• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.149-166
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• 2004

Water quality and ecological environment in the Han River estuary was analyzed using the longterm water quality monitoring data from National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) and the existing data collected in this area. Based on the salinity distribution and changes of current direction in the lower Han River and its estuary, boundaries of the estuary were identified and also, distribution patterns of the phyto- and zooplankton, benthos, ichthyoplankton and fish were discussed related with the salinity changes in the macrotidal subestuary of Han River. Seasonal and spatial distribution of salinity suggested that the direct impact of freshwater be limited to the Incheon North Harbour all the year round and even extended to the southern area of Gyunggi Bay near Palmi island during limited time, usually in summer. Upper limit of salt water intrusion through the Han River is likely to be Singok underwater dam located Gimpo, Gyunggi Province, and normally limited to much lower part of the river, Jeonryuri, Gimpo. Biological boundaries of the Han River estuary exceeded the physical boundaries based on the salinity distribution. Many estuarine species in plankton and fish were found at the totally freshwater or saltwater depending on the seasons and tidal cycles. Some estuarine ichthyoplanktons showed extremely limited distributions in the estuary whereas adult fish revealed wide ranges of salinity adaptation. Critical environmental issues in the Han River estuary and its drainage basin are likely to be 1) pressure on development-promoted district for new town in the drainage area of the estuary, 2) reduction of tidal flat by reclamation, 3) pollutant input through river from municipal sewages and industrial wastes, and 4) ecological barrier between river and terrestrial systems by the military wire fence and riverside road.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.3-15
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• 2003

Recently more than 450 incidents of oil spill a year have occurred in nearshore of Korea, which caused unmeasurelable losses in fisheries and severe damage in marine ecosystem. Two approaches remain paramount in any response to marine oil spill : the enhancement of natural dispersion of the oil by using dispersants, and mechanical recovery using booms and skimmers. A technique currently receiving fresh attention is the enhancement of the natural bioremediation of oil through the application of micro-organisms and/or nutrient. Oil, like many natural substances, will biodegrade over a period of time into simple compounds such as carbon dioxide, water and biomass. Bioremediation is the term used to describe a range of processes which can be used to accelerate natural biodegradation. More specifically biostimulation is the application of nutrients, and bioaugremetation or seeding is the addition of microbes specially selected to degrade oil. Bioremediation is an economically attractive method for the clean-up of oil-contaminated area. Bioremediation has been demonstrated to be an effective oil spill countermeasure for use in cobble, sand beach, salt marsh, and mud flat environment.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.223-233
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• 2011

The aims of this study is about distribution characteristics of tidal coastal landforms, and that changing process in the Hampyeung Bay, which has a semi-enclosed bay like basin shape without inflow of stream, the mouth of open sea is narrow and forms with wide ends toward inland sea. The source of deposits are moved materials by tidal currents and from coastal slopes. Main landform elements of study area consist of tidal flat, tidal channels, intertidal sand bar, sea cliffs, and sea terrace. Tidal flats is classified with mud flat and mixed flat by grain size composition. Mud flats have developed at the shoreline area that tidal flat is closed to the continuity of gentle slope, and mixed flat developed at the foot of the sea cliffs and sea terraces. Quaternary deposits were identified in the coastal materials sedimented by the sea-level change. According to the analysis of grain size composition during last ten years, sands and silt has increased 2% and 6% respectively, clay has been decreased by 9%. The concaved tidal flats are colonized by salt plants. Areal changes of salt plants expanded near four times from 2.4km² at the year 2001 to 9.3km² at the year 2009. During the same periods, mean grain size became coarser from 6.5φ to 4.5φ at the salt plants area.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2009

Muan Bay has extensively undertaken artificial influences through a series of construction of dams and dykes nearby resulting in a substantial increase in highest high water level. To unravel sedimentary responses to the water level rise, we collected a number of surface sediment samples and hydrodynamic data from in-situ observations of tidal currents in Muan Bay in 1998 and 2007. Comparison of the data between 1998 and 2007 shows that the relative content of coarse fractions, sand and gravel, in the sediment samples has increased with a decreased mean size, on average, from 6.2 to 5.8${\phi}$ at the expense of silt contents. Such a coarsening trend, which is more evident around high water level, particularly on the tidal flats of Dongam-ri, Guro-ri and Aphae-do, is most likely attributable to rising water level. On the other hand, an increase of fine fractions locally in the western entrance of the bay can be explained with changes in characteristics of tidal currents imposed by construction of bridges therein, such as decreased velocities and varied direction and phase of the tidal currents.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.403-412
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• 1995

The present study was performed to determine th growth and production of Mactra veneriformis on the Songdo tidal flat off Inchon. west coast of Korea. Monthly samples were collected from Marc 1989 to September 1990. The size distributions of shell length showed unimodal patterns from March to August 1989. The binodal pattern after September 1989 indicated a recruitment of young clams during this period. The density fluctuated irregularly, but showed a decreasing pattern over time on the whole. The density of the year class 1989 increased markedly after February 1990. The growth in shell length showed three phases during a year, a fast growth phase in spring, a slow growth phase in summer and autumn, and a lag phase in winter. The annual increment in shell length reduced with age. The flesh dry weight showed a peak in late spring just before the spawning period, and another peak in autumn. The length of annuli and the back-calculated flesh dry weight were used to describe the annual growth. The growth in shell length fitted to the von Bertalanffy model and the flesh dry weight to the Gompertz model. The absolute growth rate of the shell length reduced gradually with age. The year class 1985 had the highest L, and the yeat class 1986 the lowest L. The annual growth in weight showed a typical sigmoid curve. The growth rate was maximum at the age of 2 to 3. Year classes of 1984 and 1985 had higher values of W and higher absolute growth rates than those of 1986 and 1987. Maximum absolute growth rates of 1986 and 1987 year classes were recorded at younger ages than 1984 and 1985 year classes. The annual relative growth rates of length and weight decreased exponentially with age. Biomass in flesh dry weight increased till spring and thereafter decreased progressively. Maximum biomass was 134.6g m/SUP -2/ in August 1990. The biomass of 1989 yeat class occupied highest proportion in total biomass. Annual production in flesh dry weight from March 1989 to March 1990 was 67.9 g m/SUP -2/ year/SUP -1/. Cumulative production of 1989 year class was highest among all year classes, and that of year class 1984 was lowest. The production is high in spring and autumn, and very low in summer and winter.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2003

This study was conducted to evaluate distribution and behavior characteristics of heavy metals for tidal flat sediments in the Saemankeum area. The value of heavy metal contents in the tidal flat sediments were higher than that surveyed in 1994, but showing that it's lower when compared with the value of Shiwha lake. Enrichment factors in the tidal flat sediments showed below 1 except for Pb and Zn. Metal excesses was appeared that Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn lacked and Pb, Zn were high. The correlation analysis between heavy metals and organic matters was found high positive relationship (r=0.424$\~$0.839), especially correlation coefficient between ignition loss and oxide Al, Fe, Mn showed high positive relationship above 0.7. The correlation analysis between Brain size and hear metals was found that as grain size was small, heavy metals contents were increased. Correlation coefficient between silt and heavy metals except for Cu, Pb showed high positive relationship as 0.552$\~$0.732.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.279-290
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• 2000

To alleviate the harmful effects from contamination, the Sihwa Lake waters have been regularly fluxed out into the ocean to mix and circulate with the oceanic waters, and then allowed to flow back into the lake. In the present study, eco-environmental impacts by the outflowing contaminated lake waters to the benthic communities of the coastal zones along Kyonggi Bay were examined at three separate areas. A total of 22 groups of meiobenthic animals were commonly found in the subtidal zones of the Bay. All groups of the meiobenthic animals on the 1st and 7th days after the outflow were remarkably reduced in numbers from the selected areas examined, as compared to those observed one day before the outflow. It was also found that the community structure of meiobenthos was changed drastically: At the station near the water gate, for example, where the immediate outflow of the lake water was encountered, the benthic harpacticoids, the group observed to be one of the predominant groups before the outflow, were found to have disappeared completely. For an area that was relatively far away from the water gate, the reduction rate of meiobenthos after the outflow events was slower and more gradual than the nearer sites. An area that is the farthest from the water gate, no reduction in any of the meiobenthos group was observed. The ratio between nematodes/copepods (N/C) was remarkably changed by the outflows at the station near the water gate: One day before the outflow, the ratio was 0.7 while the ratio was 19.0 at the station near the water gate. In contrast, at the stations relatively far from the water gate, the ratio decreased one day after the outflow event, but increasing trends were observed one week later. In the tidal flats, Station 1 exhibited the common observed regional values of the ratio whereas Station 2 showed a very high ratio of 191.3. The results suggested that the contaminated lake water outflows directly effect meiobenthos in a relatively short time period and thus the meiobenthos may be a good indicator animal group for examining the effect of pollution. [Lake Sihwa, contaminat water outflow, meiobenthic animals living]

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.293-303
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• 1999

Fish fauna of fishes collected from the Saemankum area in the west coast of Chollabuk-do was studied from October 1996 to April 1999. The specimens collected from the five sites in this area were identified into 107 species belonging to 83 genera and 52 families. Of them the largest group of fishes was order Perciformes, comprising 50 species and 21 families, and showed 46.7% in total numbers of species. Next larger groups were orders Scorpaeniformes and Pleuronectiformes containing 16 and 14 species respectively. In this area, the group comprising a lots of species was the family Gobiidae taking 13 species, and next groups were the families of Sciaenidae (6 species), Engraulidae (5 species) and Pleulonectidae (5 species). The dominant species was Engraulis japonicus which is 23.4 ％ in total indiyidual numbers, and subdominant species was Thryssa kummazensis which is 18.5%. The important species economically in the Saemankum area were Anguilla japonica, E. japonicus, T. kummalensis, Konosirus punctatus, Sardinella zunasi, Mugil cephalus, Argyrosomus argentatus, Pseudosciaena polyactis, Collichthys lucidus, Paralichthys olivuceus and Cynoglossus joyneri. The species of high frequency in this area from February to June every year were Anguilla japonica, E. japonicus, T. kammalensis, K. punctatus, S. zunasi, Coilia nasus, Syngnatuus schlegeli, P. polyactis, C. lucidus and Pholis fangi. Ophichthus rotundus, Repomucenus leucopoecitus and R. koreanus were Korean endemic species in the west coast of Chollabuk-do. On the other hand, Boleophthalmus pectinirostris was not found during this study, and Periophthalmus modertus, Tridentiger barbatus and Lophogobius ocellioauda sharply decreased in individual numbers in comparison to several years ago.