• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2007

Environment factors related to the distribution of organic matter in surface seawater and sediments were investigated to estimate main pollution sources and range of their influence in Gwangyang Bay. The main pollution sources for the factors that affect organic matter distribution could be divided into three main sources: fresh water runoffs from Seomjin and Dong River, Gwangyang-si domestic sewage, and Yosu Industrial Complex. Considering the characteristics in horizontal distributions of the environmental factors in water column, sediment, and water current regime, the influencing range of these main sources was likely to be divided into three areas within the bay as follows: Area I receiving lots of fresh water from Seomjin River, Area II receiving lots of domestic sewage from Gwangyang-si and fresh water of Dong River, Area III receiving lots of materials from Yosu Industrial Complex. Area I seems to be characterized as low salinity, high concentration of $NO_3-N,\;and\;SiO_2-Si$, Area II as low salinity, high concentration of $NO_3-N,\;NH_4-N,\;and\;SiO_2-Si$, and Area III as high water temperature, high concentration of $NH_4-N,\;and\;PO_4-P$ in water column, high concentration of $NH_4-N,\;PO_4-P,\;and\;SiO_2-Si$ in surface sediments.