• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

River water quality and organisms have a very close relationship with the human living environment and health, so it is very important to ensure and maintain the ecological integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. In that sense, benthic diatoms have relatively little mobility, can explain the effects of long-term exposed pollution sources, and are very suitable indicator organisms for river ecosystem evaluation. Diatom ecologists have been developed various diatom indices to assess water quality and stream ecosystem over the world. However, they so far have insufficient identification of taxa, are strongly regional, and are difficult to apply as they are domestically. Unfortunately, there has not been developed an independent diatom index suitable for the Korean stream. Therefore, management of water quality and aquatic ecosystem suitable for domestic rivers can be made, and development or improvement of comprehensive multivariate diatom index for the integrated assessment of water quality and aquatic ecosystem is urgently needed.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.1030-1035
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• 2021

Diving fishermen are demanding permission to use an inspirator that can efficiently catch Manila clam; however, coastal fishermenargue that the use of inspirator devastates the seabed and depletes fishery resources. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the fishing power of diving gears and its effect on coastal fishing grounds. The average time taken to fish in the seabed (4 m²) with a rake, water gun, and an inspirator was 11.17 min, 13.33 min and 7.81 min, respectivelyThe values of catch per unit time with a rake, water gun, and an inspirator were 3.35 kg/min, 2.26 kg/min, and 3.83 kg/min, respectively. Suspended sediments were observed the most in the water gun fishing area, and were observed more in April when fishing was not carried out than in February when fishing was carried out. However, the difference in the amount of sediment deposited in the fishing area using the three-fishing gears was very small. For an accurate analysis of the impact of the fishing gears on the seabed, supplementary tests such as grain size analysis and changes in benthic organisms need to be conducted.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.691-710
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• 2017

This study was performed to investigate the geochemical and benthic environment of three shellfish farms in Suncheon Bay during the period of September 2014 ~ April 2015. Three sampling stations were selected; St.1 is the shellfish farm of razor clam near Jangsan area. St.2 is the shellfish farm of small ark shell near Hwapo area and St.3 is the shellfish farm of razor clam near Yongdu area. Razor clam was the dominant species at St.1, small ark shell and granulated ark shell were dominant at St.2 and St.3, respectively. Granulated ark shell inhabited St.3, although it is not cultured at that station. This station's exposure to air during the ebb tide and sediment composition likely provides the appropriate habitat for granulated ark shell species. Analysis of the number of different species showed that 8 benthos species were found to be distributed at St.1, 18 species at St.2, and 13 species at St.3. Among three stations, the highest Ignition Loss (IL), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Acid Volatile Sulfide (AVS) values were obtained from the sediment at St.2. The analysis of pore water from St.2 also showed the highest values of Total Organic Carbon (TOC), ammonia ($NH_4^+$), Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) and phosphate ($PO_4^{3-}$). These results are related to the fact that species dominance and richness is the highest in St.2.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.392-402
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• 2020

We investigated the concentrations of acid volatile sulfide (AVS), ignition loss (IL), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and metallic elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn), in August 2015, to determine the spatial distribution and pollution status of organic matter and metals in the surface sediment of Jinju Bay, a spraying shellfish farming area, Korea. The concentrations of organic matter and metallic elements were significantly higher in the southern part of the bay than in the mouth and center of the bay. The C/N ratio (5.7~8.0) in the sediment represents the dominance of organic matter of oceanic origin in the surface sediment of the study area. The concentrations of AVS, TOC, and metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) were much lower than the values of the sediment quality guidelines applied in Korea. Based on the results of the pollution load index (PLI) and ecological risk index (ERI), the metal concentrations in the surface sediment of Jinju Bay have a weakly negative ecological effect on benthic organisms although the sediments with high metal pollution status are distributed in the southern parts of the bay, with high dense shellfish farming areas. Thus, the surface sediments in Jinju Bay are not polluted with organic matter and are slightly polluted with metallic elements.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.232-237
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• 2018

The feeding habits of Beringraja pulchra were studied using 203 specimens collected from February 2017 to March 2018 in the coastal waters of Incheon, Korea. The size of B. pulchra ranged from 31.1 to 77.7 cm in disc width (DW) and the stomachs of 16 specimens were empty. B. pulchra was a carnivore that mainly consumed fishes and shrimps, but also ate various benthic crustaceans and other invertebrates with small amounts. The main prey items in the diets of shrimps and fishes were Crangon hakodatei and Ammodytes personatus, respectively. The proportion of fishes in prey items increased with size-related while that of shrimps decreased. With increasing disc width of B. pulchra, the mean number of preys per stomach (mN/ST) and the mean weight of preys per stomach (mW/ST) were increased.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.140-150
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• 2023

The Hangang River^* is necessary to manage the water environment of severe pollution due to the high density of residential areas, parks, and agriculture and the large population concentrated there. Benthic macroinvertebrates, such as chironomids larvae, are bioindicator species that reflect environmental changes and are crucial for water quality monitoring. In this study, we investigated morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the chironomids larvae inhabiting the Hangang River area for water environment surveys. For this research, 20 rivers, lakes, and urban area in the Hangang River basin were selected. Chironomids larvae were collected from July to September 2022, and their appearance and characteristics were identified through morphological identification. In addition, phylogenetic analysis was performed based on the mtCOI gene sequences of the collected chironomids larvae, and identification at the genus level was confirmed. As a result, 32 species and 18 genera of 3 subfamilies of Chironomidae larvae were identified, and Stictochironomus sp. dominated most sites(6 sites). The morphological characteristics of the identified chironomids larvae, such as the mentum, ventromental plate, and antenna, were organized into table and pictorial keys, and a Bayesian inference molecular phylogeny was presented. These results provide basic morphological information for genus-level identification and can be used as fundamental information for water quality management.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.104-109
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• 2016

In Korea, the government has invested the installation of artificial reefs (ARs) which deploying to enhance the restoration of marine environment and productivity on the coastal area at the part of 222,627ha, from 1971 to 2014 for 44 years. The number of ARs are gradually increasing, while their comparison and corelation analysis were not much studied. Therefore, this study is to analyse temporal variation of ARs which composed of concrete named the Horn triangle reefs were deployed at Pohang, Jangkil-ri, a depth of 5 to 7m, in 2003, was monitored 4 times from 2009 to 2011. In results, the biodiversity investigated that the dominant species was Mollusca Omphalius pfeifferi except in 2009. The different species mainly depend on spatial-temporal variation. In this type of study can be used to the R&D, management and government policy of ARs as well improving marine environment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.11-23
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to identify the ecological characteristics and biological interactions between species of the abandoned rice paddy field in mountainous areas and to suggest a management strategy for stable food chain formation and biodiversity enhancement. The study site is located in Uldae wetland of Songchu district Bukhansan National Park, site characteristics and biological habitat characteristics were identified through site survey and literature survey. With regard to physical environment, among geographical features, the Uldae Wetland and the neighborhood inside the basin was a gently sloping area($5{\sim}15^{\circ}$). And 64.0% of basin faced the north. With regard to water environment, the Uldae Wetland was wetland of rainfed paddy field depending on precipitation and the system of stream flowing into the wetland from valley. According to the results of examining flora in plant ecology, in general, they were herbaceous wetland species. 88.6% of existing plants inside the Uldae Wetland basin was a forest in the mountain. And Quercus spp. community and Pinus densiflora community accounted for 64.6% of that, and was dominant. Except for that, Salix koreensis community was distributed. The existing vegetation of Uldae Wetland inhabited wetland species and terrestrialization indicator species, and it was thought that partial terrestrialization inside the Uldae Wetland was in progress after the discontinuation of paddy cultivation, such as the expansion of Salix koreensis distribution area. In the status of appearing faunae in the Uldae Wetland with regard to wildbirds of appearing principal species, The Uldae wetland was based on a abandoned rice paddy field various wildlife, and was a wildlife feeding, spawning, and resting place. The water environment was an important factor in maintaining the wetland living creatures function, habitat of waterbirds and benthic macroinvertebrates, amphibians and odonate are spawning ground and habitat, it was affecting the vegetation ecosystem based on wetlands. In order to maintain the diversity of wildlife, it was important to maintain smooth water supply and water level. A stable food chain will be formed and the Uldae wetland biodiversity will be abundant by establishing the relationship between the species of Uldae wetland, which is abandoned rice paddy field, and the habitat environment favored by species belonging to the ecosystem stepwise linkage. The ecological characteristics of the Uldae wetlands and the relation between the species were analyzed and the environmental conditions were reflected in the planning and management plan of Uldae wetland ecology.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.234-248
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• 1998

Seven box cores from the disposal areas located in the southern part of the East Sea (Stations Band B') and in the offshore to the east of Pusan (Stations J and J'), and from their surrounding areas (Stations J2, J6 and H) were collected to investigate the effect of dumped wastes on the foraminiferal assemblages. The species diversity indices [S, H(S), E] of foraminifera and the total number of foraminifera show significant differences between the ocean waste disposal areas and their adjacent areas. Ocean waste disposal areas located in southern part of the East Sea (Stations Band B') show not only smaller number of foraminifera species but also lower values of coarse fraction content in the sediment and the number of benthic and planktonic foraminifera than the surrounding areas. Another ocean disposal area located offshore Pusan (Station J') contains abnormally greater number of planktonic (approximately 300 000 individuals/lO g dried sediment) and benthic (approximately 300, 000 individuals/10 g dried sediment) foraminifera compared to those of the adjacent areas. The waste dumped at Station J' probably acts as a nutrient causing the greater number of foraminifera. Station J shows low species diversity indices [S, H(S)]. The number of benthic foraminifera decreases from the surface to the downcore at Station J, which indicates that Station J is under stress. However, Stations J', J2 and J6 are under stable conditions as evidenced by the greater species diversity indices [S, H(S)] compared to other stations. No foraminifera were found with biological disease or abnormal chambers, which commonly occur in extremely stressed environment, in both the ocean disposal and adjacent areas. The organic matter decay of the wastes dumped in the study areas has not made the bottom water corrosive.

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