocrinitus and Eucampia zodiacus were dominant diatom species composed with more than 50% of total diatom. Carbon biomass of heterotrophic protozoa ranged from 8.2 to $117.8\;{\mu}gC\;l^{-1}$ and showed the highest biomass soon after the peak of the first and second blooms. The relative contribution of each group of the heterotrophic protozoa showed differences between the bloom period and other periods. Ciliates and HDF were dominant during the first and second bloom periods, with a contribution of more than 80% of the heterotrophic protozoan carbon biomass. Especially, different species of HDF, thecate and athecate HDF, were dominant during the first and the second bloom periods, respectively. Interestingly, Noctiluca scintillans appeared to be one of the key organisms to extinguish the first bloom. Therefore, our study suggests that heterotrophic protozoa could be a key player to control the phytoplankton community structure and biomass during the study period.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.51-59
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• 2002

The seasonal variation in species composition and abundance distribution of zooplankton was studied in the Seomjin river estuary along the salinity gradients. In this estuary, marine taxa predominated in all seasons and very limited number of freshwater species appeared. The total abundances showed a seasonal fluctuation. The highest total abundance appeared in spring with over 3,000 individuals/m$^3$. In summer, the high abundance was sustained although it decreased a little. The abundance was minimal in fall with about 500 individuals/m$^3$. When the study area was divided into three salinity regimes, oligohaline (salinity less than 5 psu), mesohaline (5${\sim}$18 psu), and polyhaline zone (over 18 psu), the zone of high abundance as well as the composition of zooplankton community in each salinity regime changed seasonally. In fall, marine copepods predominated in oligohaline zone while marine species other than crustaceans dominated in polyhaline zone. However, in winter copepods predominated in all area. In spring and summer, holozoic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans dominated in higher salinity regimes. We listed major copepod species of each salinity regime for each season with the ranges of water temperatures (T) and salinities (S) of their occurrence. T, S's of maximum abundances of those major copepod species were also reported. The observed very wide tolerance ranges of major copepod species for salinity suggested that the concept of 'indicator species' should be used in quantitative context rather than qualitative.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 1995

Field studies on the seasonal succesion of phytoplankton population were carried out at the 25 stations of the breeding ground in Kogum-sudo, Southern coast of Korean peninsula in Feburuary, April, August and October, 1993. Sixty four species belonging to 40 genera were identified. Predominant species were mainly centric diatoms throughout the four seasons, two centric diatoms, Skeletonema costatum and Thalassiosira sp. and a pennate diatom, Thaiassionema nitzschioides in the winter; two pennate diatoms, Thaiassionema nitzschioides and Asterionella kariana, and especially a dinoflagellate, Heterocapsa triquetra (station 10) in the spring, two centric diatoms, S. costatum and Chaetoceros diadema in the summer; and a centric diatom, Rhizosolenia alata and a pennate diatom, Bacillaria paxillifer in the fall. The main red tide organisms in the breeding ground were dinoflagellates, Prorocentrum dentatum, P. minimum, P. triestinum, Ceratium furro, Gymnodinium sanguineum, Noctiluca scintillans, H. triquetra, Scrippsiella trichoidea and a diatom S. costatum in the Kogum Sudo. Seasonal phytoplankton cell numbers were in a wide range between $8.8\times10^3$ cells/l and 1.4\times10^6$ cells/l; The seasonal average cell numbers were $12.2\times10^4\pm5.9\times10^4$ cells/l $(mean\;\pm\;standard\; diviation)$ in the winter, $3.3\times10^4\pm1.4\times10^4$ cells/l in the spring, $48.4X10^4\pm40.0\pm10^4$ cells/l in the summer, and $3.6\times10^4\pm1.9\times10^4$ cells/l in the fall, respectively.