• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.699-703
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• 2007

Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) by isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) interfaced with gas chromatography (GC) is a state of the art analytical technique for stable isotopes in earth sciences, environmental sciences and forensics. Since early 1990s, GC-IRMS has been widely used to investigate the authenticity of food in forensic science and to trace the sources of organic contaminants in environmental science. In Korea, a GC-IRMS was firstly installed at the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) in early 2005. In this study, we introduce the GC-IRMS of the KBSI shortly to stimulate various isotope-related researches of Korea, and report preliminary CSIA results for BTEX of different manufacturers.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.289-297
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• 2018

This study reconstructs past vegetation changes in southeastern Korea over the last 30 thousand years using plant waxes (i.e. long chain n-alkanes) and their carbon isotopic compositions (${\delta}^{13}C_{alk}$) preserved in marine sediment core (KIODP 12-1) retrieved from the East Sea. Here we show changes in vegetation composition in the Korean peninsula in relation to the strength of the East Asian Summer Monsoon. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), when the summer monsoon weakened, precipitation decreased and $C_3$ grassland expanded. After the LGM, the summer monsoon gradually intensified, increasing rainfall, and thus expanding the forestland coverage. Precipitation climaxed from 10 to 6 kyr BP, which includes the Holocene Climate Optimum. The grassland began to expand since 5 kyr BP due to climate warming and drying towards the present. The ${\delta}^{13}C_{alk}$ values may also have been influenced by agricultural activities, which is known to have begun since the late Neolithic (ca. 7.0~3.0 kyr BP). Our results demonstrate how changes in the global climate state influence regional atmospheric circulation and precipitation distribution, and consequently terrestrial plant composition in southeastern Korea.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.61-73
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• 2022

Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is being used in various research fields including environmental science, ecology, biogeochemistry, forensics, and archeology. In this paper, for the purpose of enhancing applications and utilizations stable isotope analysis techniques to aquaculture research, we would like to introduce the background knowledge necessary to utilize stable isotope analysis techniques. In particular, with a focus on the approach using natural abundance, the principle of fractionation (change in isotope ratio) that occurs in the process of the integration of elements into biological tissues and how stable isotope ratios are determined by fractionation. This paper is intended to suggest whether SIA is used as a valuable tool in the fields of ecology and environmental science. With the understanding of the field of stable isotopes through this paper, various applications of stable isotope ratios are expected in fisheries science and aquaculture research in the future.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.218-228
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• 2023

Invasive predators are one of the most damaging species groups to biodiversity. In the Nakdong River, the lake skygazer Chanodichthys erythropterus is a dominant species that is fiercely carnivorous and a concern for commercial fish. Although it is important to understand the ecological characteristics related to the feeding habit, studies on the diets of lake skygazer in Nakdong River have been limited to studies of gut contents. In this study, the trophic position (TP) and feeding habits of C. erythropterus were studied by calculating TPs using samples collected from 13 sites throughout the Nakdong River. Compound-specific isotopic analysis of amino acids provided reliable TPs from the muscle of Lake skygazer C. erythropterus without any isotope baseline. The results were approximately 3 to 3.6 and suggesting a carnivorous but size-dependent prey variation. In particular, the TP variability of C. erythropterus observed in the Nakdong River showed that it had a selective feeding habit compared to carnivorous fish species of relatively similar trophic levels.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.185-200
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• 2022

The risk of various hazardous substances in aquatic environment comprises not only the concentration of substances in the environmental medium but also their accumulation in fish through complex food web and the health risks to humans through the fish. In Korea, the monitoring of residual toxicant in aquatic ecosystems began in 2016 following the enforcement of the Acts on registration and evaluation for the management of chemicals used in daily life (consumer chemical products), and attention has been paid to potentially hazardous substances attributed to them. Recently, studies have been carried out to investigate the distribution of these hazardous substances in the ecosystem and calculate their emission factors. These include the accumulation and transport of substances, such as detergents, dyes, fragrances, cosmetics, and disinfectants, within trophic levels. This study summarizes the results of recently published research on the inflow and distribution of hazardous substances from consumer chemical products to the aquatic environment and presents the scientific implication. Based on studies on aquatic environment monitoring techniques, this study suggests research directions for monitoring the residual concentration and distribution of harmful chemical substances in aquatic ecosystems. In particular, this study introduces the directions for research on trophic position analysis using compound specific isotope analysis and trophic magnification factors, which are needed to fulfill the contemporary requirements of selecting target fish based on the survey of major fish that inhabit domestic waters and assessment of associated health risk. In addition, this study provides suggestions for future biota monitoring and chemical research in Korea.