• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.91-95
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• 2009

To understand the effect of attachment substrate on the growth of benthic microalgae, we experimentally investigated the growth of benthic microalgae Nitzschia sp. (Jinhae Bay strain) with additions of glass beads in different sizes. The glass beads used in this study are 0.09-0.15 mm (G1), 0.25-0.50 mm (G2), 0.75-1.00 mm (G3) and 1.25-1.65 mm (G4). No addition of glass beads used as controls. Highest specific growth rate (0.37/day) and maximum cell density ($9,232{\pm}840$ cells/mL) of Nitzschia sp. showed at the smallest glass beads (G1), and the specific growth rate and maximum cell density were decreasing with increasing size of glass beads (specific growth rate and maximum cell density of G4 was 0.24/day and $6,397{\pm}524$ cells/mL, respectively). Moreover, specific growth rate of the control experiment (0.23/day) was significantly lower than their of G1 to G3 experiment. The results indicated that the attachment substrate for benthic microalgae as Nitzschia sp. is important factor which affecting the growth rate as well as cell density. Therefore, the physiological experiment of benthic microalgae seems to be necessary to preliminary experiment, which is addition or not of the attachment suitable substrate and the grain size for the target species of benthic microalgae.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.8-18
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• 2005

We studied seasonal distribution of the microphytobenthos and their primary production with $C^{14}$ method and carried out pigment analysis with HPLC in an estuarine mudflat of the Ganghwa Island, Korea from May 2002 to April 2004. The abundances of microphytobenthos were higher at the middle than upper part and lower part of intertidal flat. Abundances of microphytobenthos ranged from $2.3{\times}10^5\;cells\;cm^{-2}$ to $140.9{\times}10^5\;cells cm^{-2}$. The bloom of microphytobenthos was observed in the early spring and then it decreased from spring to summer and autumn. The pennate diatom was a predominated group among the microphytobenthos in this area. The dominant species were Paralia sulcata, Cylindrotheca closterium and Nitzschia sp.. Nitzschia sp. and Cylindrotheca closterium were predominant in February. The results of pigment analysis suggest the presence of diatoms, euglenophytes, chlorophytes, cyanobacteria, cryptophytes, chrysophytes, prymnesiophytes, dinoflagellates and prasinophytes. The biomass of microphytobenthos ranged from 1.18 to 34.25 mg chl-a $m^{-2}$, with a mean of 7.60 mg chl-a $m^{-2}$. The mean ratio of Fuco/Chl a was 0.7 which indicates that most of biomasses of microphytobenthos were due to diatoms. The ratios of Chl b/Chl a ranged from 0 to 0.82(with a mean of 0.17), implying that euglenophytes and chlorophytes lived together in special period seasonally. Temporal variation of primary production ranged from 4.2 to 113.0 $mgC{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}hr^{-1}$(mean value was 33.9 $mgC{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}hr^{-1}$ and initial slope$({\alpha})$ was measured from 0.002-0.005$(mgC\;mgchl-a^{-1}\;hr^{-1}){\cdot}({\mu}E\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1})^{-1}$. Assimilation number$(P_m)$ was in the range of 0.50-1.32 $mgC{\cdot}mgChl-a{\cdot}hr^{-1}$ and daily primary production ranged from 20.9 to 678.1 $mgC{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}d^{-1}$(mean value was 206.72 $mgC{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}^{-1}$).

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.61-74
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• 2024

Daemadeung, located in the estuary of the Nakdong River, is formed by sand dunes and possesses well-developed intertidal flats. This study aimed to investigate the habitat of benthic microalgae, photosynthetic pigments, and photosynthetic efficiency in the intertidal flats of Daemadeung from January to December 2011. The inorganic nitrogen content in the sediment pore water was primarily composed of ammonium, while nitrate + nitrite was dominant in the upper layer water. The concentration of chlorophyll a and fucoxanthin in the sediment surface was significantly higher than the mean of all the sediment layer. The average Fv/Fm of benthic microalgae during the entire survey period was 0.52±0.03, with the highest value (0.61±0.08) observed in February. The rETR_max showed a seasonal trend, being high from spring to early autumn (April to October) and low from winter to early spring (January to March, November, December), with the highest value (153.05±2.30 µmol electrons m^-2 s^-1) in July and the lowest (38.49±5.17 µmol electrons m^-2 s^-1) in January. The average Fv/Fm of diurnal microalgae was 0.48±0.03, with the highest value (0.61±0.08) observed at noon. The rETR_max showed a highest peak at noon (54.24±11.35 µmol electrons m^-2 s^-1) and reached its lowest point at 16:00 (26.17±4.75 µmol electrons m^-2 s^-1). These findings suggest that the productivity of benthic microalgae varies significantly depending on the survey time and sediment depth. Therefore, to quantify the productivity of benthic microalgae using Diving-PAM, surveys should be conducted based on tidal conditions, and simultaneous pigment analysis of sediment layers should also be performed.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2012

To compare monthly variations of phytoplankton biomass and community composition between in seawater and sediment of the Gomso Bay (tidal flat: approximately 75%), the photosynthetic pigments were analyzed by HPLC every month in 1999 and every two months in 2000. Ambient physical and chemical parameters (temperature, salinity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, and chemical oxygen demand) were also examined to find the environmental factors controlling structure of phytoplankton community. The temporal and spatial variations of chlorophyll a concentration in seawater were correlated well with the magnitude of freshwater discharge from land. The biomass of microphytobenthos at the surface sediments was lower than that in other regions of the world and 2-3 times lower than phytoplankton biomass integrated in the seawater column. Based on the results of HPLC pigment analysis, fucoxanthin, a marker pigment of diatoms, was the most prominent pigment and highly correlated with chlorophyll a in seawater and sediment of the Gomso Bay. These results suggest that diatoms are the predominant phytoplankton in seawater and sediment of the Gomso Bay. However, the monthly variation of chlorophyll a concentration in seawater at the subtidal zone was not a good correlation with that in sediment of the Gomso Bay. Although pelagic plankton was identified in seawater by microscopic examination, benthic algal species were not found in the seawater. These results suggest that contribution from the suspended microphytobenthos in the tidal flat to the subtidal zone of the Gomso Bay may be low as a food source to the primary consumer in the upper water column of the subtidal zone. Further study needs to elucidate the vertical and horizontal transport magnitude of the suspended microphytobenthos in the tidal flat to the subtidal zone.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.884-894
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• 2015

To examine the relationship between microphytobenthos biomass and the condition index of Ruditapes philippinarum (manila clam), field observations were conducted seasonally at the tidal flats of Jeongsanpo and Hwangdo, Taean, Korea from February to November, 2012. A total of 122 species of microphytobenthos were identified over the study period with 85 species (30-45 species in season) at Jeongsanpo and 92 species (32-57 species) at Hwangdo. Chlorophyll a concentrations and cell number of microphytobenthos were $79.75mg/m^2$ and $3,255cells/cm^2$ at Jeongsanpo, and $151.50mg/m^2$ and $15,943cells/cm^2$ at Hwangdo, respectively. The dominant species were slightly different: Cylindrotheca closterium, Fallacia forcipata, Fogedia sp., Gyrosigma sp., and Navicula sp. at Jeongsanpo and C. closterium, Detonula pumila, Diploneis sp., Navicula sp. and Merismopedia sp. at Hwangdo tidal flat. Paralia sulcata was the representative species based on cell number at the two study sites. The number of microphytobenthos identified from the digestive organs of manila clams seasonally varied from 18 to 31 species at Jeongsanpo and dominant genus were Amphora, Navicula, Nitzschia and Paralia sulcata. At Hwangdo, the species number of microphytobenthos found in the digestive organs of manila clams were in the range of between 19 and 25 species in season and the dominant genus were Actinocyclus, Amphora, Coscinodiscus, Diploneis, Gyrosigma, Navicula, and Diploneis. The condition index of manila clams were greater at Hwangdo (0.57) than at Jeongsanpo (0.42). Present results could support that the condition index of manila clams is positively correlated with the species richness and chlorophyll a contents of microphytobenthos.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2005

To investigate the seasonal distribution and grazing impacts of benthic protozoa in mud flat, their abundance, biomass and grazing rates of benthic protozoa were evaluated at interval of two or three month in Gangwha Island from April, 2002 to April, 2004. Heterotrophic flagellates and ciliates accounted for an average 98% of benthic protozoa biomass. Abundance and carbon biomass of heterotrophic flagellates ranged from $0.2{\times}10^5$ to $5.9{\times}10^5\;cells\;cm{-3}$ and from 0.02 to $9.2\;{\mu}gC\;cm^{-3}$, respectively. Biomass of heterotrophic flagellates was high in spring and fall, and showed no differences among stations. Abundance and biomass of heterotrophic flagellates decreased with the depth and were high within the surface 2.5 m sediment layer. The majority of heterotrophic flagellates were less than $10\;{\mu}m$ in length, and few euglenoid flagellates were larger than $20\;{\mu}m$. Abundance and carbon biomass of ciliates ranged from $0.1{\times}10^3$ to $17.8{\times}10^3\;cells\;cm^{-3}$ and from 0.02 to $9.1\;{\mu}gC\;cm^{-3}$, respectively, and those of ciliates were high in spring and fall. Biomass of ciliates was high within the surface 2.5 mm sediment layer and was higher at st. J2 and st. J3 than st. J1. Among the revealed benthic ciliates, the hypotrichs were the most important group in terms of abundance and biomass. During the sampling periods, an average 66% of benthic protozoa biomass was covered by ciliates. The seasonal distribution of benthic protozoa showed an almost similar fluctuation pattern to that of chlorophyll-a. The results suggest that the biomass of benthic protozoa were mainly controlled by prey abundance, for example, diatoms. Based on ingestion rates, benthic protozoa removed from 13.4 to 40.7% of bacterial production and from 20.1 to 36.4% of primary production. Ingestion rates of benthic protozoa on bacteria and microphytobenthos were high in April. Benthic protozoa in this study area may play a pivotal role in the carbon flow of the benthic microbial food web during spring.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.249-260
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• 1998

To understand the attachment of micro algae and their subsequent growths on artificial surfaces immersed in seawater, the relationship between attachment of diatoms on the immersed artificial substrates and species pool in the surrounding water was investigated. We used acryl slides for the study of diatom attachment and examined the surrounding water samples collected in Incheon Harbour from July 1995 to February 1997. Variations of species composition and abundances by exposure time in seawater were investigated during the early phase of biofilm formation on various substrates, e.g. glass, acryl, titanium, copper and antifouling paint-treated slides. Immigration rates of diatoms to acryl slides during spring and winter were significantly correlated with the abundance of benthic diatoms in surrounding water ($r^2$=0.78, p<0.01, n=42), suggesting that immigration rates were affected by variations of benthic diatom abundances in surrounding water. Immigration coefficient of monoraphid diatoms was 5 times higher than that of biraphid diatoms, but relative abundance of monoraphid diatoms was 3 times lower than that of biraphid diatoms on acryl slides in spring. In winter, immigration coefficient and relative abundance of centric diatoms were higher compared to other raphe forms. These results suggest that the attachment of diatoms seems to be caused by the abundance and immigration coefficients of benthic diatoms in surrounding water. Pennate diatoms predominantly attached to all artificial surfaces throughout all experimental periods. Interestingly, centric diatoms predominantly attached to all artificial surfaces in winter. Hantzschia virgata, Licmophora abbreviata and Melosira nummuloides appeared dominantly on antifouling paint-treated slides, probably being tolerant of the antifouling paint. During incubations, the abundance of attached diatoms increased exponentially on glass, titanium and acryl slides with exposure time. The maximum abundance was highest on glass slide, followed by acryl, titanium, copper and antifouling paint-treated slides. The growth rates of attached diatom community on all artificial surfaces were higher at temperature of $24-25^{\circ}C$ than that of $2-3^{\circ}C$. The growth rate of attached diatoms on glass slide was generally higher compared to other slides during the study period. Dominant morphotypes of observed species with exposure time in seawater were prostrate form Amphora coffeaeformis, fan shape Synedra tabulata, stalk type Licmophora paradoxa and chain type M. nummuloides. A micro-succession in the attached microalgal community was observed. The composition of dominant species seems to be the result of species-specific response to gradually limited space with development of microalgal film.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2010

The spatial variability in the food chain structure of an estuarine environment(Nanakita estuarine, Japan) was investigated using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope. Potential organic matter sources(TP:Terrstrial Plant, MPOM:Marine particulate organic matter, BMA:Benthic microalgae, EPOM:Estuarine particulate organic matter), sedimentary organic matter and benthic invertebrates(Nuttallia olivacea and Nereidae) were sampled at four locations with different tidal flat types(e.g. sanddy, sanddy-muddy and muddy). The main objective of the present study was to determine food sources of Nuttallia olivacea and Nereidae along with small-scale spatial variability within the community of benthic invertebrates. TP(${\delta}^{13}C=-26.6{\pm}0.76$ and ${\delta}^{15}N=2.7{\pm}0.31$) and EPOM(${\delta}^{13}C=-25.5{\pm}0.13$ and ${\delta}^{15}N=5.2{\pm}0.46$) were isotopically distinct from BMA(${\delta}^{13}C=-16.3$ and ${\delta}^{15}N=6.2$) and MPOM(${\delta}^{13}C=-19.6{\pm}0.08$ and ${\delta}^{15}N=8.9{\pm}1.70$). ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of sedimentary organic matter showed a distinct gradient in the range of -27.4 to -22.8‰ with a declining trend from the upstream to the downstream stations. The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of benthic invertebrates in the study site was -22.8 to -18.4‰ for ${\delta}^{16}C$ and 8.1 to 11.9‰ or ${\delta}^{15}N$, respectively. Mixing model(Isosource) calculations based on stable isotope measurements showed that benthic invertebrates of Nuttallia olivacea and Nereidae were found to be dominated by MPOM and BMA in stations. Whereas, TP and EPOM showed little influence to benthic invertebrates. The current result suggests that the different contribution for benthic invertebrates should be affected by both seasonal variation and physical factor among stations.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.529-535
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• 2002

Efffcts of physico-chemical factors on the zonation and vertical distribution of benthic microalgal communities in the tidal flats of Youngkwang and Canaiin, Korea, were studied. Concentrations of nutrients were low throughout the study period. A 38 species of benthic microaigae was identified. Most of the algae were pennate diatoms with small size. Cell numbers at silty sediments were higher than sandy sediments, and showed high patchy distribution. Zonal distributions of benthic microalgae showed higher variation from silty sediment than sandy sediments. Benthic microalgae showed vertical migration within the upper few mm of sediment with periodicity closely related to tidal cycles. Maximum cells were observed from 0 mm depth both sandy and silty sediments. Cells of benthic microalgae in the 1 - 2 mm depth decreased after desiccation of sediments. The variation of cells was higher at sandy sediments than silty sediments. Cell numbers of benthic microalgae showed no positive relationships with pH and nutrinets except NH$_4$-N.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.5_1
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• pp.1111-1124
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• 2021

Mudflats are crucial for understanding the ecological structure and biological function of coastal ecosystem because of its high primary production by microalgae. There have been many studies on measuring primary productivity of tidal flats for the estimation of organic carbon abundance, but it is relatively recent that optical remote sensing technique, particularly hyperspectral sensing, was used for it. This study investigates hyperspectral sensing of chlorophyll concentration on a tidal flat surface, which is a key variable in deriving primary productivity. The study site is a mudflat in Geunso bay, South Korea and field campaigns were conducted at ebb tide in April and June 2021. Hyperspectral reflectance of the mudflat surfaces was measured with two types of hyperspectral sensors; TriOS RAMSES (directionalsensor) and the Specim-IQ (camera sensor), and Normal Differenced Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Contiuum Removal Depth (CRD) were used to estimate Chl-a from the optical measurements. The validation performed against independent field measurements of Chl-a showed that both CRD and NDVI can retrieve surface Chl-a with R² around 0.7 for the Chl-a range of 0~150 mg/m² tested in this study.