• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.451-464
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• 2023

Harmful cyanobacterial monitoring is time-consuming and requires skilled professionals. Recently, Phycocyanin, the accessory pigment unique to freshwater cyanobacteria, has been proposed as an indicator for the presence of cyanobacteria, with the advantage of rapid and simple measurement. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the correlation between the harmful cyanobacterial cell density and the concentration of phycocyanin and to consider how to use the real-time water quality monitoring system for algae bloom monitoring. In the downstream of the Nakdong River, Microcystis spp. showed maximum cell density (99 %) in harmful cyanobacteria (four target genera). A strong correlation between phycocyanin(measured in the laboratory) concentrations and harmful cyanobacterial cell density was observed (r = 0.90, p < 0.001), while a weaker relationship (r = 0.65, p < 0.001) resulted between chlorophyll a concentration and harmful cyanobacterial cell density. As a result of comparing the phycocyanin concentration (measured in submersible fluorescence sensor) and harmful cyanobacterial cell density, the error range increased as the number of cyanobacteria cells increased. Before opening the estuary bank, the diurnal variations of phycocyanin concentrations did not mix by depth, and in the case of the surface layer, a pattern of increase and decrease over time was shown. This study is the result of analysis when Microcystis spp. is dominant in downstream of Nakdong River in summer, therefore the correlation between the harmful cyanobacteria density and phycocyanin concentrations should be more generalized through spatio-temporal expansion.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.491-498
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• 2011

We investigated the ranges of total cellular microcystins content of cyanobacterial blooms collected in Korean lakes and rivers from 2005 to 2009. The amount and composition of microcystins of Korean cyanobacteria varied depending on the sampling water bodies and dominant cyanobacterial genera. Toxic cyanobacterial cell numbers equivalent to $1{\mu}g$ MCYSTs/L using total cellular microcystin content of Korean cyanobacteria were in the range of 2,348 to 66,980,638 cells/mL. Only four samples among forty nine samples showed less cell numbers than current criterion of Harmful Algae Alert System, 5,000 cells/mL indicating current criterion do not reflect properly the microcystins content of Korean cyanobacteria. Anabaena and Aphanizomenon spp. showed three to six times higher cell numbers equivalent to $1{\mu}g$ MCYSTs/L than Microcystis spp. To propose criteria of Harmful Algae Alert System for Korean toxic cyanobacteria, we calculated about 50% selective geometrical means of cyanobacterial cell numbers equivalent to $1{\mu}g$ MCYSTs/L in order of toxic content. The proposed criteria for Microcystis, Oscillatoria, Anabaena, and Aphanizomenon spp., are 10,000, 20,000, 40,000, and 80,000 cells/mL, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2023

This study analyzed the relationship between harmful cyanobacterial abundance and environmental factors in order to figure out the causes of the recent increase of cyanobacteria in Lake Dukdong from 2019 to 2021. Lake Dukdong, which is used as a drinking water source for Gyeongju City, has an algae alert system in place. Lake Dukdong has maintained good water quality, but algae alert level 1 (over 1,000 cells/mL) has been issued in recent years. As a result of Pearson correlation analysis (from May to Oct.), the cell density of Microcystis and Aphanizomenon, which form part of the most harmful cyanobacteria genus, were significantly positively correlated with the water temperature and water storage volume. T-test was performed to compare the data from 2016-2018 and 2019-2021 (from May to Oct.). The average density of harmful cyanobacteria cells increased about six-fold from 54 to 344 cells/mL. There were significant differences in water temperature, pH, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), TN/TP ratio, water storage volume, and cyanobacterial cell density. Water temperature increased from 19.2 to 22.8 ℃. TP concentration increased from 0.017 to 0.028 mg/L. The main cause of the recent increase of harmful cyanobacteria in Lake Dukdong is thought to be the increase in water temperature, TP concentration, and water storage volume from 2019 and 2021, resulting in more favorable conditions for cyanobacterial growth.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.337-354
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• 2017

Cyanobacteria Aphanizomenon population is widely distributed in the world, and well known as harmful algae by producing toxins and off-flavor materials, thus belonging to one of the taxa that became more interested in the field of limnoecology. In this study, the frequency, intensity, and duration of Aphanizomenon occurrence were increased with the abnormal drawdown of water level in the winter in Boryeong Reservoir, and the spatial and temporal characteristics of them are compared with each other in the perspective of hydrometeorology (1998 to 2017) and limnology (2010 to 2017). In Korea, Aphanizomenon flourished mainly in high temperature, and the appearance in the low temperature was rare in total five times. The harmful cyanobacteria Aphanizomenon was observed in the low temperature (December to February) in Boryeong Reservoir from 2014, and then reached a maximum value of $2,160cells\;mL^{-1}$ in January 2017. In addition, the period exceeding $1,000cells\;mL^{-1}$ at this time was more than 3 months. This was simultaneously associated with abnormal water level fluctuation in the low temperature ($<10^{\circ}C$). The large drawdown of water level in the winter season has the potential to promote or amplify the germination and development of harmful algae. Also, subsequent water quality and ecological impacts(e.g., algal toxins and off-flavor substances) need to be considered carefully.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2015

Increased harmful algal blooms by cyanobacteria are threatening public health and limiting human activities related with freshwater ecosystems. Phosphorus (P) has long been suggested as a critical nutrient for cyanobacterial bloom through field research in Canada during the 1970s, proposing a P-based freshwater management guideline. However, recently, nitrogen (N) has also been highlighted as an impacting nutrient on cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs). Due to the intensive and frequent observation of Microcystis, this kind of paradigm shift from P limitation to season-dependent N or P limitation has an important implication for a dual nutrient management strategy in eutrophic freshwaters. Through recent international researches, general strategies to control CyanoHABs in lakes and reservoirs are as follows: a dual nutrient (N & P) reduction, wastewater collection and treatment, pre-treatment of influent water in buffer zones, dredging of sediment, reduction of residence time, algal collection, and precipitation and flocculation of cyanobacteria. In addition, sustainable and integrative freshwater algae management should be carried out, based on the ecological aspect, because cyanobacteria are not the target organism to be eradicated, but an essential microbial member in the freshwater ecosystem.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.91-102
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• 2007

To anticipate and respond to harmful algae produced in a big artificial lake like Daecheong reservoir, development of a regional analysis computer system using GIS or RS technique is needed in addition to biological and chemical research. The purpose of this study is to develop a cyanobacterial blooming prediction model to prevent harmful algae produced in Daecheong reservoir and construct an early forecasting system based on GIS. For this purpose this paper examines previous studies related to the relationship between cyanobacteria and environmental factors in Daecheong reservoir and selects precipitation and air temperature as two important environmental factors for the development of cyanobacterial blooming prediction model. Data used in this study are water quality and weather data for three water regions in Daecheong reservoir between 2000 and 2004. Based on qualitative correlation analysis between cyanobacteria and environmental factors, this paper presents a Rump model which enables us to predict cyanobacteria in water regions of Daecheong reservoir. Under this model the prediction of initial occurrence time and growth period of cyanobacteria are possible. The model is also applied to the GIS-based early forecasting system for cyanobacteria, and finally a GIS which can predict cyanobacteria produced in Daecheong reservoir and can manage the related data is developed.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.424-432
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• 2020

The present study aimed to analyze the metaproteome of the microbial community comprising harmful algal bloom (HAB) in the Daechung reservoir, Korea. HAB samples located at GPS coordinates of 36°29'N latitude and 127°28'E longitude were harvested in October 2013. Microscopic observation of the HAB samples revealed red signals that were presumably caused by the autofluorescence of chlorophyll and phycocyanin in viable cyanobacteria. Metaproteomic analysis was performed by a gelbased shotgun proteomic method. Protein identification was conducted through a two-step analysis including a forward search strategy (FSS) (random search with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Cyanobase, and Phytozome), and a subsequent reverse search strategy (RSS) (additional Cyanobase search with a decoy database). The total number of proteins identified by the two-step analysis (FSS and RSS) was 1.8-fold higher than that by one-step analysis (FSS only). A total of 194 proteins were assigned to 12 cyanobacterial species (99 mol%) and one green algae species (1 mol%). Among the species identified, the toxic microcystin-producing Microcystis aeruginosa NIES-843 (62.3%) species was the most dominant. The largest functional category was proteins belonging to the energy category (39%), followed by metabolism (15%), and translation (12%). This study will be a good reference for monitoring ecological variations at the meta-protein level of aquatic microalgae for understanding HAB.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.658-664
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• 2014

In this study, Uiam-sediment(US) and Gongji-sediment(GS) were incubated to analyze the formation of phytoplankton community and occurrences of odorous compounds from benthic cyanobacteria. For the phytoplankton, 45 and 40 taxa were found in GS and US, respectively. The phytoplankton species detected in the harmful algae included Microcystis, Anabaena and Oscillatoria. As a result, a standing crop of phytoplankton appeared to be in the range of $0.9{\sim}71.8{\times}10^3$ cells/mL in GS, $0.8{\sim}51.2{\times}10^3$ cells/mL in US, and as the incubation progressed, benthic cyanobacteria was increased. The highest number of akinetes was shown in the initial incubation, and akinetes was reduced by 10% on day 4 of incubation start. After reduction of akinetes incubated for 4 days in US and 15 days in GS, Anabaena appeared from the surface water. Benthic cyanobacteria such as Oscillatoria tenuis, O. limosa and Lyngbya hieronymusii was dominant in GS (max. $3.96{\times}10^6cells/cm^2$) and US (max. $5.77{\times}10^6cells/cm^2$), forming cyanobacterial mats in sediment surface. Cyanobacterial mats were suspended after 10~12 days incubation in GS and US. Before and after the suspension of cyanobacterial mats, the concentration of geosmin was the highest in GS(115 ng/L) and US(175 ng/L). In the second suspension of cyanobacterial mats in GS, the concentration of 2-MIB was increased to the range of 22~92 ng/L.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.205-214
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• 2020

Cyanobacteria are microorganisms which have important roles in the nitrogen cycle due to their ability to fix nitrogen in water and soil ecosystems. They also produce valuable materials that may be used in various industries. However, some species of cyanobacteria may limit the use of water resources by causing harmful algal blooms in water ecosystems. Many culture collection depositories provide cyanobacterial strains for research, but their systematic preservation is not well-developed in Korea. In this study, we developed a method for the cryopreservation of the cyanobacteria Trichormus variabilis (syn. Anabaena variabilis), using alginate microcapsules. Two approaches were used for the experiments and their outputs were compared. One of the methods involved the cryopreservation of cells using only a cryoprotectant and the other used the cryoprotectant within microcapsules. After cryopreservation for 35 days, cells preserved with both methods were successfully regenerated from the initial 1.0 × 10⁵ cells/ml to a final concentration of 6.7 × 10⁶ cells/ml and 1.1 × 10⁷ cells/ml. Irregular T. variabilis shapes were found after 14 days of regeneration. T. variabilis internal structures were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), revealing that lipid droplets were reduced after cryopreservation. The expression of the mreB gene, known to be related to cell morphology, was downregulated (54.7%) after cryopreservation. Cryopreservation using cryoprotectant alone or with microcapsules is expected to be applicable to other filamentous cyanobacteria in the future.