• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.750-763
• /
• 2018

This study conducted 10 sampling sites survey 4 times to determine the trophic structure and energy flow of marine ecosystems for Uljin marine ranching area, Korean East Sea from March to October 2013. Based on the ecological characteristics of biological species, one used the non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling method based on the similarity of species. A total of 19 classified species groups formed categories including, top predators, seabirds, large pelagic fishes, small pelagic fishes, rockfishes, pleuronectiformes, benthic fishes, semi-benthic fishes, cephalopods, benthic feeders, epifauna, bivalves, abalone, Cnidaria, zooplankton, benthic algae, microalgae, phytoplankton and detritus. The biomass, production/biomass, consumption/biomass, diet composition data of each species groups to input data used in Ecopath mode estimated the trophic structure and energy flow of marine ecosystems in the Uljin marine ranching area. One estimated each species groups on the trophic level from 1 to 5.687. The sum of all consumption was estimated at $229.7t/km^2/yr$ and the sum of all exports was as estimated $3,432.4t/km^2/yr$. Total system throughput was at $6,796.2t/km^2/yr$, and the sum of all production was estimated at $3,613.1t/km^2/yr$. Net system production according to these results was estimated at $3,490.3t/km^2/yr$ and total biomass (excluding detritus) was estimated at $167.3t/km^2/yr$ in the Uljin marine ranching area.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.263-276
• /
• 2021

Marine benthic organisms have been used as the indicators for the environment assessment and recently considered as a very important component in the biodiversity and ecosystem restoration. In Korean waters, the quantitative data on marine benthos was used as one of major components for the marine pollution assessment for 50 years since 1970s. The species identification which is an important factor for the quantitative biological data was mainly performed by the marine benthic ecologists. This leads to the deterioration of the data quality on marine benthos from the misidentication of major taxonomic groups due to the lack of taxonomic expertise in Korea. This taxonomic problem has not been solved until now and remains in most data from national research projects on the marine ecosystems in Korean waters. Here we introduce the quality assurance and control (QA/QC) system for the marine biological data in UK, that is, NMBAQC (Northeast Atlantic Marine Biological Analytic and Quality Control) Scheme which has been performed by private companies to solve similar species identification problems in UK. This scheme asks for all marine laboratories which want to participate to any national monitoring programs in UK to keep their identification potency at high level by the internal quality assurance systems and provides a series of taxonomic workshops and literature to increase their capability. They also performs the external quality control for the marine laboratories by performing the Ring Test using standard specimens on various faunal groups. In the case of Korea, there are few taxonomic expertise in two existing national institutions and so they can't solve the taxonomic problems in marine benthic fauna data. We would like to provide a few necessary suggestions to solve the taxonomic problems in Korean marine biological data in short-terms and long-terms: (1) the identification of all dominant species in marine biological data should be confirmed by taxonomic expertise, (2) all the national research programs should include taxonomic experts, and (3) establishing a private company, like the Korea marine organism identification association (KMOIA), which can perform the QA/QC system on the marine organisms and support all Korean marine laboratories by providing taxonomic literature and species identification workshops to enhance their potency. The last suggestion needs more efforts and time for the establishment of that taxonomic company by gathering the detailed contents and related opinions from diverse stakeholders in Korea.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.147-154
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study was, as a preliminary step for understanding the whole aspects of the impacts of a weir on the ecosystems in upper and lower streams, to find out the impacts of the weirs with and without a fish-way. A survey on the aquatic ecosystem of upper and lower streams of weirs in Ham-an Stream was carried out from June to October, 2006. Results of the investigation showed that some meaningful effects on the ecosystems had occurred by the weirs. The fish fauna in upper stream of the weir with a fish-way appeared to include 3 families, 8 species, and 184 individuals, while that in the lower stream of the weir appeared to include 5 families, 14 species, and 664 individuals. The fish fauna in the upper stream of the weir without a fish-way appeared to include 3 families, 9 species, 107 individuals, while that in the lower stream of the weir appeared to include 9 families, 19 species, 520 individuals, disclosing that, no matter with or without a fish-way, fish fauna species diversity and size of population were more abundant and bigger in the lower stream than in the upper stream, but that difference of fish fauna species diversities between upper and lower streams of the weirs appeared to be bigger for the weir with a fish-way than for the weir without a fish-way. Benthos species diversity and size of population were found to be more abundant and bigger in lower stream than in upper stream, and in wet season than in dry season.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.183-200
• /
• 2003

In order to assess the ecological changes induced by organic pollutants of the Shihwa Lake, BPI (Benthic Pollution Index) based on the benthic faunal community was employed. It was modified from Infaunal Trophic Index (ITI), and recommended as a pollution detecting method for the environmental assessment. The BPI values were calculated from the benthos data, which were collected for three terms: in 1980, before the Shihwa Lake was built up; in 1994-1997, which the Shihwa Lake was completely isolated from the outer seawater; in 1997-1999, after inflow of the outer seawater. Since the Shihwa Dike was constructed in February 1994, the pollution intensity of the lake had been increased from the narrow and inner part of the former Gyeonggi Bay and spread fast along the coast line of the Shihwa Lake. Then, in 1996 it showed the very high BPI levels all around the Lake. This serious polluted condition had been lasted till 1997, when the inflow of the seawater was begun. In 1998, from the nearest part of the Shihwa Gate, the BPI levels gradually became low in most area of the Lake, except its inner and narrow part. These greatly lowered BPI levels mean that the seawater inflow could be assumed to affect positively in the lake. Furthermore, BPI gave the same results from the other environmental assessment based on the abundance and the species richness of macrobenthic community. It shows that BPI could be useful as an effective method to assess the marine environment and evaluate the status of environmental conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.353-364
• /
• 2009

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of erosion control works on the stream ecosystem in a mountain torrential stream. The species composition of benthic macroinvertebrates and biological water quality were investigated before and after construction of erosion control works at 5 sites. The total number of benthic macroinvertebrates before construction was 3,086 individuals including 4 phyla, 6 classes, 11 orders, 22 families, and 25 species, but after construction it has decreased to 1,208 individuals including 4 phyla, 6 classes, 10 orders, 17 families, and 19 species. Especially, the diversity, richness, and evenness indices, which were calculated based on existing number of biological species, have decreased or not produced at the erosion control sites, where biological species were not found or the minimum number of species were found. The results of community analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates and ESB(Ecological Score of Benthic macroinvertebrate community) indicated that the environmental qualities of the stream based on saprobity, environmental condition, and water quality decreased after the construction at all sites: before construction, the top of the stream was satisfactory and some satisfactory, the middle was some defectiveness, and the lower was defectiveness and very defectiveness; after construction, all parts of the stream except some parts of the top were very defectiveness. Moreover, the water quality of torrential stream was rated between I to III before construction, but after construction, it declined to $IV{\sim}V$ except control. The habitat damage of benthic macro invertebrates occurred at all investigation sites after the construction of erosion control works led to reduction of the number of biological species and water quality deterioration. The results reported in this study were collected directly after the construction of erosion control works. Therefore, additional studies are needed to further explore the effect of disaster-prevention of erosion control works and the recovery process of stream ecosystem through long term monitoring.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.128-138
• /
• 2019

Effects of feeding type and food resource availability on community structure of mollusks inhabiting hard-bottom subtidal areas were investigated. By following guidance from several references, mollusks observed in this study were divided into 5 groups according to feeding type - 1) grazing, 2) filter feeding, 3) deposit feeding, 4) omnivorous and 5) predation. The results showed that both grazing and filter feeders were the most numerous, explaining grazing type in the East Sea accounting for 47.9%, 32.6% in the South Sea and 29.6% for filter feeding, and filter feeding as a dominant feeding type in Yellow Sea accounting for 42.3%. Results of this study showed distinctive difference in community structure depending on mechanism of feeding type and geographical areas where sampling took place. With the results, attempts were made to understand whether community structure could be affected by feeding type or feeding availability and found out that community structure depended heavily on food resource availability. In the East Sea where marine algal density was high, the algal community in the forms of thick-leathery and sheet often occurred in water column with high transparency which provides proper environment for growth. In the South Sea where grazing and filter feeding types were predominated similarly, the algal density was high, but had the relative highest phytoplankton density. Whereas in the Yellow Sea showing the lowest algal biomass compared to the one in the East and the South Sea, and phytoplankton density was similar to those. It might be a adequate environment for filter feeders than grazers. This study concluded that community structure of mollusks showing high abundance was present where food resource availability with types and quantity was high.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.689-697
• /
• 2020

Hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) may cause maritime incidents during marine transportation, which are liable to lead to a large amount of spillage or discharge into the sea. The damage to the marine environment caused by the HNS spill or discharge is known to be much greater than the damage caused by oil spill. Particularly dangerous is HNS, which is deposited or buried in the seabed, as it can damage the organisms that live on, in, and near the bottom of the sea, the so-called "benthos," forming the benthic ecosystem. Therefore, it is vital that the HNS deposited on the seabed be recovered. In order to do so, procedures and equipment are required for accurate detection, stabilization treatment, and recovery of HNS in subsea sediment. Thus, when developing a mechanical recovery system, the performance requirements should be selected using performance indices, and the conceptual design of the mechanical recovery system should be based on performance requirements decided upon and selected in advance. Therefore, this study was conducted to arrive at a conceptual design for a mechanical recovery system for the recovery of HNS deposited on the seabed. In the design of the system, based on the fundamental scenario, the method of suction foundation with the function of self enclosing was adopted for recovering the HNS sediment in the subsea sediment. The mechanical recovery system comprises the suction foundation, pollution prevention, a pump system, control system, monitoring device, location information device, transfer device, and tanks. This conceptual design is expected to be reflected and used in the basic design of the components and shapes of the mechanical recovery system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.23 no.7
• /
• pp.869-877
• /
• 2017

Recently, Gomso Bay saw a decrease in the production of manila clam, which accounted for 17.8 % of production across the whole country in 2015, while Geunso Bay saw an increase that raised its contribution to 49.1 %. The tidal flats in these bays are inhabited by various benthos, and material flows in and out according to the tide. It is essential to understand the mass balance of these regions while giving consideration to the characteristics of these tidal flats. In this study, we compared areas where aquaculture farms were located in Gomso Bay with those without from May to August 2015. We divided the region into three sea areas (Sector I, Sector II, and Control), and the mass balance was estimated using the LOICZ model. As a result, the DIP of Sector II in Gomso Bay and another region in Geunso Bay, where a manila clam farm was located, were found to be -207.2 kg/day and 77.2 kg/day. The DIN was -4,996.7 kg/day and 926.6 kg/day. These results suggest that Gomso Bay han a higher density than Geunso Bay, which is thought to be mainly due to the feeding action of organisms. Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy tidal flat ecosystem and to sustain the production of manila clams, sustainable management to reduce the high density of tidal flat farms is necessary.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.106-127
• /
• 2019

This study aims to understand spatio-temporal variations of macrozoobenthos community in Han River (HRE), Geum River (GRE), and Nakdong River estuaries (NRE) of Korea, sampled by National Survey of Marine Ecosystem. The survey was seasonally performed at a total of 20 stations for three years (2015-2017). Sediment samples were taken three times with van Veen grab of $0.1m^2$) areal size and sieved through a 1 mm pore size mesh on site. A total of 1,008 species were identified with 602 species in HRE, 612 in GRE, and 619 in NRE, showing similar number of species between estuaries. Mean density was $1,357ind./m^2$, showing the high in NRE ($1,357ind./m^2$), mid in GRE ($1,357ind./m^2$), and low in HRE ($1,127ind./m^2$). Mean biomass was $116.8g/m^2$, showing similar variations to density ($174.2g/m^2$ in NRE, $129.0g/m^2$ in GRE, $49.0g/m^2$ in HRE). Polychaeta dominated in number of species and density in three estuaries. Biomass-dominated taxon was Mollusca in HRE and GRE, and Echinodermata in NRE. Polychaetous species dominated all three estuaries over 4% of density, such as Dispio oculata, Heteromastus filiformis and Aonides oxycephala in HRE, Heteromastus filiformis and Scoletoma longifolia in GRE, and Pseudopolydora sp. and Aphelochaeta sp. in NRE, showing various density between estuaries. Community structure was determined by various environmental variables among estuaries such as mean grain size and sorting (HRE), salinity and mean grain size (GRE), and salinity, dissolved oxygen, loss on ignition and mud content (NRE). Our study demonstrates the application of different measures to manage ecosystems in three estuaries. HRE needs to alleviate sedimentary stressors such as sand mining, land-filling, dike construction. Management of GRE should be focused on fresh water control and sedimentary stressors. In NRE, monitoring of dominant benthos and process study on hypoxia occurrence in inner Masan Bay are necessary.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.29 no.7
• /
• pp.779-793
• /
• 2023

Intensive and long-term aquaculture activities in Korea have generated considerable amounts of organic matter, deteriorating the sedimentary environment and ecosystem. The Korean government enacted the Fishery Management Act to preserve and manage the environment of fish farms. Based on this, a fisheries environment assessment has been conducted on fish cage farms since 2014, necessitating the development of a scientific and objective evaluation method suitable for the domestic environment. Therefore, a benthic health index (BHI) was developed using the relationship between benthic polychaete communities and organic matter, a major source of pollution in fish farms. In this study, the development process and calculation method of the BHI have been introduced. The BHI was calculated by classifying 225 species of polychaetes appearing in domestic coastal and aquaculture areas into four groups by linking the concentration gradient of the total organic carbon in the sediment and the distributional characteristics of each species and assigning differential weights to each group. Using BHI, the benthic fauna communities were assigned to one of the four ecological classes (Grade 1: Normal, Grade 2: Slightly polluted, Grade 3: Moderately polluted, and Grade 4: Heavily polluted). The application of the developed index in the field enabled effective evaluation of the Korean environment, being relatively more accurate and less affected by the season compared with the existing evaluation methods like the diversity index or AZTI's Marine Biotic Index developed overseas. In addition, using BHI will be useful in the environmental management of fish farms, as the environment can be graded in quantified figures.