• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.130-141
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• 2016

This study was conducted to elucidate the structure of river ecosystem in the watershed of the Seom River and Hoengseong Reservoir located in Hoengseong of Kangwon Province from February to October 2007. Topics of the survey were mainly rainfall, discharge, water quality in abiotic factors and attached algae, benthic macroinvertebrates, fish, birds and mammals of flora and fauna in a biotic factors, respectively. Specifically, the Seom River could be seen as a typical flow rate of the stream is controlled to the effect of the dam. Basic water qualities were great to seasonal effects, it was relatively clean. Diatom Achnanthes, Cymbella, Gomphonema, and Navicula were distributed predominantly in the periphytic algae. Benthic macroinvertebrates were mostly aquatic insects and freshwater shellfish, the aquatic insects were abundant Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera. Freshwater fish was the dominant Zacco platypus, fish species varied toward the downstream. Birds were mainly observed in four species, and species Egretta garzetta, which was distributed in a wide area of the Seom River. In mammals, Lutra lutra of Mustelidae was identified that the number of inhabit widely. In aspects of the ecological trophic level, the Seom River was maintained at a relatively stable state in the producer and the consumer relationship. The results of this study will expected to be utilized as a useful data for understanding the structure and function of the lotic and lentic ecosystems.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.415-424
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• 2009

Artificial injection of surplus surface water during wet seasons and recovery is one of possible solutions for conjunctive uses of surface water and groundwater. The methodology is especially attractive for regions of monsoon type weather. In this work a simulation-optimization model is developed to identify an optimal injection system to sustain an over-exploiting freshwater pumping well. The injection well is to be operated during wet seasons only while the pumping well is to be operated throughout an entire year. The objective function is the minimization of injected volume of freshwater. Saltwater intrusion and dry wells are considered as constraints. An example application is made on a small hypothetical island with poor hydrogeologic conditions. The optimization model is successful in determining optimal injection locations and rates for various cases.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.2 s.116
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• pp.157-166
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• 2006

Characteristics of ichthyofauna and fish community in the Lagoon Gyeongpo, Korea, were investigated from May to October 2005. Total 26 species caught during the period were belonged to 18 families. Dominant species was T. hakonesis (50.7%) and subdominant species was A. flavimaus (25.4%). K. punctatus (11.1%), M. cephalus (6.5%), E. japonicus (1.5%), C. castaneus (1.0%) were also numerous. Total biomass of collected fish was 401.8 kg, and biomass of each species was T, hakonensis 147.0 kg, A. flavimanus 135.8 kg, K. punctatus 85.6 kg and M. cephalus 23.8 kg. Seasonal variation of fish community seems to be related to spawning periods of species. In conclusion, it appeared that the ratio of the primary freshwater species was gradually decreased, while the peripheral freshwater and seawater species were gradually increased when compared to the data obtained from the past with respect to the ichthyofauna of the Lagoon Gyeongpo.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2013

This paper describes the radiation doses to human and non-human biota in the Republic of Korea, as a result of the Fukushima nuclear accident. By using the measured airborne activity and ground deposition, the effective and thyroid doses of five human age groups (infant, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years and adult) were estimated by the ECOSYS code, and the whole body absorbed dose rate of the eight Korean reference animals and plants (RAPs) was estimated by the K-BIOTA (the Korean computer code to assess the risk of radioactivity to wildlife). The first-year effective and thyroid human doses ranged from 5.7E-5 mSv in the infant group to 2.0E-4 mSv in the 5 years group, and from 5.0E-4 mSv in the infant group to 3.4E-3 mSv in the 5 years group, respectively. The life-time (70 years) effective and thyroid human doses ranged from 1.5E-4 mSv in the infant group to 3.0E-4 mSv in the 5 years group, and from 6.0E-4 mSv in the infant group to 3.5E-3 mSv in the 5 years group, respectively. The estimated maximum whole body absorbed dose rate to the Korean RAPs was 6.7E-7 mGy/d for a snake living in soil (terrestrial biota), and 2.0E-5 mGy/d for freshwater fish (aquatic biota), both of which were far less than the generic dose criteria to protect biota from ionizing radiation. Also, the screening level assessment for ERICA's (Environmental Risks from Ionizing Contaminants: Assessments and management) limiting organisms showed that the risk quotient (RQ) for the estimated maximum soil and water activity was significantly less than unity for both the terrestrial and freshwater organisms. Conclusively, the radiological risk of the radioactivity released into the environment by the Fukushima nuclear accident to the public and the non-human biota in the republic of Korea is considered negligible.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2000

There were observed the histomorphological alterations such as chloride cell hyperplasia, branchial lamellar epithelial separation, the increased cellular turnover of chloride cells, glomerular shrinkage and blood congestion in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during the seawater adaptation. The ultrastructure by scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated that the gill secondary lamella of rainbow trout exposed to seawater, were characterized by rough convoluted surfaces during the adaptation. There were observed a large number of mitochondria with the elongate and well-developed cristae in chloride cells exposed to seawater by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The presence of two mitochondria- rich cell types is discussed with regard to their possible role in the hypoosmoregulatory changes which occur during seawater-adaptation. Glomerulus shrinkage and blood congestion were occurred higher in nephrons of seawater-adapted fish than those living in freshwater. Our findings demonstrated that rainbow trout tolerated moderately saline environment and the increased body weight living in seawater was relatively higher than that living in freshwater in spite of histopathological changes.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.118-133
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• 2023

Background: Free-living amoebae (FLA) are widely distributed in freshwater, seawater, soil, and extreme environments, and play a critical role as feeders on diverse preys in the ecosystem. Also, some FLA can become opportunistic pathogens in animals including humans. The taxa Amoebozoa and Heterolobosea are important amoeboid groups associated with human pathogens. However, the identification and habitat of amoebae belonging to Amoebozoa and Heterolobosea remain poorly reported in the Republic of Korea. This study highlights the first record for identification and source of four amoebae including putative pathogens in the Republic of Korea. Results: In the present study, four previously reported FLA were isolated from freshwaters in Sangju Gonggeomji Reservoir (strain GO001), one of the largest reservoirs during the Joseon Dynasty period, and along the Nakdong River, the largest river in the Republic of Korea (strains NR5-2, NR12-1, and NR14-1) for the first time. Microscopic observations and 18S rDNA phylogenetic trees revealed the four isolated strains to be Acanthamoeba polyphaga (strains NR5-2 and NR12-1), Tetramitus waccamawensis (strain GO001), and Naegleria australiensis (strain NR14-1). Strains NR5-2 and NR12-1 might be the same species and belonged to the morphological Group 2 and the T4 genotype of Acanthamoeba. Strain GO001 formed a clade with T. waccamawensis in 18S rDNA phylogeny, and showed morphological characteristics similar to previously recorded strains, although the species' flagellate form was not observed. Strain NR14-1 had the typical morphology of Naegleria and formed a strongly supported clade with previously recorded strains of N. australiensis in phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA sequences. Conclusions: On the bases of morphological and molecular analyses, four strains of FLA were newly observed and classified in the Republic of Korea. Three strains belonging to the two species (A. polyphaga and N. australiensis) isolated from the Nakdong River have the potential to act as opportunistic pathogens that can cause fatal diseases (i.e. granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, Acanthamoeba Keratitis, and meningoencephalitis) in animals including humans. The Nakdong River in the Republic of Korea may provide a habitat for potentially pathogenic amoebae, but additional research is required to confirm the true pathogenicity of these FLA now known in the Republic of Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1049-1060
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• 2014

We investigated the spatiotemporal variations of dissolved inorganic nutrients along a saline gradient to estimate nutrient fluxes in the Seomjin River estuary during dry (March 2005, March 2006, March 2007, and March 2008) and rainy seasons (August 2005, July 2006, July 2007, and July 2008). Dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations were similar in the endmembers of freshwater for the rainy and dry seasons. In contrast, the concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphate and silicate in the rainy season were approximately 2-3 times higher than those in the dry season. River discharge was approximately 10 times higher in the rainy season ($212m^3sec^{-1}$) than in the dry season ($21m^3sec^{-1}$). The fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphate, and silicate were 2.91, 0.004, and 2.51 tons $day^{-1}$ in the dry season and 7.45, 0.421, and 30.5 tons $day^{-1}$ in the rainy season, respectively. Although the range of nutrient concentrations were similar to previous results from investigations in the Seomjin River estuary, the nutrient fluxes were differed according to river discharge for different survey periods.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.513-520
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• 2006

The effect of chlorination on disinfection byproducts (DBPs) production from bloom-forming freshwater algae including 7 strains of cyanobacteria and 6 strains of diatoms was investigated. The release and degradation of hepatotoxin (microcystins) by the chlorination on Microcystis under differential condition of the chlorination time and dose were also investigated. The disinfection byproducts formation potentials (DBPFP) of cyanobacterial species and diatoms were ranged from 0.017 to $0.070{\mu}mol\;DBPs/mg$ C and from 0.129 to $0.708{\mu}mol\;DBPs/mg$ C respectively. Among three major groups of DBPs, haloacetonitrils (HANs) was major product in most test strains except Aphanizomenon sp. and Oscillatoria sp. Haloacetic acids (HAAs) was less than 5 % of total DBPs. Chloroform and dichloroacetonitril (DCAN) were dominant compounds in trihalomethanes (THMs) and HANs respectively. After 4 hours chlorination of toxic Microcystis aeruginosa under the dose range of 0.5 to $10mg\;Cl_2/L$, the concentration of intracellular microcystins decreased, but dissolved dissolved microcystins concentration increased with the treatment of more than $3mg\;Cl_2/L$. However the total amount of microcystins was almost constant even at $10mg\;Cl_2/L$ of chlorination. To conclude, our results indicate that the chlorination causes algal cell lysis and release of intracellular microcystins in the intact form to surrounding waters.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1033-1040
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• 2019

The National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) has set up a plan to develop reference materials in the facility for assuring analytical quality and validating analytical methods for its monitoring samples. Some of the crucial characteristics that reference materials must consist of are homogeneity and stability of both intra and inter-bottles. In this study, we examined the homogeneity and stability of cryogenically-milled muscle samples, from Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) for total mercury. Homogeneity was tested using ANOVA analysis and regression analysis was used to test short-term stability. The variations of total mercury concentration did not significantly differ between the intra and the inter-bottle (F=0.8, p=0.37). Additionally, relative standard deviation of the total mercury concentration showed low values (2.28%). For the short-term stability test, total mercury variations were not statistically significant as demonstrated by the result of the regression analysis (F ratio = 3.11, p = 0.18). This suggests that the cryogenic-milling process has statistically proven the degree of homogeneity and short-term stability for samples of carp muscles in the chemical analysis for total mercury.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.315-328
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• 2023

Cyanobacteria have been used as pollution indicator species in freshwater ecosystems, and identifying their fluctuations can be an important part about management of surface waters globally. Cyanotoxins produced by cyanobacteria are directly or indirectly a threat to human and environmental health. In order to confirm the potential risk of these cyanotoxins, the fluctuations of phytoplankton and phylogenetic analysis of cyanotoxin synthetase genes were conducted at each point in the Yeongsan River water system in Gwangju from November 2021 to October 2022. Diatoms which grow well in winter were dominant at 99.4 ~ 99.5%, and diatoms and green algae were dominant from the spring to autumn when the water temperature rises. Stephanodiscus spp. were dominant at 92.7 to 97.5 % at all sites in the winter, and Aulacoseira spp., which grow in warm water temperatures, were dominant in summer and autumn. Microcystis aeruginosa was dominant at 25.2% in summer only at site 5. mcyB and anaC have been detected as cyanotoxin synthetase genes. The phylogenetic tree of anaC could be divided into two groups (Group 1 & Group 2). Group 1 contained Aphanizomenon sp. and Cuspidothrix issatschenkoi. It is combined with Aphanizomenon sp. and Cuspidothrix issatschenkoi, which are known to produce cyanotoxins.