• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.144-151
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• 2005

During the past ten years, Archaea have been recognized as a widespread and significant component of marine picoplankton assemblages. More recently, the presence of novel archaeal phylogenetic lineages has been discovered in coastal marine environments, freshwater lakes, polar seas, and deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Therefore, we conducted an investigation into the archaeal community existing in tidal flat sediment collected from Ganghwa Island, Korea. Phylogenetic analysis of archaeal 16S rDNA amplified directly from tidal flat sediment DNA revealed the presence of two major lineages, belonging to the Crenarchaeota ($53.9\%$) and Euryarchaeota ($46.1\%$) phyla. A total of 102 clones were then sequenced and analyzed by comprehensive phylogenetic analysis. The sequences determined in our samples were found to be closely related to the sequences of clones which had been previously obtained from a variety of marine environments. Archaeal clones exhibited higher similarities ($83.25 - 100\%$) to sequences..from other environments in the public database than did those ($75.22 - 98.46\%$) of previously reported bacterial clones obtained from tidal flat sediment. The results of our study suggest that the archaeal community in tidal flat sediment is remarkably diverse.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 1996

This study was conducted to investigate the faunal composition and distribution patterns of macrobenthic community in the deep sea sediments of the KODOS area, the northeastern Pacific Ocean during May 1996. Benthic animals were collected at 25 stations using a spade type box corer. Sediments were sieved through -.3 mm mesh screen. A total of 17 faunal groups in 9 phyla and 363 specimens were identified. Nematoda was the most abundant faunal group which accounted for 30.0% of total abundance. Other dominant faunal groups were foraminiferans (25.1%), harpacticoids (10.2%), xenophyophores (5.2%), and polychaetes (4.7%), Polychaeta was a typically dominant component of macrobenthic community in the study area except traditionally recognized meiofauna taxa. Mean occurrence number of faunal taxa was ca. 6 per 0.01 m$\^$2/, and mean density was estimated as 1,288 indiv./m$\^$2/. The abundance of whole fauna and that of each faunal group was highest at the surface layer of sediment, and decreased monotonously along the sediment depth; 98% of faunal abundance was found within 10 cm depth layer.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.211-218
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• 2006

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of the natural deep sea water, which contained approximately 2.3% salt, and various minerals of K, Mg, Ca, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu etc, on the immune response and antioxidant activity in rats. 24 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly allotted to a control group and 3 treatment groups. Control rats were supplied with filtered tap water, and each treatment group rats were supplied with 0.5% deep sea water, 1% deep sea water and Jijangsoo, respectively, which is upper clear water separated from sediment by the clay. Feed and water were provided ad libitum throughout the experiment that lasted for 4 weeks. The results showed that 1% deep sea water group showed the highest values in weight gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency than those of other groups. The levels of water intake of 1%- and 0.5%-deep sea water, and Jijangsoo group were 49.1%, 22.8%, and 40.5% higher than that of control group, respectively. The Jijangsoo group rats showed that perirenal and epididymal adipose tissue weights were decreased by 32% and 25%(p<0.05), respectively, when compared to control group rats. There were no remarkable differences of serum glucose concentration among all experimental groups. However, insulin concentration of experimental groups were remarkably increased in order of Jijangsoo (4.54), 1% deep sea water (3.70), 0.5% deep sea water (3.25)(p<0.05). B cell and T cell stimulation were increased about 44.7% and 207%, respectively, by 0.5% deep sea water in comparison with control (p<0.05). TBARS values of 0.5 % deep sea water group were significantly lower than that of control(p<0.05). Catalase and SOD activities of 0.5 % deep sea water group were 200% and 47% higher than that of control, respectively. From the results, it can be concluded that the supply of natural deep sea water can slightly improve the physiological activity which modulates immune response and antioxidant activity in rats.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.323-337
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• 1999

Seafloor morphology and manganese nodule occurrence were studied in the Korea Deep-sea Environmental Study (KODES) area, northeast equatorial Pacific, to understand their relationship. Study area is composed of three elongated valleys and hills with about 100~200 m height along NNE-SSW direction. Valley region is generally flat. However, hill region is very rugged with big cliffs of about 100m height and small depressions of several tens of meters depth. Tectonic movement along the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone, consequent formation of elongated abyssal hills and Valleys, erosion of siliceous bottom sediments by bottom currents, and dissolution of carbonate sediments on the abyssal hills below CCD result in the rugged morphology. Manganese nodule occurrence is closely related to the morphology of the study area; mostly rounded-shaped manganese nodules with about 5 cm diameter are abundant on the flat valley region, whereas irregular shaped nodules (or manganese crust) with less than 5 cm to about 1 m diameter occur on the hill. These results supports the previous reports that nodule abundance, composition, and morphology are variable both on regional and local small scales on the seafloor even within some abundant nodule provinces depending on oceanographic characteristics such as bathymetric features, surface sediment type, sediment thickness, and so on. We suggest that such oceanographic characteristics affect interrelatedly on the formation of manganese nodules, and tectonic movement of the Pacific plate ultimately constrain the nodule occurrence. A potential mining place in the KODES area seems to be the valley region, which is elongated to the NNW-SSE direction with 3-4 km width.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 1993

Concentrations of sulfate and 6-values of sulfate, $({\delta}^{34}SO_4_){pw}$, dissolved In pore waters were measured from the sediment cores of the two different marine environments : deep northeast Pacific (57-1) and coastal Kyunggi Bay of Yellow Sea (57-2) . Sulfate concentration in pore waters decreases with depth at both cores, reflecting sulfate reduction in the sediment columns. However, much higher gradient of pore water sulfate at 57-2 than 57-1 indicates more rapid sulfate reduction at 57-2, because of high sedimentation rate at the coastal area compared to the deep-sea. The measured 6-values, $({\delta}^{34}SO_4_){pw}$, follow extremely well the predicted trend of the Rayleigh fractionation equation. The range of 26.756 to 61.35% at the coastal core 57-2 is not so great as that of 32.4$\textperthousand$ to 97.8$\textperthousand$ at the deep-sea core 57-1. Despite greater graclient of pore water sulfate at 57-2, the 6-values become lower than those of the deep- sea core 57-1. This inverse relation between the 6-values and the gradients of pore water sulfate could be explained by the combination of the two subsequent factors : the kinetic effect by which the residual pore water sulfate becomes progressively enriched with respect to the heavy isotope of $^{34}S$ as sulfate reduction proceeds, and the intrinsic formulation effect of the Rayleigh fractionation equation in which the greater becomes the fractionation factor, the more diminished values of $({\delta}^{34}SO_4_){pw}$ are predicted.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.389-399
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• 2016

This paper presents the explorations of hydrothermal vents located in the Marina Arc and Back Arc Basin using the deep-sea ROV Hemire. These explorations were conducted by KRISO and KIOST to demonstrate the capability of Hemire in various applications for deep-sea scientific research. The missions included the following: (1) to search the reported vents, (2) conduct visual inspections, (3) deploy/recover a sediment trap and bait traps, (4) sample sediment/water/rock, (5) measure the magnetic field at the vent site, and (6) acquire a detailed map using multi-beam sonar near the bottom. We installed three HD cameras for precise visual inspection, a high-temperature thermometer, a three-component magnetometer, and a multi-beam sonar to acquire details of the bottom contour or identify vents in the survey area. The explorations were performed in an expedition from March 23 to April 5, 2016, and the missions were successfully completed. This paper discusses the operational process, navigation, and control of Hemire, as well as the exploration results.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.367-371
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• 2014

In early 1990s, the Korean government has launched a deep-sea research program to secure the stable long-term supply of strategic metallic minerals including Cr, Cu and Ni. Through the pioneering surveys, Korea registered $150,000km^2$ of Mn-nodule field in the Clarion-Clipperton area, the NE equatorial Pacific to the international sea-bed authority (ISA) in 1994. Following the ISA exploration code, the final exclusive exploration area of $75,000km^2$ was assigned in 2002, based on results of eight-year researches of chemico-physical properties of nodules, bottom profiles and sediment properties. Since that time, environmental studies, mining technical developments including robot miner and lifting system and establishment of smelting systems were accompanied with the detailed geophysical studies to decipher the priori mining area until 2009. Major points of the recent Korea Mn-nodule program are deployed on a commercial scale until 2015. In order to meet the goals, we developed a 1/5 scaled robot miner compared to commercial one in 2012 and performed a mining test at the water depth of 1,370 m in 2013. In addition, detailed 25,000 scaled mining maps in the priori area, which can provide operation roots of the miner, will be prepared and an environmental-friendly mining strategy will be pursued based on the environmental impact test and environmental monitoring.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.17-29
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• 2009

There has been an increase in the investigation of deep sea sediments with a consequent increase in the amount of energy required to undertake these investigations. The geotechnical characteristics of Ulleung Basin sediment are explored by using depressurized specimens following methane production tests carried out on pressured core samples obtained at 2,100 m water depth and 110 m below sea floor. Geotechnical index tests, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope are conducted to identify the geotechnical index parameters, clay mineralogy, chemical composition, and microstructure of the sediments. Compressibility, and elastic and electromagnetic wave parameters are investigated for two samples by using a multi sensing instrumented oedometer cell. The strength chatracteristics are obtained by the direct shear tests. The dominant clay minerals are mostly kaolinite, illite, chlorite, and calcite. The SEM shows a well-developed flocculated structure of the microfossil. Void ratio, electrical resistivity, real permittivity, conductivity, and shear wave velocity show bi-linear behavior with the effective vertical stress: as the vertical effective stress increases. The friction angle obtained by the direct shear test is about $21^{\circ}$, which is similar to the value observed in the Ulleung Basin sediments. This study shows that the understanding of the behavior acting on the diatomaceous marine sediment is important because it often maintains the useful energy resources such as gas hydrate and so will be the new engineering field in the next generation.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2004.05b
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• pp.557-562
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• 2004

A surface-piercing barrier model is presented for understanding morphological development in the sheltered region and investigating the main factors causing the severe accumulation. Surface-piercing structures like vertical barriers, surface docks and floating breakwaters are recently favored from the point of view of a marine scenario since they do not in general partition the natural sea. The numerical solutions are compared with experimental data on wave profiles and morphological change rates within a rectangular harbor of a constant depth protected by surface-piercing thin breakwaters as a simplified problem. Our numerical study involves several modules: 1) wave dynamics analyzed by a plane-wave approximation, 2) suspended sediment transport combined with sediment erosion-deposition model, and 3) concurrent morphological changes. Scattering waves are solved by using a plane wave method without inclusion of evanescent modes. Evanescent modes are only considered in predicting the reflection ratio against the vertical barrier and energy losses due to vortex shedding from the lower edge of plate are taken into account. A new relationship to relate the near-bed concentration to the depth-mean concentration is presented by analyzing the vertical structure of concentration. The numerical solutions were also compared with experimental data on morphological changes within a rectangular harbor of constant water depth. Through the numerical experiments, the vortex-induced flow appears to be not ignorable in predicting the morphological changes although the immersion depth of a plate is not deep.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.245-253
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• 2004

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), where the southeast and northeast trade winds converge, is the effective climatological barrier that separates the southern and northern hemispheres in dust budget. Asian and N. American dusts dominate in fhe Pacific north of the ITCZ, while Central and S. American dust prevails south of the ITCZ. In order to understand the nature of latitudinal and depth-related variations of mineral composition in terms of relative position to the ITCZ, deep-sea core sediments were collected from $9^{\circ}N$ to $17^{\circ}N$ at a $2^{\circ}N$ interval along the $131.5^{\circ}W$ meridian and analyzed for mineral composition. The amount of illite in surface sediments decreases gradually from 65% at $17^{\circ}N\;to\;31^{\circ}N$ to 31% at 9f. In contrast, smectite increases from 11% to 56% southward. The observed mineralogical variation toward the ITCZ is attributed to the increased supply of volcaniclastic material transported via the southeast trade winds from the Central and South America source regions. Smectite-illite transition, a phenomenon that the amount of smectite increases over illite, occurs at around $10^{\circ}N$, the northern margin of the ITCZ. This result indicates that the change in latitudinal position of the ITCZ in geologic past could be recorded as a form of smectite-illite transition in deep-sea cores. The studied cores show down-core variation of mineral composition from illite-rich at the surface to smectite-rich clay suit at depths, similar to the latitudinal variation. The smectite-illite transitions observed in these cores are likely the records of changes in latitudinal position of the ITCZ. The depth and age of smectite-illite transition is getting shallower and younger toward equator, implying that the ITCZ was located farther north during late Tertiary and has shifted southward to the present position of $5^{\circ}N-10^{\circ}N$.