• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.553-568
• /
• 2018

Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) plays a dominant role in absorbing UV-VIS light and is also important in the biogeochemical carbon cycle due to the production of carbon dioxide from photo-oxidation at the sea surface in marine environments. Since absorption by CDOM was recently found to be responsible for increasing the energy absorbed in the mixed layer by 40 % over pure seawater, the importance of CDOM absorption in seawater for increasing sea surface temperature has come to be well recognized. We measured aCDOM and the absorption characteristics of CDOM during spring 2012 and 2014 in the southwestern East Sea. Distribution of CDOM in spring 2012 and 2014 was compared and S value was used to find the source of CDOM in the study area. As a result, the average $a_{CDOM}$ was $0.237m^{-1}$ ($0.009{\sim}0.988m^{-1}$) and the average S value was $16{\mu}m^{-1}$,which shows coastal properties. Also a positive correlation between Chl a and CDOM was observed ($r^2=0.34$), with an especially strong correlation near coastal stations. aCDOM in 2014 was about 40 % higher than aCDOM in 2012 during spring in the study area. This difference in aCDOM concentration resulted not only from annual variation but also from stratification and photobleaching in late spring 2012. This observation implies the possibility of flux of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a result of photo-oxidation in the East Sea.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
• /
• v.32 no.1_2
• /
• pp.30-40
• /
• 2018

In response to the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gases, the Arctic temperature is increasing rapidly by 2-3 times other regions. This larger Arctic warming than lower latitudes is called 'Arctic Amplification'(Overland et al., 2017; Goose et al., 2018). Associated with the Arctic Amplification, the Arctic sea ice is declining rapidly and Greenland ice sheet is melting rapidly, especially around the coastal margins (State of Climate, 2018). However, Antarctic climate change appears to be different from the Arctic. In the western part of Antarctica, surface temperature is rising rapidly with large sea and land ice melting, but in the eastern part, there is little temperature change with slight increase in sea ice extent. The contrasting east-west temperature response is illustrated by the deepening of the Amundsen Sea Low whose upstream brings warm maritime air to the Antarctic peninsula and Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas, but downstream air provides cold air to the Ross Sea, increasing sea ice. Besides, the increase in Southern Annular Mode (SAM) phase due to stratospheric ozone reduction enhances westerly winds, pushing sea ice northward by Ekman divergence and cooling east Antarctica. In this study, we review the recent Antarctic climate change and its possible causes.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.257-262
• /
• 2012

This study was conducted to verify the performance of the solar water circulation apparatus that was installed in a semi-closed sea area of Tongyeong to improve the water quality through removing thermocline and oxygen depleted water mass, and to prevent the occurrence of red tides caused by eutrophication. From 8 weeks of experiments, we found that the thermocline in the semi-closed sea area has been removed gradually after installation of the apparatus. The initial temperature of surface and bottom was $27.9^{\circ}C$ and $23.8^{\circ}C$, respectively and it was changed to $22.1^{\circ}C$ in both depth. In case of DO concentration, there was a big gap between surface (5.49 mg/L) and bottom (2.61 mg/L) and was an oxygen depleted water mass in the bottom area at initial. However DO concentration in bottom layer has increased gradually after operation (6.19 mg/L) and the oxygen depleted water mass has removed. Due to the effects of seasonal variation and the operation of the solar water circulation apparatus for 8 weeks, COD concentration decreased from 5.61 mg/L to 2.36 mg/L in surface area, and from 6.08 mg/L to 1.73 mg/L in bottom area. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentration also decreased from 0.135 mg/L to 0.050 mg/L in surface area, and from 0.076 mg/L to 0.051 mg/L in bottom area. This research was conducted from July to September, and it might be possible that the variation of water quality was affected by both seasonal variation and the operation of the water circulation apparatus. Hence a further research is required to verify the performance of the water circulation apparatus itself and to monitor dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations as well as Chl-a.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.647-658
• /
• 2018

The aim of this study is to investigate the seasonal changes of phytoplankton communities based on the environmental changes in a dense oyster farming area (Hansan-Geoje Island) from June to December 2016. The water temperature varied from $14^{\circ}C$ to $28.8^{\circ}C$ and its salinity ranged from 29.4 to 34.2 psu. Nitrate+nitrite was kept at c.a. $3.0{\mu}M$ on the surface layer from June to July, below the concentration limit in August and early September, and then gradually increased from late September. Ammonia was high on July 20 and August 10, and its seasonal characteristics were not clear. Phosphate ranged from 0.01 to $0.7{\mu}M$ on the surface layer, and its seasonal changes were similar to those of nitrate+nitrite. Mean silicate concentrations were $10.7{\mu}M$ on the surface and $15.7{\mu}M$ in the bottom layer, and it was not acted as a limiting factor for the growth of phytoplankton. Among the phytoplankton community, Bacillariophyceae, Dinophyceae and Cryptophyceae was 61.2%, 22.5%, and 13.6%, respectively. In late June, dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense was dominant in the outer waters(St. T1), later on, Cryptomonas spp. and Chaetoceros spp. were dominant, respectively. From late September to October, diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Chaetoceros spp. were stimulated under non-stratified condition after the typhoon. In December, A. sanguinea was found to be $1.7{\times}10^5cells\;L^{-1}$. Seasonally, relative high phytoplankton biomass may be favorable to maintain high production of filter feeder oyster in the dense oyster farming areas of Hansan and Geoje Island.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.35 no.1 s.97
• /
• pp.10-20
• /
• 2002

Changes of seasonal and vertical water quality was analyzed with physico-chemical data from Soyang and Paldang river-reservoir system in Korea during the 1996 to 1998. In Soyang river-reservoir system, the water column was well stratified, which narrow epilimnion layer of 5 to 10 m depth in spring to summer enlarged gradually about 40 m depth in fall as going to times. In contrast, metalimnion layer tended to be narrow during the same period. Water temperature of hypolimnion was maintained about $5^{\circ}C$ continuously throughout the year. DO of the epilimnion layer was supersaturated from spring to summer, however, it was decreased to 75% at the epilimnion layer and $45{\sim}50%$ at the hypolimnion layer at the late fall. The lowest conductivity of below $50\;{\mu}S/cm$ was observed at the metalimnion layer during thesummer to fall. In Paldang river-reservoir system, the water column wag well mixed layer throughout the year, although water temperature was changed seasonally from $5^{\circ}C$ in February to $28^{\circ}C$ in July. Water temperature between upper and lower layer was different about $5^{\circ}C$ from late spring (May) to early fall (September). DO was over and less saturated in upper and lower layer during the early summer to early fall, respectively. Conductivity was decreased to $90\;{\mu}S/cm$ in lower layer of below $4{\sim}5\;m$ depth during the late spring to early fall and that of upper layer of above 10 m depth decreased to about $100\;{\mu}S/cm$ during the late fall (November) and early spring (March). Retention time of Soyang river-reservoir system was much longer than that of Paldang river-reservoir system. Chlorophyll a, T-N and T-P concentration in Paldang river-reservoir system were higher than that of Soyang river-reservoir system by a factor of 2.7, 1.2 and 2.6, respectively. Algal blooming was deeply affected by the nutrients than the retention time.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.100-110
• /
• 2005

We carried oui a study on the marine environment and distribution of phytoplankton community, such as chlorophyll a, species composition, dominant species and standing crops in the Northern East China Sea during early summer of 2004. According to the analysis of a T-S diagram, three characteristics of water masses were identified. We classified them into the coastal water mass, the cold water mass and the oceanic water mass. The first was characterized by the low temperature and the low salinity originated from China territory, the secondary was characterized by the low temperature, the low salinity and the high density originated from bottom cold water of Yellow Sea, and the third was done by the high temperature and salinity originated from Tsushima warm current. The internal discontinuous layer among them was farmed at the intermediate depth (about $5{\sim}30m$ layer). And the thermal front by upwelling region between the cold water mass and Tsushima warm current appeared in the central parts of the South Sea of Korea. The Phytoplankton community in the surface and stratified layers was a total of 44 species belonging to 26 genera. Dominant species were Prorocentrum triestinum, Scrippsiella trochoidea, Skeletonema costatum & Leptocylindrus mediterraneus. Standing crops of phytoplankton in the surface layer fluctuated between $0.3{\times}10^3$ cells/L and $10.8{\times}10^3$ cells/L. Diatoms appeared mainly in the Tsushima warm current regions, and flagellates occurred in the frontal zone and the low salinity regions where was the transfer areas of Chinese continental coastal waters. Chlorophyll a concentration by controlled phytoflagellate ratio in the South Sea of Korea was high values in the frontal zone and sub-surface layer. It was high concentration in the upwelling and coastal waters regions, but low concentration in the Tsushima warm current regions. The Chl-a maximum layers appeared in the thermochline depth or sub-surface layer lower than thermocline. The phytoplankton production in the South Sea of Korea was controlled by the expanded coastal waters of Chinese Continent which include a high concentrations of nutrients.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.71-81
• /
• 2014

A survey was carried out to understand the influence of hydrology on the composition, abundance and adaptive strategies of phytoplankton in artificial Lake Hwaseong, an estuarine reservoir with seawater exchange through a sluice. Samples were collected seven times from May to October 2012. Hydrological events (seawater exchange, rainfall) resulted in a wide variation in salinity along with nutrients and turbidity. Shifts in the dominant phytoplankton composition occurred on every survey. Chlorophyll-a ranged from 9.7 to $104.1{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$. Multivariate analysis allowed us to identify the four phases on phytoplankton community change. Phase I (May~June) was characterized by small-sized Gymnodinium sp. and Heterosigma akashiwo dominated in warm temperature and high salinity derived from seawater exchange, and followed by Cylindrotheca closterium blooms due to rainfall and winds during phase II (July and September). During phase III (August), the dominance of Oscillatoria spp. was correlated with high temperature and low salinity. Abundant cryptomonads were associated with lower temperature during phase IV (October). Adaptive strategies were identified in the phytoplankton as morphological and physiological characteristics. These strategies identified small-sized flagellates as CR-strategists, fast-growing opportunistic species, which might favor the weak stratification of lake due to the seawater exchange during phase I and IV. Dominant species during phase II and III were characterized with R-strategists, medium-sized stress-tolerant species, which might favor turbulence by river flow. The results indicate that stronger stratification following the termination of seawater exchange for the freshening might intensify the predominance of smaller flagellates. In conclusion, this study suggests that hydrology may drive phytoplankton community change and blooms through the controls of salinity, turbulence and nutrients.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.38 no.4 s.114
• /
• pp.461-474
• /
• 2005

Physicochemical parameters, plankton community structure, and sediment were surveyed from 1988 to 2002, at two months interval, in a eutrophic coastal lagoon (Lake Songji, Korea). The lake basin is separated from the sea by a narrow sand dune, and a shallow sill divides the lake basin into two sub-basins. The stable stratifications and chemoclines are maintained all through the year at 1-2 m depth. DO was often very low (<1 $mgO_2\;{\cdot}\;L^{-1}$) in the monimolimnion. Secchi disc transparency was in the range of 0.5-2.7 m. TP, TN, and Chl. a concentration in the mixolimnion were 0.015-0.396 $mgP\;{\cdot}\;L^{-1}$), 0.223-3.521 $mgN\;{\cdot}\;L^{-1}$, and 0.5-129.8 mg ${\cdot}\;m^{-3}$, respectively. TSI was in the eutrophic range of 54 to 62. Sediment was composed of silt and coarse silt. COD, TP, and TN content of the sediment were 51.4-116.9 $mgO_2\;{\cdot}\;gdw^{-1}$, 0.04-1.46 $mgP\;{\cdot}\;gdw^{-1}$ and, 0.12-1.03 $mgN\;{\cdot}\;gdw^{-1}$, respectively. The 49 phytoplankton species were identified. The maximum phytoplankton abundance obscured the lake in September 2001 (max. density: 23,350 cells ${\cdot}\;mL^{-1}$. The Chlorophyte Schroederia judayi was dominant species in summer (max. density: 20,417 cells ${\cdot}\;mL^{-1}$). The lake showed unique limnological features of a brackish lagoon in respect to biological community, chemical characteristics, and physical phenomena.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.62-69
• /
• 2017

In order to assess the potential environmental factors in the vicinity of a fish cage farm, we investigated the biotic and abiotic factors during a short-term period in summer 2016 in two inner stations of Tongyeong Obi. High water temperature on August 10^th was apparent among the full depth of up to 29℃, which might have been related to the abnormally high temperatures of large amounts of the Changjiang River discharge along the Tongyeong coast. The concentration of nitrate+nitrite, ammonium, phosphate, and silicate ranged from 0.08 to 5.11 μM, 0.08 to 34.62 μM, 0.01 to 1.15 μM, and 1.46 to 31.79 μM, respectively. The nutrients were mainly supplied by precipitation and leaching from the bottom sediments in the fish culture farm area. It was not retained for a long duration because of the phytoplankton consumption and diffusion by water currents. The chlorophyll a concentration varied from 0.49 ㎍ l^-1 to 7.39 ㎍ l^-1. At that time, Chaetoceros debilis, C. pseudocurvisetus, and Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima were rapidly proliferated and reached the level of 4.74 × 10⁹ cells l^-1. In particular, the lowest dissolved oxygen was recorded at 4.52 ㎍ l^-1 at the bottom layer after bloom. Therefore, even though phytoplankton blooms in summer have frequently occurred in a fish culture farm area, the oxygen-deficient environments were not found in neither the surface nor bottom layers, which implied that the water masses might be well exchanged from the mouth of the northwest and southeast between Obi and Mireuk Island in the study area.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.33 no.3 s.91
• /
• pp.213-221
• /
• 2000

Seasonal oxygen content and deficit rates were evaluated from 17 sites of Taechung Reservoir during 1993${\sim}$1994. In 1993, river inflows peaked during the monsoon in July${\sim}$August and disrupted thermal stratification and anoxic layers in the headwaters, thereby confining the anoxia to the mid-lake and downlake reach. The volume of anoxic water with < 4 mg/l DO comprised only < 10% of the total lake volume in this period. In contrast, during monsoon 1994, 85% of total lake volume was subject to hypoxic conditions with oxygen concentrations < 30% saturation, resulting in massive fishkills (Hypomesus olidus). Relative areal oxygen deficit (RAOD) was -0.024mg O$_{2}$cm$^{-2}$d$^{-1}$ during monsoon 1993, whereas it rapidly decreased at the rate of 0.080mg O$_{2}$cm$^{-2}$d$^{-1}$ during monsoon 1994. Anoxic factor (AF) showed a same interannual pattern as the RAOD and was greater >50 d in 1994 (76.5 d) than 1993 (21.3 d). Thus, the reservoir showed a river-characteristics (6${\sim}$11 mg/l DO) in 1993 while lacustrine conditions (<4mg/l DO) dominated in 1994. Regression analysis showed that the variation of summer DO was mostly determined (R$^{2}$=0.99, p<0.0001) by inflow. These findings suggest that the primary factor regulating the oxygen content in this system during summer is an intensity of the monsoon rain.