• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.315-328
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• 2019

Since the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS)/Nimbus-7 was launched in 1978, a variety of studies have been conducted to retrieve ocean color variables from multi-satellites. Several algorithms and formulations have been suggested for estimating ocean color variables based on multi band data at different wavelengths. Chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration is one of the most important variables to understand low-level ecosystem in the ocean. To retrieve chl-a concentrations from the satellite observations, an appropriate algorithm depending on water properties is required for each satellite sensor. Most operational empirical algorithms in the global ocean have been developed based on the band-ratio approach, which has the disadvantage of being more adapted to the open ocean than to coastal areas. Alternative algorithms, including the semi-analytical approach, may complement the limits of band-ratio algorithms. As more sensors are planned by various space agencies to monitor the ocean surface, it is expected that continuous monitoring of oceanic ecosystems and environments should be conducted to contribute to the understanding of the oceanic biosphere and the impact of climate change. This study presents an overview of the past and present algorithms for the estimation of chl-a concentration based on multi-satellite data and also presents the prospects for ongoing and upcoming ocean color satellites.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.305-312
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• 2010

Seagrass beds are a type of coastal wetland with many ecosystem services and precious economic values. Seagrass meadows used to be widespread along the coasts in northern Chinese seas, yet they have long been overlooked and lack devoted study on their history and status. This paper firstly reveals, by synthesis of information on composition of seagrass species and their distribution, that the seagrasses in this region have experienced considerable declines, both in terms of distribution and biomass, from the earliest record to present days. Then, a case study at the seagrass bed of Chudao is described to show the status of representative seagrass meadows. The results indicate that the environmental condition is good, seagrasses are in recovery, the planktoners are healthy and rich fishery resources and the mammal finless porpoise are associated with the seagrass bed. The cause(s) of historical seagrass decline and current conditions are also discussed, and future recommendations on seagrass protection and mapping are suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.302-313
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• 2012

Concentrations of selected heavy metals (Al, Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, As and Cd) in surface sediments from 96 sites in Masan and Jinhae Bay were studied in order to understand metal contamination. Results show that the surface sediments were mainly enriched by Cu (18-294 ppm), Zn (67-568 ppm), Pb (10-120 ppm) and Cd (0.2-3.5 ppm). The coastal zone of Masan Bay was significantly more contaminated than the non-coastal zone, and spatial distribution pattern suggested additional sources of heavy metal input in the coastal area. The enrichment ratio and geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$) have been calculated and the relative contamination levels assessed in the study area. The enrichment ratios of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in Masan Bay have been observed to be relatively high. $I_{geo}$ results reveal that the study area is not contaminated with respect to Fe, Mn, Cr and Ni; moderately to strongly contaminated with Cu, Zn and Pb; and strongly to strong contaminated with Cd. The high contents of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in the study area result from anthropogenic activities in the catchment area. Based on the eight different sediment quality guideline values from USA (ERL, ERM), Canada (TEL, PEL), Australia/New Zealand (ISQG-high, ISQG-low) and Hong Kong (ISQV-low, ISQV-high), sediment quality of Masan and Jinhae Bay was also assessed and characterized.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.15-15
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• 2003

In South Korea, marine terraces have been well developed along the eastern coastal zone, and previous researches on the marine terraces have also been focused on to this coastal zone. The marine terraces of the eastern coast of South Korea had been classified into three terrace groups, that is, the higher, middle, and lower surface ones, according to the heights of marine terraces by previous studies(Oh, 1981 ;Chang, 1987 ;Yoon et. al, 1999, 2003 ; Hwang and Yoon, 1996 etc.). Recently, however, it tends to classify the marine terraces based on the concept of geomorphic surface units(Lee, 1987 ; Kim, 1990 ; Choi, S. 2003; Choi S. et. al 2003a,b, etc). For example, it was proposed that the marine terrace surfaces of Eupcheon coast of the southeastern coastal area of Korea could be classified into 16 geomorphic surfaces, i.e., Eupcheon 1terrace(former shoreline height of 160m), 2(153m), 3(140m), 4(130m), 5(124m), 6(115m), 7(100m), 8(92m), 9(82m), 10(71m), 11(62m), 12(53m), 13(43m), 14(35m), 15(18m) and 16(10m) surfaces, in descending order, according to the former shoreline heights(Choi, S, 2003 ; Choi, S. et. al, 2003a,b). Among these terraces, Eupcheon 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 surfaces had not been reported in previous works. Among the above mentioned marine terraces, Eupcheon 15 terrace, the most widely and continuously distributed marine terrace have been identified as marine terrace of the Last Interglacial culmination period(oxygen isotope stage 5e) which was based on amino acid dates(124∼125ka BP) and geomorphological features such as red soil, pollen analysis, fossil cryogenic structures and crossing terrace concept. Eupoheon 15 terrace surfaces have also been proposed as the key surface for the identification and correlation of the so-called '5e' marine terrace in the eastern coast of South Korea. This terrace was reconfirmed as the Last Interglacial culmination period, which was based on the identification of Ata tephra, one of the wide-spread marker tephra which indicates the Last Interglacial culmination period in Japan by Sasaki et. al(2002). It was thought that marine terraces of the eastern coast of South Korea had been formed by the steady-state uplifting during the Quaternary glacio-eustatic sea level changes(Choi, 1997). The uprift rate of 10cm/1,000years had been proposed in the eastern coast of South Korea based on the former shoreline altitude(18m) of the above Eupcheon 15 terrace. Therefore, it can be estimated that Eupcheon 1 terrace had been formed in the early Pleistocene from the above uprift rate. The OSL dating for the samples of Eupcheon 7, 9, 13, 15 and 16 terraces and identification of marker tephra in the terrace deposits are in progress. It is expected that more elaborate chronology on themarine terraces of the eastern coast of South Korea could be established by these absolute dates and marker-tephra.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 1994

Electrical soundings and mappings were conducted to elucidate the geoelectrical structures of the local area of Cheju Island. The areas of the electrical surveys are coastal areas of Cheju Island, Gwagji, Sinpung-Sincheon. Generally, the geoelectrical structures of these areas are closely related with hydrogeological structures and it is very important to elucidate the geoelectrical structures for the water supply problems. Even though the results of electrical surveys in coastal areas of Cheju Island differ from place to place, there exists a general tendency of resistivity decrease with depth and the zone in the vicinity of mean sea level has low resistivity value. Also, there is good correlation between the low resistivity zone and the ground water distribution in the survey areas. A careful examination of the results of this study enabled resistivities of the rocks in Cheju Island to be divided in some categories. The resistivities of rocks unsaturated with ground water are greater than about 1000 ohm-m. The rocks saturated with fresh water have the resistivity value of about few hundreds ohm-m. Last, the rocks saturated with saline and/or brackish water have the resistivity value of about few tens ohm-m. The subsurface resistivity distribution of Cheju Island seems to be strongly dependent on the hydraulic characteristics of the rocks, and the amount and the salinity of the ground water in the rocks rather than the surface geology of the area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.179-188
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• 2012

Performance analyses of vertical breakwaters were conducted for fictitiously designed breakwaters for various water depths to analyze the influence of climate change on the structures. The performance-based design method considering sea level rise and wave height increase due to climate change was used for the performance analysis. One of the problems of the performance-based design method is the large calculation time of wave transformation. To overcome this problem, the SWAN model combined with artificial neural network was used. The significant wave height and principal wave direction at the breakwater site are quickly calculated by using a trained neural network with inputs of deepwater significant wave height and principal wave direction, and tidal level. In general, structural stability becomes low due to climate change impacts, but the trend of stability is different depending on water depth. Outside surf zone, the influence of wave height increase becomes more significant, while that of sea level rise becomes negligible, as water depth increases. Inside surf zone, the influence of both wave height increase and sea level rise diminishes as water depth decreases, but the influence of wave height increase is greater than that of sea level rise. Reinforcement and maintenance policies for vertical breakwaters should be established with consideration of these results.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2012

To arrange effectively artificial reefs for marine afforestation, tidal currents were analyzed by numerical experiments, and particle tracking based upon tidal currents were carried out to clarify the path of algae spore. The experiments were carried out by EFDC (Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code), and water column was vertically divided 10 layers. Tidal current patterns showed to be affected by main current at outside of study area, and circle currents of two were observed from analysis of residual currents. Particle tracking were experimented for 15 days at 2 installation places in which artificial reefs for marine afforestation would be deployed. According to the results of particle tracking experiment, particle movement at St.1 showed belt type along coastal line, and St.2 showed ellipse type at 300~500 m distant from coastal line. It suggest that artificial reefs for marine afforestation should be installed belt zone at station of St.1 and ellipse zone at St.2. Modelling algae transport was also tested to account for local dispersion of algae spore due to the suspended materials.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

Earthquake can change underground stress condition around the hypocenter and affect the fracture systems of the rocks. In Korea, the M5.8 Gyeongju earthquake on September 12, 2016 and M5.4 Pohang earthquake on November 15, 2017 occurred inside the Yangsan fault zone and possibly affected the fracture systems in the Yangsan fault zone and nearby rock masses. In this study, the characteristics of the fracture system (fracture orientation, number of the fractures, fracture spacing and aperture, dip angle, fracture density along depth, and relative rock strength) of the rocks in the low/intermediate level radioactive waste repository site located in the coastal area of the East Sea are analyzed by the impact of the Gyeongju and Pohang earthquakes using acoustic televiewer data taken from the boreholes at the radioactive waste repository site in 2005 and 2018. As a result of acoustic televiewer logging analysis, the fracture numbers, fracture aperture, and fracture density along depth overall increased in 2018 comparing to those in 2005. This increase tendency may be due to changes in the fracture system due to the impact of the earthquakes, or due to weathering of the wall of the boreholes for a long period longer than 10 years after the installation of the boreholes in 2005. In the borehole KB-14, on the whole, the orientation of the fractures and the average fracture spacing are slightly different between 2005 and 2018, while dip angle and relative rock strength in 2005 and 2018 are similar each other.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.19-36
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• 2013

Physiochemical characters of sea waters during summer flood- and winter dry-seasons and their spatial variations were investigated along the coastal area off the eastern South Sea, Korea. Using the hierarchical clustering method, in this study, we present comprehensive analyses of coastal waters masses and their seasonal variations. The results revealed that the coastal water of the study area was classified into six water masses (A to F). During summer season, the surface water was mainly occupied by the coastal pseudo-estuarine water (water mass B) with low salinity and high nutrients and the river-dominated coastal water (water mass C) with low nutrients, respectively. The bottom water was dominated by cold water (water mass D) with very low temperature, high salinity and high nutrients, compared to masses of surface water. Notably, the water mass B, with high concentrations of nutrients (silicate and nitrogen) and low salinity, which is strongly controlled by the water quality of river freshwater, seems to play an important role in controlling the water quality and further regulating physical processes on ecosystem in the eastern coastal area of South Sea. The water mass D (bottom cold water) coupled with a strong thermocline, which exists in near-bottom layer along the western margin of Korea Strait, has a low temperature, pH and DO, but abundant nutrients. This water mass disappears in winter owing to strong vertical mixing, and subsequently may act as a pool for nutrients during winter dry-season. On the other hand, vertically well-mixed water column during the winter season was typically occupied by the Tsushima (water mass E) and the coastal water (water mass F) with a development of coastal front formed in a transition zone between them. These winter water masses were characterized by low nutrient concentration and balance in N/P ratio, compared with summer season with high nutrient concentrations and strong N-limitation. Accordingly, the analysis of water masses will help one to better chemical and biological processes in coastal area. In most of the study area, characteristically, the growth of phytoplankton community is limited by nitrogen, which is clearly different with coastal environment of West Sea of Korea, with a relative lack of phosphorus. It showed the western and the southern coasts in Korea are substantially different from each other in environmental and ecological characteristics.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.223-232
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• 2008

In order to determine the temporal and spatial variations of nutrient profiles in the shallow pore water columns (upper 30 cm depth) of intertidal sandflats, we measured the salinity and nutrient concentrations in pore water and seawater at various coastal environments along the southern coast of Korea. In the intertidal zone, salinity and nutrient concentrations in pore water showed marked vertical changes with depth, owing to the active exchange between the pore water and overlying seawater, while they are temporally more stable and vertically constant in the sublittoral zone. In some cases, the advective flow of fresh groundwater caused strong vertical gradients of salinity and nutrients in the upper 10 cm depth of surface sediments, indicating the active mixing of the fresher groundwater with overlying seawater. Such upper pore water column profiles clearly signified the temporal fluctuation of lower-salinity and higher-Si seawater intrusion into pore water in an intertidal sandflat near the mouth of an estuary. We also observed a semimonthly fluctuation of pore water nutrients due to spring-neap tide associated recirculation of seawater through the upper sediments. Our study shows that the exchange of water and nutrients between shallow pore water and overlying seawater is most active in the upper 20 cm layer of intertidal sandflats, due to physical forces such as tides, wave set-up, and density-thermal gradient.