• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.729-742
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• 2020

In this study, we analyze seabottom conditions and characteristics integrated with topographic data, seafloor mosaic, underwater images and orthophoto(drone) of soft-hard bottom area around the Sib-Ri rock in the northern shore of the East Sea(Gyeongpo Beach, Gangneung). We obtained field survey data around the Sib-Ri rock(about 600 m × 600 m). The Sib-Ri rock is formed by two exposed rocks and surrounding reef. The artificial reef zone made by about 200 ~ 300 structures is shown the western area of the Sib-Ri rock. The underwater rock region is extended from the southwestern area of the exposed the Sib-Ri rock with 9 ~ 11 m depth range. The most broad rocky seabottom area is located in the southwestren area of the Sib-Ri rock with 10 ~ 13 m depth range. The study area were classified into 4 types of seabottom environment based on the analysis of bathymetric data, seafloor mosaics, composition of sediments and images(underwater and drone). The underwater rock zones(Type I) are the most distributed area around the Sib-Ri Rock(about 600 m × 600 m). The soft seabottom area made by sediments layer showed 2 types(Type II: gS(gravelly Sand), Type III: S(Sand)) in the areas between underwater rock zones and western part of the Sib-Ri rock(toward Gyeongpo Beach). The artificial reef zone with a lot of structures is located in the western part of the Sib-Ri rock. Marine algae(about 6 species), Phylum porifera(about 2 species), Phylum echinodermata(about 3 species), Phylum mollusca(about 3 species) and Phylum chordata(about 2 species) are dominant faunal group of underwater image analysis area(about 10 m × 10 m) in the northwestern part of the Sib-Ri rock. The habitat of Phylym mollusca(Lottia dorsuosa, Septifer virgatus) and Phylum arthropoda(Pollicipes mitella, Chthamalus challengeri hoek) appears in the intertidal zone of the Sib-Ri rock. And it is possible to estimate the range and distribution of the habitat based on the integrated study of orthphoto(drone) and bathymetry data. The integrated visualization and mapping techniques using seafloor mosaic images, sediments analysis, underwater images, orthophoto(drone) and topographic data can provide and contribute to figure out the seabottom conditions and characteristics in the shore of the East Sea.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.853-865
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• 2022

In this study, from August to October 2019, we conducted a survey of the spatial distribution and dominant species of macrobenthos on the rocky intertidal zones of 38 specified islands distributed along the southern coast of Korea. On the basis of observation made using 50 × 50 cm quadrats, we identified a total of 80 species, among which, Mollusca were the most abundant fauna, with 54 species that accounted for 67.4% of the total, followed by Crustacea with 15 species (18.7%). The recorded numbers of Cnidaria, Porifera, and Echinodermata species ranged from 1 to 6. In terms of the regional patterns of species richness, specified islands in Yeosu were found to be the most species rich, supporting 61 species, whereas islands in Hadong, Namhae, and Chujado were found to have a similar level of species richness, ranging from 42 to 46 species. Islands in Boseong and Goheung were home to the fewest species, with only 29 species being recorded. At the sampling station scale, we noted a considerable difference in faunal richness, ranging from 6 (St. 6) to 33 (St. 20) species. Among the recorded species, Echinolittorina radiata was identified as the dominant species on 15 specified islands, with the next most abundant species being Tetraclita japonica, considered an indicator species of climate change, which was recorded on 11 islands. In terms of frequency, E. radiata, found on 36 islands, was identified as the most frequently occurring species, followed by Reishia clavigera (30 islands), Mytilisepta virgata (29), Nerita japonica (28), Ligia. exotica (27), and Littorina brevicula (26). Of the 80 species identified, 9, 4, and 2 species of Mollusca, Crustacea, and Cnidaria, respectively, are classified as Marine fauna of accepted foreign export, whereas 50 are Red List species, 44 are species of Least Concern, 3 are Data Deficient species, and 1 species was not evaluated. However, during the survey, we found no Near Threatened or Not Applicable species. On the basis of the findings of this survey, it would appear that the abundance and richness of macrobenthic fauna inhabiting the rocky intertidal zones of specified islands along the southern coast of Korea differ according to different habitat conditions, particularly with respect to the duration of exposure and the extent and properties of the substrata. The findings of this study will provide baseline data for future monitoring and management of specified islands in Korea.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.87-102
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• 2022

To clarify the spatial distribution pattern of macrozoobenthos in Korean coastal waters in the summer season and investigate the relationship between community structure and benthic environmental factors, field surveys on community structure and benthic environmental factors were conducted at 117 stations in August 2017. A total of 613 macrobenthic species were identified, with the mean density of 1,228 ind./m² and the mean biomass (wet weight) of 110.9 g WW/m². Rich biodiversity was found at stations near Wando and along the coast of the East Sea, and there is a trend that stations with greater biodiversity also showed higher mean density as well. The dominant species in all the coastal areas in Korea was Heteromastus filiformis, which were found at most of the stations during the survey. The relatively deep areas in the East Sea were dominated by Magelona johnsoni and Maldane cristata, which were the third and ninth dominant species in the study areas, respectively. Pseudopolydora kempi and Rhynchospio sp. were observed only at the station located in the Nakdong River estuary. From the cluster analysis the stations could be clustered into three station groups with more similar faunal composition. Group A was located in the eastern coast, characterized with deep water depth and low levels of sand contents, while Group B was located in the southern coast, characterized by shallow depth of water and high content of mud and organic matter. Lastly, Group C was in the western coast, demonstrating low levels of mud content and organic matters. The biodiversity of macrobenthic species in the study area showed high positive correlation coefficients with benthic environmental factors such as sorting, clay, silt, and contents of organic matter in sediments, but negatively correlated with the sand contents. Major dominant species, Theora lata and Eriopisella sechellensis, both showed negative correlation coefficients with the sand contents, but a relatively high positive correlation with the levels of organic contents.It can be concluded that the spatial distribution patterns of macrobenthic organisms in Korean coastal waters are affected by depth, sediment type, and contents of organic matters.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 1999

The optimum sampling area which can be applied to the benthic community study is estimated from large survey data in the Songdo tidal flat and subtidal zone of Youngil Bay, Korea. A total of 250 samples by 0.02 $m^2$ box corer for the benthic fauna in Songdo tidal flat and 50 samples by 0.1 $m^2$ van Veen grab in Youngil Bay were taken from the total sampling area of 5 $m^2$. It was assumed that the sampling area could contain sufficient information on sediment fauna, if cumulative number of species, ecological indices, and similarity index by cluster analysis reflect the similarity level of 75% to those found at total sampling area (5 $m^2$). A total of 56 and 60 species occurred from Songdo tidal flat and Youngil Bay, respectively. The cumulative curve of the species number ($N_{sp}$) as a function of the sampling area (A in $m^2$ ) was fitted as $N_{sp}=37.379A^{0.257}$ ($r^2=0.99$) for intertidal fauna and $N_{sp}=40.895A^{0.257}$ ($r^2=0.98$) for subtidal fauna. Based on these curves and 75% of similarity to the total sampling area (5 $m^2$), the optimum sampling area was proposed as 1.6 $m^2$ for the intertidal and 1.5 $m^2$ for the subtidal fauna. Ecological indices (species diversity, richness, evenness and dominance indices) were again calculated on the basis of species composition in differently simulated sample sizes. Changes in ecological indices with these sample sizes indicated that samplings could be done by collecting fauna from < 0.5 $m^2$-1.5 $m^2$ on the Songdo tidal flat and from < 0.5 $m^2$-1.2 $m^2$ in Youngil Bay. Changes in similarity level of all units of each simulated sample size showed that sampling area of 0.3 $m^2$ (Songdo tidal flat) and 0.6 $m^2$ (Youngil Bay) should be taken to obtain a similarity level of 75%. In conclusion, sampling area which was determined by cumulative number of species, ecological indices and similarity index by cluster analysis could be determined as 1.5 $m^2$ (0.02 $m^2$ box corer, n=75) for Songdo tidal flat and 1.2 $m^2$ (0.1 $m^2$ van Veen grab, n=12) for Youngil Bay. If these sampling areas could be covered in the field survey, population densities of seven dominant species comprising 68% of the total faunal abundance occurring on Songdo tidal flat and six species comprising 90% in Youngil Bay can be estimated at the precision level of P=0.2.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.54-79
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• 2024

The purpose of this research is to fill the vacuum created by the tendency of bias towards China among the curators of Korean museums who plan exhibitions focusing on Balhae, and to share with researchers in the countries concerned various supplementary research materials that could deepen their understanding of the history of Balhae. These materials are based on analyses of the details of exhibitions about Balhae held in a particular Russian museum and the characteristics of and changes in the museum's operational policy. Thus, this research focuses mainly on the permanent and special exhibitions held by the Far East History Museum and Reserve, whose collection represents the archaeological achievements of Russia regarding the history of Balhae. The first part of the research focuses on the layout of the exhibitions presented by the museum and the museum's operational policy. It reveals that the museum's permanent exhibitions follow a diachronic arrangement of the local history, while the first and second special exhibitions featured exhibits that were selected from the collections of the Russian Academy of Sciences and arranged according to specific themes. It also examines the museum's policy for operating the exhibitions, focusing on the operational rules, the human resources deployed to run them, and the related educational and PR programs. The second part of the research examines such issues as local politics, economy, education and culture related to the exhibitions on Balhae's history, and connects them to the background and development of the exhibitions. This study reveals that the permanent exhibitions were intended to promote historical awareness of the local area by museum visitors, particularly those who visited the exhibitions while the city was hosting important events such as international summits. It also reveals that the museum's first special exhibition led to the promotion of Korea-Russia cooperation on exchanges in the fields of culture and tourism, whereas the second special exhibition involved no PR efforts or related events, which was probably due to the changes that have occurred in the relationship between Russia and its neighboring countries since then. The final part of the study focuses on the characteristic features of the exhibition narratives, and compares school textbooks on local history and history books for general readers with the contents of the exhibitions. The analysis of the narratives based on the development of time shows that the history of the Mohe (or Malgal) tribes has been combined with that of Balhae, while they are treated separately in school textbooks. As regards political history, the narrative was largely focused on officials in Balhae's central government rather than on Mohe warriors in the border areas. The maps of Balhae presented in the exhibitions highlight the importance of accumulating empirical data. As for the exhibition of material cultures, this study suggests that the museums should obtain more archaeological floral and faunal remains related with agriculture and hunting. It also points out that the narrative on the theme of foreign relations deals with the archaeological relics of Unified Silla together with those of the Turkic tribes. As for the theme of philosophy and culture, the narrative focused on the state ceremonies and rituals of Goguryeo, a theme that has attracted little attention among Korean academic circles and which consequently requires further study. In conclusion, this study is meaningful in that it suggests a number of research topics regarding the development of exhibitions and exhibition narratives about the history of Balhae by a prestigious Russian museum that specializes in this subject.