• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.221-229
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• 2023

Extracted from the metropolitan area, the Paldang Lake, which supplies approximately 8 million tons of water, has achieved a BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) of 1.1 mg/L as a result of water quality preservation policies. However, concerning the COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) component that encompasses refractory organic matter, there has been an observable upward trend in concentration. The introduction of refractory organic matter into the water source of Paldang Lake brings potential increments in BOD, generates off-putting tastes and odors in tap water, increases THM (Trihalomethane) formation, and triggers algae proliferation. Moreover, if residual hazardous refractory pollutants persist in aquatic environments, they may induce endocrine disruption and phenomena such as antibiotic resistance. In this study, a monitoring campaign was executed to discern the concentration of refractory organic matter emissions from point and non-point sources within Paldang Lake and its upstream region, with the aim of managing refractory organic matter in Paldang Lake. By comparing refractory organic matter emission concentrations across monitored areas, the elimination efficiency at wastewater treatment plants was assessed. Additionally, employing the Pearson correlation correlation analysis technique, correlations among refractory organic matter indices, antecedent wet days, and antecedent dry days were explored. The concentrations of refractory organic matter in rivers and Paldang Lake exhibited a similar pattern. Wastewater treatment plant effluents exhibited higher concentrations compared to rivers and Paldang Lake. The assessment of refractory organic matter removal at wastewater treatment plants indicated a removal efficiency of 65.73%. However, no significant correlation emerged between refractory organic matter emission concentration and antecedent wet days or priory antecedent dry days. This absence of correlation is attributed to data scarcity, underscoring the need for long-term monitoring and data accumulation.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.339-347
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• 2023

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a key component in the biogeochemical cycling in freshwater ecosystem. However, it has been rarely explored, particularly complex river watershed dominated by natural and anthropogenic sources, such as various effluent facility and livestock. The current research developed a new analytical method for TOC/TN (Total Organic Carbon/Total Nitrogen) stable isotope ratio, and distinguish DOM source using stable isotope value (δ¹³C-DOC) and spectroscopic indices (fluorescence index [FI] and biological index [BIX]). The TOC/TN-IR/MS analytical system was optimized and precision and accuracy were secured using two international standards (IAEA-600 Caffein, IAEA-CH-6 Sucrose). As a result of controlling the instrumental conditions to enable TOC stable isotope analysis even in low-concentration environmental samples (<1 mgC L^-1), the minimum detection limit was improved. The 12 potential DOM source were collected from watershed, which includes top-soils, groundwater, plant group (fallen leaves, riparian plants, suspended algae) and effluent group (pig and cow livestock, agricultural land, urban, industry facility, swine facility and wastewater treatment facilities). As a result of comparing characteristics between 12 sources using spectroscopic indices and δ¹³C-DOC values, it were divided into four groups according to their characteristics as a respective DOM sources. The current study established the TOC/TN stable isotope analyses system for the first time in Korea, and found that spectroscopic indices and δ¹³C-DOC are very useful tool to trace the origin of organic matter in the aquatic environments through library database.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.133-139
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• 2010

Marine algal flora and community structure were investigated at four sites in Kijang area on the southern east coast of Korea in August 2006 and August 2009, respectively. A total of 54 seaweeds including 6 green, 10 brown, 38 red were collected and identified. Of 54 seaweeds, 35 species were found throughout the survey period. Mean biomass in wet weight was from $616.0\;g\;m^{-2}$ to $1,462.4\;g\;m^{-2}$2 in 2006, and $354.8\;g\;m^{-2}$ to $965.6\;g\;m^{-2}$ in 2009. Maximum biomass was recorded at Mundong site, and minimum was recorded at Seoam (2006) and Dongbaek (2009) sites. The flora investigated (2006, 2009) could be classified into six functional groups such as coarsely branched form (58.7%, 58.1%), thick leathery form (10.9%, 11.6%), filamentous form (13.0%, 9.3%), crustose form (6.5%, 9.3%), sheet form (6.5%, 7.0%) and jointed calcareous form (4.3%, 4.7%) during survey period. The R/P, C/P and (R+C)/P values reflecting flora characteristics were 4.00, 0.75 and 4.75 at 2006, and 5.17, 1.00 and 6.17 at 2009, respectively. Therefore, the number of marine algae species and biomass in Kijang area were similar when they were comparing with the previous data. It suggest that any changes of seaweed diversity have not been observed in Kijang coastal area before and after the anthropogenic construction between 2006 and 2009.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.171-180
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• 2009

Based on the constituent analysis of sediments near Dok Island, the origin and sedimentary facies were Investigated. The sediments are mainly from originated from volcanic and volcaniclastic rock fragments derived from Dok Island and carbonate sediments formed by a variety of shallow-dwelling organisms that secreted calcareous skeletons. Carbonate producers include mollusks (bivalves and gastropods), encrusting & branching bryozoans, encrusting & segmented red algae, worm tubes, barnacles, diatoms, sponge spicules and echinoderm fragments. The distribution and relative amount of these constituents are basically dependent upon water depth and grain size even though local variations can be observed within the same depth interval. Five sedimentary facies can be divided: nearshore facies (<20 m), neritic facies ($20{\sim}100m$), upper transitional facies ($100{\sim}200m$), lower transitional facies ($200{\sim}700m$), and hemipelagic facies (>700 m). The sediments that were sampled below the water depth of 2,000 m still contain a significant amount of carbonates (ca. $10{\sim}20%$), implying that the carbonate compensation depth in the East Sea may well exceed this water depth.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.127-134
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• 2024

The feathery branched green alga Bryopsis plumosa (Hudson) C. Agardh bloomed at Songji Beach, Haenam, Korea, in November 2022. A terrible stench was present on the beach, and the bottom was covered in a thick green mat of green algae. The alga was identified as B. plumosa, which is an opportunistic species currently distributed worldwide. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) were analyzed in the bloomed area and compared with those of other vicinities. The DIN and DIP concentrations were 1.067 and 0.461 mg L^-1, respectively, which were 6 to 19 times higher than the average concentrations on southwest coasts, including Haenam. The B. plumosa bloom at Songji Beach in November 2022 appears to have depended on DIN and DIP concentrations in seawater. In this study, we report on the mass occurrence of B. plumosa, which appeared for the first time in Korea. This occurrence was found to be closely related to the concentration of nutrients in seawater. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the concentration of nutrients on land flowing into coastal waters to control green algal blooms such as Bryopsis.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.706-711
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• 2023

At Pyropia farms, organic acid treatments have enhanced productivity and quality by removing pest algae (such as Ulva spp. and diatoms) and reducing the occurrence of diseases. Ulva spp. attaches to the Pyropia nets competing for inorganic nutrients & space and diminishing productivity. Additionally, the presence of attached contaminants (such as diatoms and middy particles) on the Pyropia nets negatively affects the quality of Pyropia. This study investigated the effects of removing Ulva linza and washing the Pyropia yezoensis nets using an activating treatment agent (organic acid and highly saline solution) with an air bubble device. The results of measuring the dead cell ratios after treatment under different conditions showed that the dead cell ratio of U. linza did not significantly increase when the air bubble device combined the activating treatment agent with the activating treatment agent alone. When washing the P. yezoensis nets, the air bubble device was about 19-37% more effective than the activating treatment agent alone. The findings of this study suggest that the air bubble device enhances the efficacy of the activating treatment agent, resulting in the effective cleaning of the Pyropia nets.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.279-289
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• 2000

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of coagulants and solid-liquid separation methods on algal removal in water treatment processes. Thus characterization of raw water quality in terms of turbidity. UV-254, $KMnO_4$ consumption, chlorophyll-a and correlation analysis of these parameters were conducted. In addition, the effect of commercial Al-based coagulants(Alum. PAC and PACS) on algal removal was studied by turbidity and organic removal, algal species removal, characteristic of pH drop and alkalinity consumption using laboratory jar tests. Organic components including UV-254, $KMnO_4$ consumption, chlorophyll-a in case of algal bloom were highly correlated with turbidity and the correlation coefficients of UV-254, $KMnO_4$ consumption, chlorophyll-a with turbidity were 0.775, 0674 and 0.623, respectively. In coagulation and sedimentation, the Al-based coagulants showed similar efficiency of organic and turbidity removal in low organic($KMnO_4$ consumption below 15mg/l) and low turbidity(below 30NTU). However, PAC and PACS showed better algal removal than alum in high organic concentration($KMnO_4$ consumption above 20mg/l) and high turbidity(above 100NTU) raw water conditions generated by high algal growth, which is considered to be due to the floc settleability. In comparison of sedimentation and flotation after chemical coagulation and flocculation, the removal efficiency of organic and turbidity were higher in case of alum dose with flotation than with sedimentation, while those were better in case or PAC and PACS with sedimentation than with flotation. Thus, Alum with flotation and PAC and PACS with sedimentation is recommended for efficient algal removal. The dominant phytoplankton in raw water were Microcystic and pediastrum simplex and the removal efficiency of algae with sedimentation using alum. PAC and PACS were 27%, 45% and 22% respectively, while those with DAF showed 100% removal of phytoplankton and zooplankton.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.1155-1162
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• 2013

Estrogen like activities were evaluated using ethanol and hot water extracts of gongjindan (GJD) and 3 types of brown algae by an in vitro detection system. Laminaria japonica and Undaria pinnatifida represented statistically significant (p<0.001) estrogen like activities, while GJD and Ecklonia stolonifera did not. Furthermore, activities of hot water extracts ($500{\mu}g/ml$) of Laminaria japonica and three mixture (Ecklonia stolonifera : Undaria pinnatifida : Laminaria japonica, 1: 1: 1) were stronger than that of $10^{-7}M$ $17{\beta}$-estradiol. These results suggest that Laminaria japonica contain estrogen like compounds. Based on these results, the prepared seaweed GJD were used for animal experiments about the effects on inhibition of platelet aggregation and serum lipid levels in ovariectomized rats. 9-week Old female SD-rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups as sham-operated rats, ovariectomized rats and ovariectomized rats that were treated with GJD. The rats were placed on prescribed diets for 5 weeks following ovariectomy. Total cholesterol and triglyceride contents on serum decreased in the SHAM group compared to the OVX-CON group. 5 weeks feeding of GJD resulted in significant lowering of triglyceride and a decreasing tendency of total cholesterol level. The level of HDL-cholesterol on serum increased significantly by feeding diets containing the GJD. The ability of platelet aggregation of group treated with GJD was less than that of the OVX-CON group. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of seaweed gongjindan may be used to improve menopausal syndrome.