• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.222-230
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• 2016

HEMIRE is a 6,000-meter-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that has been developed for observation and sampling of objects of interest on the deep seabed. We first carried out deep-seabed exploration around the slopes of the Hupo Bank and the Ulleung Basin in the East Sea in June 2015. Over two weeks, a total of 10 dives were made from a support ship, the R/V Onnuri, at eight stations with water depth ranging between 194 and 2,080 m. The dive times ranged from 1 to 6 hours, depending on the operating conditions. We obtained the following results: 1) video images of the deep seafloor; 2) red snow crab density data (a major fishery resource) and inventories of deep-sea fauna, including an unrecorded organism; 3) specific topographies such as canyons slopes; 4) an undisturbed sediment core obtained using a push corer; and 5) observations of the seabed surface covered with discarded anthropogenic waste material.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.573-580
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• 2006

A sediment core from the Cheollipo arboretum ($36^{\circ}$ 47' 57'N, $126^{\circ}$ 09' 04') was studied for pollen analysis in order to reconstruct postglacial vegetational change and environmental changes around the central western region of the Korean Peninsula. The record shows four pollen assemblage zones: Zone CHL-I, Quercus stage (ca. 9,300$\sim$6,200 yr BP): zone CHL-II, Quercus-Pinus stage (ca. 6,200$\sim$4,600 yr BP); zone CHL- III, Pinus-Quercus stage (ca. 4,600$\sim$1,160 yr BP): zone CHL-IV and Pinus stage (ca. 1,160 yr BP-present). During the 9,300$\sim$8,500 yr BP, the early Holocene, researchers have guessed a piece of cool-temperate norihern/altimontane mixed coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved forest. Between 8,500$\sim$4,600 yr BP the Quercus dominated the landscape of study area and the established dates of this typical cool-temperate central/montane deciduous broad-leaved forest vegetation might be ca. 6500 yr BP, and then the Pinus developed around the site at ca. 5,700 yr BP. The abrupt increase of Pinus and NAP (non-arboreal pollen) after ca. 1,100 yr BP indicates the vegetation changes due to human activities. From the dynamics of the Chenopodiaceae pollen indicating salt marsh and freshwater pollen flora such as Typha, Trapa, Nymphoides and so forth, we suggest that the tidal flat was altered into freshwater lake around 6,500 yr BP.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.41 no.4 s.115
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• pp.391-403
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• 2006

The Hanon volcano located in the southern pan of Cheju Island, Korea has a wetland in its crater being used as a farmland. Previous researchers presumed this wetland was a maar lake in the past. Based on the seismic refraction method, the wetland sediment layer was estimated between 5 to 14 m deep, which is mostly in accordance with previous researches. However, this shows only the depths at some sites, not representing the whole spatial distribution. This study is an attempt to reconstruct the volcanic lake in Hanon crater by applying the spatial statistical techniques based on the depth information from the seismic survey and known data. The procedure of reconstruction is as follows: First, the depth information from the seismic survey and known data were collected and it was interpolated by IDW and Ordinary Kriging method. Next, with the interpolation map and the present DEM the paleo DEM was constructed. Finally, using the paleo lake level on core data, the boundary of volcanic lake was extracted from the paleo DEM. The reconstructed lake resembles a half-moon in the north of the central scoria cone. It is estimated that the lake was 5 m deep on average and 13 m deep at the deepest point. Although there are slight differences according to the interpolation techniques, it is calculated that the area of the lake was between 184,000 and $190000m^2,$ and its volume approximately $869,760m^3$. Because of the continuous deposition processes after the crater formation, the reconstructed volcanic lake would not indicate an actual lake at a specific time. Nevertheless, it offers a significant clue regarding the inner morphology and evolution of the crater.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.187-198
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• 2003

High-resolution (Chirp, 3-11 kHz) echo facies and sedimentary facies of piston-core sediments were analyzed to reveal the late Quaternary depositional processes in the Korea Plateau and Ulleung Interplain Gap. The Korea Plateau is an Isolated topographic high with a very restricted input of terrigenous sediments, and its slope is characterized by a thin sediment cover and various-scale submarine canyons and valleys. Echo and sedimentary facies suggest that the plateau has been moulded mainly by persistent (hemi) pelagic sedimentation and intermittent settling of volcanic ashes. Sediments on the plateau slope and steep margins of ridges and seamounts were reworked by earthquake-induced, large-scale slope failures accompanied by slides, slumps and debris flows. As major fraction of the reworked sediments consists of (hemi) pelagic clay particles, large amounts of sediments released from mass flows were easily suspended to form turbid nepheloid layers rather than bottom-hugging turbidity currents, which flowed further downslope through the submarine canyons and spreaded over the Ulleung Basin plain. In the Ulleung Interplain Gap, sediments were introduced mainly by (hemi) pelagic settling and subordinate episodic mass flows (turbidity currents and debris flows) along the submarine channels from the slopes of the Oki Bank and Dok Island. The sediments in the Ulleung Interplain Channel and its margin were actively eroded and reworked by the deep water flow from the Japan Basin.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.127-133
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• 2009

In order to determine organic carbon oxidation by manganese and iron oxides, six core sediments were obtained in slope and basin sediments of Ulleung Basin in East Sea. The basin sediments show high organic carbon contents (>2%) at the water depths deeper than 2,000 m; this is rare for deep-sea sediments, except for those of the Black Sea and Chilean upwelling regions. In the Ullleung Basin, the surface sediments were extremely enriched by Manganese oxides with more than 2%. Maximum contents of Fe oxides were found at the depth of $1{\sim}4cm$ in basin sediments. However, the high level of Mn and Fe oxides was not observed in slope sediment. Surface manganese enrichments (>2%) in Ulleung Basin may be explained by two possible mechanisms: high organic carbon contents and optimum sedimentation rates and sufficient supply of dissolved Manganese from slope to the deep basin. Reduction rates of iron and manganese oxides ranged from 0.10 to $0.24\;mmol\;m^{-2}day^{-1}$ and from 0.30 to $0.57\;mmol\;m^{-2}day^{-1}$, respectively. In Ulleung Basin sediments, $13{\sim}26%$ of organic carbon oxidation may be linked to the reduction of iron and manganese oxides. Reduction rates of metal oxides were comparable to those of Chilean upwelling regions, and lower than those of Danish coastal sediments.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.409-421
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• 2022

Achieving a highly resolved spatial distribution of Mn-bearing minerals and elements in the natural ferromanganese nodules can provide detailed knowledge of the temporal variations of geochemical conditions affecting the formation processes of nodules. While a recent study utilizing Raman spectroscopy has reported the changes in the manganate mineral phases with growth for spherical nodules from the Arctic Sea, the distributions of minerals and elements in the nodules from the shallow Arctic Sea with non-spherical forms have not yet fully elucidated. Here, we reported the micro-laser Raman spectra with varying data acquisition points along three different profiles from the center to the outermost rim of the non-spherical ferromanganese nodules collected from the East Siberian Sea (~73 m). The elemental distributions in the nodule (such as Mn, Fe, etc.) were also investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis to observe the internal structure and mineralogical details. Based on the microscopic observation, the internal structures of a non-spherical nodule can be divided into three different regions, which are sediment-rich core, iron-rich substrate, and Mn-Fe layers. The Raman results show that the Mn-bearing mineral phases vary with the data acquisition points in the Mn-Fe layer, suggesting the changes in the geochemical conditions during nodule formation. In addition, we also observe that the mineral composition and structural characteristics depend on the profile direction from the core to the rim. Particularly, the Raman spectra obtained along one profile show the lack of Fe-(oxy)hydroxides and the noticeably high crystallinity of Mn-bearing minerals such as birnessite and todorokite. On the other hand, the spectra obtained along the other two profiles present the presence of significant amount of amorphous or poorly-ordered Fe-bearing minerals and the low crystallinity of Mn-bearing minerals. These results suggest that the diagenetic conditions varied with the different growth directions. We also observed the presence of halite in several layers in the nodule, which can be evidence of the alteration of seawater after nodule formation. The current results can provide the opportunity to obtain detailed knowledge of the formation process and geochemical environments recorded in the natural non-spherical ferromanganese nodule.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.85-96
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• 2023

The study involved the categorization of domestic lakes located in South Korea into three groups based on their salinity levels: upstream reservoirs with salinity less than 0.3 psu, estuarine reservoirs with salinity ranging from 0.3 to 2 psu, and brackish lagoons with salinity exceeding 2 psu. Subsequently, the research assessed variations in the concentrations of total nitrogen (T-N) and total phosphorus (T-P) in the sediment of these lakes using statistical analysis, specifically one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Additionally, a laboratory core incubation test was conducted to investigate the benthic nutrient fluxes in Songji lagoon (salinity: 11.80 psu), Ganwol reservoir (salinity: 0.73 psu), and Janggun reservoir (salinity: 0.08 psu) under both aerobic and anoxic conditions. The findings revealed statistically significant differences in the concentrations of T-N and T-P among sediments in the lakes with varying salinity levels (p<0.05). Further post-hoc analysis confirmed significant distinctions in T-N between upstream reservoirs and estuarine reservoirs (p<0.001), as well as between upstream reservoirs and brackish lagoons (p<0.01). For T-P, a significant difference was observed between upstream reservoirs and brackish lagoons (p<0.01). Regarding benthic nutrient fluxes, Ganwol Lake exhibited the highest diffusive flux of NH₄⁺-N, primarily due to its physical characteristics and the inhibition of nitrification resulting from its relatively high salinity. The flux of NO₃^--N was lower at higher salinity levels under aerobic conditions but increased under anoxic conditions, attributed to the impact of salinity on nitrification and denitrification. Additionally, the flux of PO₄^3--P was highest in Songji Lake, followed by Ganwol Lake and Janggun Reservoir, indicating that salinity promotes the diffusive flux of phosphate through anion adsorption competition. It's important to consider the influence of salinity on microbial communities, growth rates, oxidation-reduction processes, and nutrient binding forms when studying benthic diffusive nutrient fluxes from lake sediments.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.169-181
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• 2014

Korea government has consistently investigated the development of economic mineral deposits in the Tofua volcanic arc, Tonga since 2008 for the secure of sea floor mineral resources. We studied the composition and distribution of minerals formed by hydrothermal activity around TA 25 seamounts of the Tofua volcanic arc, Lau Basin, Tonga, using X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. We used 7 core samples and 9 surface sediment samples. Barite, sphalerite, and clinoclase are present in the most volcanic vent area. Gypsum, smectite, and kaolin mineral are distributed in vent A area, chalcopyrite, pyrite, smectite, and kaolin mineral are in vent B and C area, and gypsum, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and goethite are in vent D area. From the study of clay fraction, smectite and few kaolinite are detected in the most studied area except inner part of caldera, which suggest that argillic alteration are dominant in the volcanic vent areas. Various sulfide or arsenide minerals were found in the hydrothermal vent B, C, and D. The mineralogy and geochemistry suggest higher hydrothermal activities in volcanic vent B, C, and D compared to vent A and inner caldera area. Therefore higher probabilities of massive sulfide deposits may occur in hydrothermal vent B, C, and D.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.215-225
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• 1999

To study the vertical variations of major elements, trace elements and rare earth elements(REEs) contents in deep-sea sediments, six cores from Korea Deep-sea Environmental Study area(KODES) were analyzed. Topmost sediment layers of KODES area are divided into two Units; brown-colored and peneliquid Unit I and pale brown-colored and relatively solidified Unit II. Contents of major elements, REEs, Cu, Sr and Rb in each Unit are almost same, while contents of Mn, Ni and Co in Unit I are two or three times higher than those in Unit II. R-mode factor analysis represents that surface sediments are composed of alumino-silicate phase (AI-Ti-K-Mg-Fe-Rb-Ce), apatite phase (Ca-P-Cu-Sr-Trivalent Rare Earth Elements) and Mn-oxide phase(Mn-Ni-Co). Factor scores in silicate and apatite phases in each Unit are nearly same, whereas those in Mn-oxide phase in Unit I is higher than those in Unit II. While NilCu ratio in Unit I is two times higher than that in Unit II. We interprete the geochemical fractionation of Ni and Cu as a result that Ni can be remobilized in oxygen-depleted micro-environment in Units I and II and then easily reprecipitated in Unit I, while most of Cu supplied together with organic material is decomposed mostly in Unit I and sorbed into apatite.