• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.171-184
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• 2016

In order to assess the level of contamination and identify the priority contaminants in the Busan coast, intensive sediment sampling was conducted and persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals were analyzed. The Sediment Quality Index (SQI) was derived based on the contaminant data by comparing with Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) established in Korea, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand. Toxic contaminants were found to be widely distributed across the coast. Among organic contaminants, PAHs showed the highest concentration, followed by butyltins, nonylphenols, PBDEs, DDTs, PCBs, HCHs and CHLs. Heavy metals were also abundantly detected with the highest concentration of Zn followed by Cu > Cr > Pb > Ni > As > Cd > Hg. Compared to organic contaminants, most heavy metals, except for Cu and Hg, were homogeneously distributed along the coast in a good relationship with total organic carbon of sediment particles. In general, the concentrations of organic compounds and heavy metals were highest at the inner part of harbor areas with a tendency to decline from inside areas to the outside, indicating the high loading of pollutants from harbors. A high exceedance for low-SQGs and high-SQGs was found for TBT, p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, Cu and Zn. The SQI scores calculated from low-SQGs and high-SQGs were in the range of 18-100 and 54-100, respectively. The inner part of Busan Harbor, Dadaepo Harbor, and Gamcheon Harbor were observed as being regions of concern. Overall, TBT, Cu, and p,p'-DDT were the chemicals most frequently exceeding SQGs and influencing SQI scores.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.180-188
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• 2002

Sand dollar, Astriclypeus manni (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) is widely distributed on subtidal sand flats all along the coast of Cheju Island. Limited information has been reported on their ecology despite their abundance. This study reports gut contents, density and locomotion of the sand dollars distributed on a subtidal sand flat on the north-east coast of Cheju Island. Microscopic examination of the gut contents indicated that A. manni feeds on inorganic and organic detritus as well as live organisms contained in the sediments. Inorganic particles included sand grains, sponge spicules and shells of benthic animals such as foraminifera, crustacean and molluscs. Mean diameter of sediment particles retained in the gut was $77.6\pm{22.2}\mu{m}$. Live organisms retained in the gut included foraminifera, harpacticoid copepods, nematodes, diatoms and unidentified egg. Spatial distribution pattern of the sand dollar was found to be random with a mean density of 0.4 individual $m^{-2}(\chi^2=85.16,\;p>0.05)$. Locomotion speed of the sand dollar measured in situ was 2.0 to 65.0 cm $hr^{-1}$. Locomotion speed and moving distance was somewhat higher in summer when food availability also higher.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.723-730
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• 2016

Domestic Manila clam production has been reduced due to coastline changes and environmental degradation, but aquaculture industry is facing difficulties caused by an increase in imports. It is important to recognize the integral habitat environment in order to do sustainable aquaculture. The habitat environment of Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) is closely related to the productivity of aquaculture farms. This study investigated 3 indexes, survival (sediment type, hydrodynamic), growth (Chlorophyll a, DIN, DIP) and environment (water temperature, dissolved oxygen, sediment chemical oxygen demand, ignition loss) as indicators of habitat characteristics for a tidal flat farm in Geunso Bay (Pado and Beopsan) from June 2015 to May 2016. As a result, Pado (maximums.; sand 48.76 %, hydrodynamic 10.59 cm/s, Chlorophyll a 12.70 ug/L, exposure time 3 hours, DO 18.65 mg/L) had a higher sand content, faster current speed, more abundant nutrients and DO, providing more favorable conditions for Manila clams than Beopsan (maximums.; sand 37.40 %, hydrodynamic 6.02 cm/s, Chlorophyll a 6.41 ug/L, exposure time 7 hour, DO 14.81 mg/L). In fact, Pado showed a higher density than Beopsan. This study considered the habitat environments of Pado and Beopsan to provide a basis for optimal management practices and potential suitable sites in Geunso bay.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 1997

This study was carried out to investigate the composition and the distribution of the benthic community in the coastal area of Inchon seasonally from May 1994 to February 1995, and to estimate the environmental factors that effect the temporal and the spatial changes of benthic species composition. In the present study, 231 species were collected with the average density of 455 ind./$m^2$. The dominant species were Heteromastus sp., Sternaspis scutata, Chaetozone setosa, Mediomastus sp., Glycinde sp., Glycera sp. and Nephtys oligobranchia, which are in the polychaete group; abundance of these species showed seasonal and spatial variations. The study area was divided into 4 regions by cluster analysis such as outside area of Palmido (I), main channel region and adjacent are of Shihwa sea wall (II), north-eastern area of Youngjongdo (III), and the Inchon harbor and the mouth area of Sorae harbor (IV). The particle size of sediment which generally influences the distribution of the benthic community, the differences of the concentration of heavy metals, and of the dissolved oxygen, the increase of the proportion of polychaetes and molluscs, the absence of the crustacean phoxocephalids, and the increase of the abundance of pollution indicator species, indicated that the environment of the areas have been degrading gradually from Group I to Group IV.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.87-99
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• 2000

Field survey on the variational characteristics of water quality and chlorophyll a concentraion were carried out at the 25 stations for four seasons in Kogum-sudo(Straits) southern coast of Korean Peninsula from Feburuary to October in 1993. We made an analysis on biological factor as chlorophyll a concentraion as well as physicio-chemical factors such as water temperature salinity sigma-t transparency dissolved oxygen(DO) chemical oxygen demand(COD) nutrients (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, and silicate) N/P ratio and suspended solid(SS). The waters in the Kogum-sudo were not stratified due to the tidal mixing. And the high productivity in photic layer were supported by high nutrients concentration from bottom waters. The high concen-trations of suspended solid in straits had a bad influence upon marine biology of nature and cultivations. In Kogum-sudo had a sufficient nutrients for primary productivity during a year. Especially phosphate and inorganic nitrogen were high the other side silicate was very low. The source of nutrients supply depend on rather mineralization of organic matters and input of seawater from outside than input of freshwaters from lands. Phytoplankton biomass as measured by chlorphyll a concentratiion was very high all the year round and it was controlled by the combination o f several environmental factors especially of phosphate in summer and dissolved nitrogen in other seasons.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.225-237
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• 2001

The community structure of macrobenthos was investigated around Sorido Island, southern coast of Korea between August 1996 and April 1997. Triplicate macrobenthic samples were taken seasonally at twelve stations in August and November 1996 and fourteen stations in February and April 19n by van Veen grab ($0.1m^2$). A total of 217 macrobenthic species were identified during study Period: 80 species were from polychaetes, 60 species from crustaceans, and 46 species from mollusks. The mean density of macrobenthos estimated $1,068 ind/m^2$, and polychaetes comprised $85\%$ of total density. The mean biomass was $110.2 g/m^2$, and echinoderms contributed to more than a half of the biomass. Major dominant species based on abundance were three polychaetes Tharyx sp., Lumbrineris longifolia, and Magelona japonica, which frequently occur in the coastal area enriched by organic pollution. The densities of the species were $582 ind/m^2$, $72 ind/m^2$, and $41 ind/m^2$, respectively. These species showed very low density in the offshore area. The study area was classified into four regions each sustaining specific macrofaunal assemblages by Bray-Curtis cluster analysis: a station group adjacent to the Kwangyang Bay and Yosu harbour and three station groups around Sorido Island. There were negative correlations between the concentration of PAHs in sediments and the abundance of Ampeliscidae spp. and Amphipoda. These results were discussed in terms of both environmental factors and distribution of benthic community.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.151-161
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• 2003

The spatiotemporal distribution of resuspended solid on the shelf of the southern Yellow Sea and the northern East China Sea was studied. The sea surface reflectance imageries obtained by remote sensing using satellite at channels of red (620~670nm), green(545~565nm) and blue(459~479nm) from Terra MODIS were used to explain the front of the high concentration suspended solid(SS) on the shelf in the East China Sea. The horizontal distribution of the resuspended solid was depended on the wind force, tidal current and stratification of water. The horizontal distribution areas of the resuspended solid in winter season during January~April, 2002 were three times wider than those in summer season during June~September, 2001.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.210-224
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• 2003

Sulfate reduction is a microbiological process which occurs ubiquitously in anaerobic marine environment. Sulfate reducing bacteria play a significant role in anaerobic decomposition of organic matter and regeneration of inorganic nutrients which supports the primary production in the water column (i.e., benthic-pelagic coupling) and, in special case, could be responsible for the harmful algal bloom in the coastal marine environment. Summary of the sulfate reduction rates reported in various marine sedimentary environments revealed that supply of organic substrates and presence of various electron acceptors (i.e., $O_2$, NO$_{3}$$^{[-10]}$ , Fe(III) and Mn(IV), etc.) for other aerobic and anaerobic respiration directly affect the sulfate reduction rate and relative significance of sulfate reduction in organic matter mineralization. Significance of temperature, macrophytes and bioturbation is discussed as factors controlling supply of organic substrates and distribution of electron acceptors. Finally, we suggest studies on the anaerobic microbiological processes associated with biogeochemical element cycles in the coastal environments of Korea where massive operation of organic enriched fish cage farm, frequent occurrence of toxic algal bloom and hypoxia and conservation of tidal flat are of major environmental issues.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.457-474
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• 2019

Since 1966 when the Journal of the Korean Society of Oceanography was founded, more than 1,200 scientific papers have been published. Among them, papers for the biological oceanography constitute the largest portion of 37%, followed by the physical oceanography with 25%, and then the geological oceanography with about 17%. Papers on the chemical oceanography (CO) accounts for about 20% with around 250 papers. The field of the chemical oceanography generally occupied more than 20% since the first issue, but it declined down to 10% from the 1980s to the 1990s, and has regained to more than 20% since the late 1990s. Most of the CO research sites were at Korean coastal area, and 1/3 of the papers were on the South Sea, 1/4 on the Yellow Sea and another 1/4 on the East Sea. Nearly 60% of the CO papers were on seawater studies and about 30% on sediment studies. The main topic of the CO research was nutrients, followed by metals, isotopes, environmental pollution, organic pollution, organic matter, and gases. Most of the first authors belonged to the university, but the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (including the whole body) was the affiliation with the single largest group of the first authors.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.409-422
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• 2022

Riverine wetlands are an important element of the river ecosystem and account for approximately 38% of the inland wetlands surveyed so far. The Shincheon Wetland located in Mangyeong River is also a channel wetland as the flow rate is slowed by the constructed weirs, leading to sediment accumulation. To identify the conservation value and ecological characteristics of Shincheon Wetland, its vegetation and plant diversity were identified using a phytosociological method, and a total of 45 vegetation-related datasets were collected. Overall, 24 plant communities, comprising a total of 153 taxa (49 families, 117 genera, 146 species, 2 subspecies, 5 varieties) were identified. The plant with the highest appearance rate in the communities was Humulus japonicus Siebold & Zucc. In addition, annual herb species, including Rumex crispus L., Bromusjaponicus Thunb., Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers., and Artemisia indica Willd. were frequently observed to be growing in the secondary grassland. Naturalized plants were surveyed in the 38 taxa; the urbanization index was 10.3% and the naturalized index was 24.8%. Plant communities were largely classified into submerged vegetation, floating and floating-leaved vegetation, annual and biennial vegetation, perennial herb vegetation, and woody vegetation. The distribution of plant communities reflecting various habitats, including the lentic and lotic zone maintaining a constant water depth, littoral zone experiencing intermittent water level fluctuations, and dry floodplain environment was also confirmed. Overall, plant community development plays an important role in the habitat for wild animals; therefore, it is expected to positively impact biodiversity enhancement.