• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.277-288
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• 2005

Spatial distribution and vertical structures of water masses around the Antarctic continental margin are described using synthesized hydrographic data. Antarctic Surface Water (AASW) over the shelf regime is distinguished from underlying other water masses by the cut-off salinity, varying from approximately 34.35 to 34.45 around Antarctica. Shelf water, characterized by salinity greater than the cut-off salinity and potential temperature less than $-17^{\circ}C$, is observed on the Ross Sea, off George V Land, off Wilkes Land, the Amery Basin, and the Weddell Sea, but in some shelves AASW occupies the entire shelf. Lower Circumpolar Deep Water is present everywhere around the Antarctic oceanic regime and in some places it mixes with Shelf Water, producing Antarctic Slope Front Water (ASFW). ASFW, characterized by potential temperature less than about $0^{\circ}C$ and greater than $-17^{\circ}C$, and salinity greater than the cut-off salinity, is found everywhere around Antarctica except in the Bellingshausen-Amundsen sector. The presence of different water masses over the Antarctic shelves and shelf edges produces mainly three types of water mass stratifications: no significant meridional property gradient in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas, single property gradient where ASFW presents, and a V-shaped front where Shelf Water exists.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2012

Climatological trend for the period of 1970 to 2009 in sea water temperature around the Antarctic Peninsular waters in the Southern Ocean was investigated. During the period from 1970 to 2009, sea water temperature in the top 500 m water column except 100 m increased at a rate of $0.003-0.011^{\circ}C{\cdot}yr^{-1}$, but at 100 m it decreased at a rate of $-0.003^{\circ}C{\cdot}yr^{-1}$. Although long-term trend is generally warming, there were several periods of sharp changes between 1970 and 2009. Annual mean sea water temperature between surface and 500 m except 100 m decreased from the early of 1970s to the end of 1980s, and then it increased to the end of 2000s. In the entire water column between the surface and 500 m, sea water temperature closely correlated with the El Nino events expressed as the Southern Oscillation Index(SOI), and SOI and sea water temperature have a dominant period of about 3-5 years and decade.

• ALGAE
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.139-147
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• 2009

Microalgae using a submersible fluorescence probe in water column (up to 100 m) were measured during the austral summer of 2006 (February) in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica (triangular-shaped embayment in the Indian sector of Southern Ocean). Concurrently, environmental parameters such as temperature, salinity and nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium, urea) uptake rates were measured. The concentration of phytoplankton is relatively high due to availability of high nutrients and low sea surface temperature. Phytoplankton community is dominated by diatoms whereas cryptophytes are in low concentration. The maximum concentration of total chlorophyll is 14.87 ${\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ and is attributed to upwelled subsurface winter water due to local wind forcing, availability of micro-nutrients and increased attenuation of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR). Concentration of blue-green algae is low compared to that of green algae because of low temperature. Comparatively high concentration of yellow substances is due to the influence of Antarctic melt-water whereas cryptophytes are low due to high salinity and mixed water column. Varied concentrations of phytoplankton at different times of Fluoroprobe measurements suggest that the coastal waters of Prydz Bay are influenced by changing sub-surface water temperature and salinity due to subsurface upwelling induced by local winds as also melting/freezing processes in late summer. The productivity is high in coastal water due to the input of macro as well as micro-nutrients.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.33 no.1-2
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• pp.1-7
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• 1998

In the western Weddell Sea, winter mixed layer is characterized by near-freezing temperature and higher salinity due to brine injection through sea-ice formation. This layer becomes Winter Water being capped by warmer and less saline Antarctic Surface Water during the sea-ice melt-ing season. In this study, Winter Water was preliminarily identified by the oxygen isotopic com-positions. The ${\delta}^{18}$O values of Winter Water show the progressively increasing trend from south to north in the study area. It presumably reflects the enhanced mixing with Antarctic Surface Water due to the extent of influence by low S'"0 value of sea-ice/glacier meltwater. Correlations between salinity and 6'"0 values of seawater can be used to more generally characterize Winter Water with a view to identification. However, the prediction on the degree of mixing from these relationships needs more detailed isotope data, although this study allows the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater as a tracer to identify the water mass.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.407-418
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• 2008

Seawater samples were collected at discrete depths from five stations across the polar front in the Drake Passage (Antarctic Ocean) by the $20^{th}$ Korea Antarctic Research Program in December, 2006. Nitrate concentrations of seawater increase with depth within the photic zone above the depth of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW). In contrast, ${\delta}^{15}N$ values of seawater nitrate decrease with depth, showing a mirror image to the nitrate variation. Such a distinct vertical variation is mainly attributed to the degree of nitrate assimilation by phytoplankton as well as organic matter degradation of sinking particles within the surface layer. The preferential $^{14}{NO_3}^-$ assimilation by the phytoplankton causes $^{15}{NO_3}^-$ concentration to become high in a closedsystem surface-water environment during the primary production, whereas more $^{14}{NO_3}^-$ is added to the seawater during the degradation of sinking organic particles. The water-mass mixing seems to play an important role in the alteration of ${\delta}^{15}N$ values in the deep layer below the UCDW. Across the polar front, nitrate concentrations of surface seawater decrease and corresponding ${\delta}^{15}N$ values increase northward, which is likely due to the degree of nitrate utilization during the primary production. Based on the Rayleigh model, the calculated ${\varepsilon}$ (isotope effect of nitrate uptake) values between 4.0%o and 5.8%o were validated by the previously reported data, although the preformed ${\delta}^{15}{{NO_3}^-}_{initial}$ value of UCDW is important in the calculation of ${\varepsilon}$ values.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.291-299
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• 2006

The observed ocean barotropic circulation is not completely explained by the classical wind-driven circulation theory. Although it is believed that the thermohaline forcing plays a role in the ocean barotropic circulation to some degree, how much the thermohaline forcing contributes to the barotropic circulation is not well known. The role of thermohaline circulation driven by changes in temperature and salinity in the Southern Ocean (SO) water masses on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) transport is investigated using a coupled ocean - atmosphere - sea ice - land surface climate system model in a Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) context. Withthe implementation of glacial boundary conditions in a coupled model, a substantial increase in the ACC transport by about 75% in 80 years of integration and 25% in the near LGM equilibrium is obtained despite of the decreases in the magnitude of wind stresses over the SO by 33% in the transient time and 20% in the near-equilibrium. This result suggests that the increase in the barotropic ACC transport is due to factors other than the wind forcing. The change in ocean thermohaline circulation in the SO seems to play a significant role in enhancing the ACC transport in association with the change in the bottom pressure torque.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2000

We investigated seasonal variation of microalgal assemblages, sea water temperature, salinity and suspended solid and the parameters measured daily from January 1998 to October 1999 at a nearshore shallow-water in Marian Cove, Maxwell Bay, King George Island, the Antarctic. Annual mean surface water temperature was -0.3$0^{\circ}C$ and the highest water temperature was 4.53$^{\circ}C$ (22 January 1999) and the lowest water temperature was -2.07$^{\circ}C$ (23 August 1998). Annual mean salinity was 33.38 psu, ranging from 42.80 psu (6 January 1999) to 19.50 psu (6 June 1999). Annual mean suspended solid (SS) during two years was 34.14 mgㆍ1$^{-1}$, ranging from 60.62 mgㆍ1$^{-1}$(7 March 1998) to 12.90 mgㆍ1$^{-1}$ (26 December 1998). Chlorophyll $\alpha$ (Chl $\alpha$) concentrations were measured in order to know seasonal variations of microalgae in the surface seawater. Annual mean of total Chl a concentration was 0.55$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$, the highest Chl $\alpha$ concentration (12.16$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$) appeared in 4 October 1998, the lowest Chl $\alpha$ concentration appeared 0.19$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$, Monthly mean total Chl $\alpha$ concentration was high in October 1998 (1.32$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$) and low in July on 1998 (0.28$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$). Annual mean nano-sized Chl $\alpha$ concentration was 0.40$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$, monthly mean nano -sized Chl $\alpha$ concentration was high in November 1998 (0.90$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$), and low in July 1999 (0.22$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$). Annual mean micro-sized Chl $\alpha$ concentration was 0.15$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$ monthly mean micro-sized Chl $\alpha$ concentration was high in October 1998 (0.81$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$), and low July 1998, January, February and September 1999 (0.05$\mu\textrm{g}$ㆍ1$^{-1}$). More than 65% of total Chl $\alpha$ was concentrated during spring and summer time between October and March. Microalgal variation appeared to be due to physical factors of seawater in the Antarctic nearshore from 1998 to 1999. The reason why micro-sized Chl $\alpha$ did not increase during austral summer was the bay had been frozen by decrease of water temperature. We think that total microalgal abundance was decreased because the summer microalgal abundance was determined by variation of water temperature during winter season. [Chl $\alpha$ concentration, Microalgal assembalges, Seasonal variation, the Antarctic nearshore].

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.183-192
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• 1994

Spatial distribution patterns of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba in the Atlantic Ocean sector were seasonally divided into three or four regions; South George Island, Laurie/Coronation Islands and Livingston/King George Islands. Antarctic krill were caught from the surface to about 150 m in depth. The vertical distribution of catch per hour (CPUE) did not show much differences between the 10 m layers, but there were gradually poorer CPUEs as trawl depth increased. It was estimated from relationship between water temperature and CPUE that the Antarctic krill abundance was maximal at water temperatures of $0.8{\sim}1.0^{\circ}C$. The length compositions of Antarctic krill showed that female fish were, on an average, significantly larger than males. Relationship between carapace length and body length, and body length-body weight relationship were well fitted. Sex ratio was $60.3\%$ for male and $39.7\%$ for female with significant difference at the $5\%$ level.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.77-95
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• 2001

Temperature, salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll-a, and primary production were measured within the upper 200 m water column in the area around the South Shetland Islands in January, 2000. Surface temperature was relatively high in the Drake Passage north of the South Shetland Islands and low in the northeastern area of the Antarctic Peninsula. In contrast, surface salinity was low in the Drake Passage and increased toward the Antarctic Peninsula, reaching the maximum value in the northeastern area of the Antarctic Peninsula. Surface nutrients were low in the Drake Passage and high in the area near the South Shetland Islands. Surface chlorophyll-a was also low in the Drake Passage and near the Antarctic Peninsula and high in the area of the northern King George Island. The study area could be classified as four geographical zones based on the characteristic shape of the T/S diagrams;the Drake Passage, the Bransfield Strait, the mixed zone, and the Weddell Sea. Each geographical zone showed apparently different physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Phytoplankton biomass was relatively low in the Drake Passage and the Weddell Sea and high in the Bransfield Strait and the mixed zone. The low phytoplankton biomass in the Weddell Sea could be explained by the low water temperature and deep surface mixing down to 200 m. The high grazing pressure and low availability of iron could be responsible for the low phytoplankton biomass in the Drake Passage.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.141-153
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• 2023

Biological pump processes generated by diatom production in the surface water of the Southern Ocean play an important role in exchanging CO₂ gas between the atmosphere and ocean. In this study, the biogenic opal content of the sediments was measured to elucidate the variation in the primary production of diatoms in the surface water of the Southern Ocean since the last glacial period. A piston core (COR-1bPC) was collected from the Conrad Rise, which is located in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. The sediments were mainly composed of siliceous ooze, and sediment lightness increased and magnetic susceptibility decreased in an upward direction. The biogenic opal content was low (38.9%) during the last glacial period and high (73.4%) during the Holocene, showing a similar variation to that of Antarctic ice core ΔT and CO₂ concentration. In addition, the variation of biogenic opal content in core COR-1bPC is consistent with previous results reported in the Antarctic Zone, south of the Antarctic Polar Front, in the Southern Ocean. The glacial-interglacial biogenic opal production was influenced by the extent of sea ice coverage and degree of water column stability. During the last glacial period, the diatom production was reduced due to the penetration of light being limited in the euphotic zone by the extended sea ice coverage caused by the lowered seawater temperature. In addition, the formation of a strong thermocline in more extensive areas of sea ice coverage led to stronger water column stability, resulting in reduced diatom production due to the reduction in the supply of nutrient-rich subsurface water caused by a decrease in upwelling intensity. Under such environmental circumstances, diatom productivity decreased in the Antarctic Zone during the last glacial period, but the biogenic opal content increased rapidly under warming conditions with the onset of deglaciation.