• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.403-410
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• 2020

The difficulty of securing freshwater sources is increasing with global climate change. On the other hand, seawater is less affected by climate change and regarded as a stable water source. For utilizing seawater as freshwater, seawater desalination technologies should be employed to reduce the concentration of salts. However, current desalination technologies might accelerate climate change and create problems for the ecosystem. The desalination technologies consume higher energy than conventional water treatment technologies, increase carbon footprint with high electricity use, and discharge high salinity of concentrate to the ocean. Thus, it is critical to developing green desalination technologies for sustainable desalination in the era of climate change. The energy consumption of desalination can be lowered by minimizing pump irreversibility, reducing feed salinity, and harvesting osmotic energy. Also, the carbon footprint can be reduced by employing renewable energy sources to the desalination system. Furthermore, the volume of concentrate discharge can be minimized by recovering valuable minerals from high-salinity concentrate. The future green seawater desalination can be achieved by the advancement of desalination technologies, the employment of renewable energy, and the utilization of concentrate.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.128-136
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• 2024

Background: Prasiola japonica is a freshwater green algae species that can only be seen in Korea and Japan. The various conditions necessary for its growth and reproduction have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate conditions related to the growth and reproduction of P. japonica for the purpose of conserving and producing this species. We first examined differences in growth according to various conditions in different habitats to understand the growth environment of P. japonica. Results: The experimental results revealed that the optimal temperature for growth and reproduction of P. japonica was between 10℃-15℃, and the optimal light intensity was 1,000-1,500 lux. Furthermore, when Provasoli enriched seawater with iodine (PESI) agar was used, the growth of P. japonica was found to be at least 1.5-8 times greater than that of the general Sohan Valley water sample, and it also showed 2-4.5 faster growth rate to reach 30 ㎛. These results emphasize the importance of PESI agar in the culture of P. japonica, and are expected to be helpful in suggesting ways to utilize and conserve P. japonica resources. Conclusions: Through these research findings, we suggest new methods for conserving and producing P. japonica, highlight the importance of preserving the P. japonica ecosystem, and explore ways to utilize P. japonica resources. This research promotes the understanding and protection of P. japonica resources in Korea and beyond, and underscores the need for further research and conservation efforts.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.3 s.95
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• pp.141-152
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• 2001

Abundance of autotrophic picoplankton (APP) and their contribution to phytoplankton biomass were assessed in seven brackish lagoons and five freshwater reservoirs in the summer season. Phycocyanin-rich picocyanobacteria dominated APP in lagoons, while phycoerythrin-rich picocyanobacteria dominated APP in freshwater reservoirs. The cell density of APP ranged from $3.6{\times}10^3$ to $5.0{\times}10^6\;cells/ml$ (median $2.5{\times}10^5$) in brackish lagoons and from $3.8{\times}10^4$ to $3.6{\times}10^5\;cells/ml$ (mdian $1.3{\times}10^5$) in reservoirs. Carbon biomass ranged from 1.0 to $1,385.0\;{\mu}gC/L$ in lagoons and from 15.3 to $128.2\;{\mu}gC/L$ in reservoirs. APP cell density in Lake Kyungpo was over $10^6\;cells/ml$in all three surveys, which is one of the highest values recorded in all over the world. During the thermal stratification in Lake Soyang, the maximum abundance of APP and their maximum contribution to phytoplankton biomass were observed near the thermocline. This study showed that APP sometimes can contribute significantly to phytoplankton biomass both in lagoons and reservoirs with the range from 0.1 to 85.0%. APP which have been overlooked in the past studies appears to be important primary producers in Korean lake ecosystem.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.201-210
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• 2007

Pollution by chemical substances such as POPs, EDCs and PBTs in the ecosystem has become more complex and varied, increasing the possibility of irreversible damage to human health or the ecosystem. It is necessary to have a exposure assessment in a multi-media environment for various chemical substances is required for efficient management. This study applied MUSEM(Multi-media Simplebox-systems Environmental Model), a multimedia environmental model that can simultaneously evaluate the possibility of exposure of hundreds of chemical substances in order to efficiently manage chemical substances that can have negative impact on human health or ecological environment through environmental contamination. MUSEM executed the modeling for Japan by setting all 47 prefectures of japan as the regional area for 62 chemical substances and the rest of the territory of japan, excluding regional area, as the continental area and made the estimation of concentration among environment media in each administrative area and made the sensitivity analysis on Tokyo area. The results of simulation for chemical distribution showed that most of the target chemicals located in water region. The result of sensitivity analysis for octanol-water partition rate showed that the concentration change of soil in urban/industrial area and sediment in freshwater was high. In the case of sensitivity analysis for degradation rate showed that the concentration change of freshwater, soil in urban/industrial area, and sediment in freshwater was high.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.273-288
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• 2021

We analyzed the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of water quality and phytoplankton communities in the Isa Stream systems (ISS) from Sangsa Lake to Suncheon Bay. Sangsa Lake showed relatively oligotrophic and mesotrophic conditions, but the freshwater and mixed brackish water zones showed more severe eutrophication than Sangsa Lake and Suncheon Bay due to the influence of industrial waste such as livestock waste. In terms of the phytoplankton community, the number of phytoplankton species was higher in freshwater and mixed brackish water zones than in Sangsa Lake and Suncheon Bay, but the cell density and Chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a) were relatively high in Sanga Lake and Suncheon Bay. In particular, the mesotrophic species Fragilaria crotonensis and Asterionella formosa showed different dominance in the surface and bottom layers, and the influence of A. formosa was significant in the freshwater and mixed brackish water zones in spring and summer. However, Skeletonema costatum-ls, a eutrophic indicator species, dominated in mixed brackish water zones to seawater in autumn and winter. Thus, the severe eutrophication and rapid environmental changes in the ISS could seriously damage the coastal ecosystem in Suncheon Bay. These ecosystem changes are threatening in terms of conservation and management of the UNESCO Suncheon Biosphere Reserve and Yeoja Bay including Suncheon Bay, which recorded the first Ramsar wetland in Korea. Therefore, further research is needed to establish an in-depth management plan.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1308-1318
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• 2014

The specific freshwater environment of reservoirs formed by streams has not been well studied. In this paper, the bacterioplankton community in such a reservoir, the Huangqian Reservoir in eastern China, was described using culture-independent molecular methods. We found that the most dominant bacterioplankton were affiliated with Cyanobacteria, followed by Betaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Gammaproteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Both bacterial abundance and diversity increased along the direction of water flow, and the 16S rRNA gene copy number in the water outlet was nearly an order of magnitude higher than that in the water inlet. Pearson correlation analyses indicated that nitrate had a significantly negative correlation with the bacterial abundance (p < 0.05) and that ammonium was positively correlated with bacterial abundance (p < 0.05). Interestingly, owing to a remarkably negative correlation (p < 0.01), the ratio of nitrate and ammonium might serve as a good pre dictor of the relative abundance of bacterioplankton. According to redundancy analysis, nitrate and dissolved oxygen were the major factors influencing the bacterial communities. In addition, we attempted to determine the reasons why such a reservoir could maintain good ecological balance for a period of decades, and we found that the environmental factors and bacterial communities both played critical roles. This research will benefit our understanding of bacterial communities and their surrounding environments in freshwater ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.71-85
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• 2018

A recent topic of interest within ecology is ecosystem services that are importantly connected with biodiversity. Biodiversity is a fundamental component of ecological studies and has been the subject of many studies worldwide. However, studies on the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish were not undertaken in earnest until 2000, and the number of internationally available studies is therefore still limited. In this study, we used data from "The Survey and Evaluation of Aquatic Ecosystem Health (hereafter SEAEH)" within the framework of which whole water systems on the Korean peninsula are annually monitored to investigate and determine the current status of the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish, as well as to elucidate major factors impacting freshwater fish. A total of 130 species from 28 families were identified at around 953 sites in the SEAEH investigation of 2014. The species Zacco platypus (relative abundance: 28.2%) and Z. koreanus (19.3%) were identified as the most abundant species on the Korean peninsula, and besides these 20 endangered species, 51 endemic species and 4 exotic species were also collected. Highest (96 species) and lowest (72 species) diversity were identified in the Han River Watershed and the Yeongsan/Seomjin River Watershed, respectively. The mean endemic rate was 32.7%, which is higher than the previous rate determined in 1995. The exotic species Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis macrochirus and Carassius cuvieri were found in the whole river system except north Yeongdong, whereas Oreochromis niloticus occurred only at three sites due to the cold water temperatures in winter. Totally, 28 species were found to be translocated to different water systems not connected with known original habitats, most translocations occurring in the Nakdong River and the Yeongdong region. Among the translocated species, Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, and Erythroculter erythropterus were dominantly distributed in the mid- to lower reaches of Nakdong River where they may be harmful to the native fish assemblages due to their strong predation. The construction of weirs in connection with the "4 River Project" generated changes in fish assemblages before, during and after the project, resulting in altered habitat condition. Especially, a decrease in the number of endemic species and an increase in the abundance of lentic species were seen. Human-induced global warming will allow exotic species requiring high water temperatures to adapt to the environmental conditions of the Korean peninsula, which may enhance the diversity of native fishes and create changes in distribution. For the establishment of realistic and efficient management and protection strategies for Korean freshwater fish, SEAEH, which produces fundamental and quantitative data for Korean streams, is an important and necessary tool.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.823-839
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• 2012

Environmental Specimen Banks (ESBs) are playing pivotal role in monitoring the effect of environmental pollution on the ecosystem based on the retrospective analysis of the representative samples collected regularly and stored in cryogenic condition. In Korea, National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) was established in 2009 and the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sampling, and cryogenic milling and storage had been prepared during 2007-2010. Since then, the tentative SOPs for the seven kinds of specimens (shoots of Red Pine (Pinus densiflora) and Korean Pine (Pinus koraiensis), leaves of Mongolian Oak (Quercus mongolica) and Zelkova Tree (Zelkova serrata), eggs of Feral Pigeon (Columba livia var. domestica), muscles and organs of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio), and Freshwater Bivalve (Unio (Nodularia) douglasiae)) have been put to test in the field and laboratory as well against the practicality and feasibility. The SOPs were improved by reflecting the findings from the research and the following discussion regarding the selection of specimen (Feral Pigeon suffering from a control management), sample size (a problem of decreasing number of sampling trees related to increasing sampling time) and period (a problem related to a bud growth), and sampling methods etc.. In addition, barcoding system for the management of the specimen information, and monitoring system of the cryogenic storage to regulate the optimum temperature and the liquid nitrogen level were also developed for the efficient and effective control of the samples. Lastly, the safety guide and emergency protocol were augmented to guarantee a safe work environment with the cryogenic facility. These improvements of the SOPs are expected to contribute to more stable operation of the NESB.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.275-288
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• 2010

Ecological modeling faces some unique problems in dealing with complex environment-organism relationships, making it one of the toughest domains that might be encountered by a modeler. Newer technologies and ecosystem modeling paradigms have recently been proposed, all as part of a broader effort to reduce the uncertainty in models arising from qualitative and quantitative imperfections in the ecological data. In this paper, evolutionary computation modeling approaches are introduced and proposed as useful modeling tools for ecosystems. The results of our case study support the applicability of an algal predictive model constructed via genetic programming. In conclusion, we propose that evolutionary computation may constitute a powerful tool for the modeling of highly complex objects, such as river ecosystems.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.683-690
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• 2014

Nanomaterials are used in a range of fields, including industry, medicine, aerospace, and manufacturing, due to their unique and useful properties. In recent years, nanotechnology has developed rapidly, and the amount of nanomaterials used in various fields has increased consistently. As a result, nanomaterials are released into the aquatic and soil ecosystem, posing potential risks to organisms and environment. These materials can enter the cells and may cause serious damage to organisms. Furthermore, they can be transferred through trophic levels and food web, thereby leading to bioconcentration and biomagnification. In this study, we analyzed the trends in research on food chain transfer of nanomaterials and investigated the techniques used in the research. Although many studies have been underway, there is a need for further advanced studies on higher trophic levels and complex microcosm and mesocosm. Furthermore, study topics should be expanded to include various types of nanomaterials and varied species and trophic levels.