• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.661-674
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• 2017

This study used questionnaires to investigate how pre-service elementary teachers understand ocean acidification. As a result of gender, female teachers were more aware of ocean acidification than male teachers, but male teachers had a higher average rate of correct answers, with a lower standard deviation. Teachers from the natural sciences knew more about ocean acidification than did teachers the liberal arts. Teachers ranked environmental crisis in order of most dangerous to least dangerous as follow: global warming and the greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, ocean acidification, and acid rain. About 46.7% of teachers learn about ocean acidification through education, followed by broadcasts, school lectures and the internet. The educational materials most desired for teachers were videos related to ocean acidification. Pre-service elementary teachers have two broad perspectives on ocean acidification. Firstly, they refer to economic loss and food shortages, and secondly, they note that there is a need for improved awareness and publicity about ocean acidification. The role of elementary school teachers is important because their awareness of environmental issues has a considerable effect on teachers perception of the environment. Revitalizing education on ocean acidification and government support are necessary to effectively communicate the seriousness of ocean acidification. Lastly, we need to study ocean acidification in detail so as to be able to persevere toward protecting our ocean ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.154-159
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• 2014

The increasing of atmospheric $CO_2$ are changing the pH (ocean acidification) and temperature of the sea. Although the effects of ocean acidification on calcifying organisms have well-documented, only a few studies have examined the combined effects of ocean acidification and elevated temperature. This study investigated the effects of ocean acidification and elevated temperature for 2100 on survival and growth of juvenile abalone, Haliotis discus hannai. Ocean acidification was simulated by bubbling $CO_2$ into seawater at concentrations of 1,000 and 1,500 ppm, and temperature was set at room temperature $+2^{\circ}C$. Neither $CO_2$ nor temperature had a significant effect on survival of abalone, while both significantly affected growth. There was no significant interaction between the two factors. Shell length can be used as a growth index of abalone to access the impacts of ocean acidification and elevated temperature.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.239-251
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• 2012

The food web dynamics in a coastal ecosystem of Korea were predicted with Ecosim, a trophic flow model, under various scenarios of primary productivity due to ocean warming and ocean acidification. Changes in primary productivity were obtained from an earth system model 2.1 under A1B scenario of IPCC $CO_2$ emission and replaced for forcing functions on the phytoplankton group during the period between 2020 and 2100. Impacts of ocean acidification on species were represented in the model for gastropoda, bivalvia, echinodermata, crustacean and cephalopoda groups with effect sizes of conservative, medium and large. The model results show that the total biomass of invertebrate and fish groups decreases 5%, 11~28% and 14~27%, respectively, depending on primary productivity, ocean acidification and combined effects. In particular, the blenny group shows zero biomass at 2080. The zooplankton group shows a sudden increase at the same time, and finally reaches twice the baseline at 2100. On the other hand, the ecosystem attributes of the mean trophic level of the ecosystem, Shannon's H and Kempton's Q indexes show a similar reduction pattern to biomass change, indicating that total biomass, biodiversity and evenness shrink dynamically by impacts of climate change. It is expected from the model results that, after obtaining more information on climate change impacts on the species level, this study will be helpful for further investigation of the food web dynamics in the open seas around Korea.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.243-256
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• 2016

Concerns about how ocean acidification will impact marine organisms have steadily increased in recent years, but there is a lack of knowledge on the responses of macroalgae. Here, we adopt an outdoor continuous-flowing mesocosm system designed for ocean acidification experiment that allows high CO₂ conditions to vary with natural fluctuations in the environment. Following the establishment of the mesocosm, five species of macroalgae that are common along the coast of Korea (namely Ulva pertusa, Codium fragile, Sargassum thunbergii, S. horneri, and Prionitis cornea) were exposed to three different CO₂ concentrations: ambient (×1) and elevated CO₂ (2× and 4× ambient), over two-week period, and their ecophysiological traits were measured. Results indicated that both photosynthesis and growth exhibited species-specific responses to the different CO₂ concentrations. Most notably, photosynthesis and growth increased in S. thunbergii when exposed to elevated CO₂ conditions but decreased in P. cornea. The preference for different inorganic carbon species (CO₂ and HCO₃⁻), which were estimated by gross photosynthesis in the presence and absence of the external carbonic anhydrase (eCA) inhibitor acetazolamide, were also found to vary among species and CO₂ treatments. Specifically, the two Sargassum species exhibited decreased eCA inhibition of photosynthesis with increased growth when exposed to high CO₂ conditions. In contrast, growth of U. pertusa and C. fragile were not notably affected by increased CO₂. Together, these results suggest that the five species of macroalgae may respond differently to changes in ocean acidity, with species-specific responses based on their differentiated photosynthetic acclimation. Understanding these physiological changes might allow us to better predict future changes in macroalgal communities in a more acidic ocean.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.91-109
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• 2022

The ocean is a significant sink for atmospheric anthropogenic CO₂, absorbing one-third of the total CO₂ emitted by human activities. In return, oceans have experienced significant declines in seawater pH and the aragonite saturation state also called ocean acidification. This study evaluates the distribution of aragonite saturation state, an indicator to assess the potential threat from ocean acidification, by combining newly obtained data from the west coast of South Korea with previous datasets covering the Yellow Sea, East Sea, northern South China Sea, and southeast coast of South Korea. In general, offshore waters absorb atmospheric CO₂; however, most of the collected water samples show aragonite oversaturation. On the southeast coast, the aragonite saturation state was significantly affected by river discharge and associated variables, such as freshwater input with nutrients, seasonal stratification, biological carbon fixation, and bacterial remineralization. In summer, hypoxia and mixing with relatively acidic freshwater made the Jinhae and Gwangyang Bays undersaturated with respect to aragonite, possibly threatening marine organisms with CaCO₃ shells. However, widespread aragonite undersaturation was not observed on the west coast, which receives considerable river water discharge. In addition, occasional upwelling events may have worsened the ocean acidification in the southwestern part of the East Sea. These results highlight the importance of investigating site-specific ocean acidification processes in coastal waters. Along with the above-mentioned seasonal factors, the dissolution of atmospheric CO₂ and the deposition of atmospheric acidic substances will continue to reduce the aragonite saturation state in Korean waters. To protect marine ecosystems and resources, an ocean acidification monitoring program should be established for Korean waters.

• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.359-366
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• 2018

Mesocosm experiments conducted for ecological purposes have become increasingly popular because they can provide a holistic understanding of the biological complexities associated with natural systems. This paper describes a new outdoor mesocosm designed for $CO_2$ perturbation experiments of benthos. Manipulated the carbonate chemistry in a continuous flow-through system can be parallelized with diurnal changes, while irradiance, temperature, and nutrients can vary according to the local environment. A target hydrogen ion activity (pH) of seawater was sufficiently stabilized and maintained within 4 h after dilution, which was initiated by the ratio of $CO_2$-saturated seawater to ambient seawater. Specifically, pH and $CO_2$ partial pressure ($pCO_2$) levels gradually varied from 8.05-7.28 and $375-2,691{\mu}atm$, respectively, over a range of dilution ratios. This mesocosm can successfully manipulate the pH and $pCO_2$ of seawater, and it demonstrates suitability for ocean acidification experiments on benthic communities.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.351-353
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• 2013

Until recently, Pacific equatorial tropical island states were subject of only very limited interest by scientists, government officials, industry and policy makers of Korea. And, comprehensive information and data on these island regions is not very detailed to help better understand their social backgrounds as well as their natural environment. However, these island regions are now in the middle of diplomatic tug-of-war among super powers as well as becoming nucleus of various science-based ocean issues including marine biodiversity, shifting ecosystem, global environmental change including sea level rise and ocean acidification, fisheries, etc. Therefore, rising political and scientific importance of these areas call for better understanding of these regions, in social aspects as well as natural scientific knowledge of the region. To be provocatively prepared to more actively role in these regions, "A study on Establishing Research Infrastructures in the Tropical Pacific" has been supported during 2012-2013 as a mission-oriented in-house project of the KIOST. This project aims to provide various research infrastructure for Pacific island states, to reinforce cooperation with these nations, and to enhance Korea's national prestige. This special issue contains 10 research articles based on the studies conducted in 2012~2013.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.123-125
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• 2013

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ocean warming and acidification are accelerating as a result of the continuous increase in atmospheric $CO_2$. This may affect the function and structure of marine ecosystems. Recently, changes in marine environments/ecosystems have been observed (increase in SST, decrease in the pH of seawater, northward expansion of subtropical species, etc.) in Korean waters. However, we still don't understand well how climate change affects these changes and what can be expected in the future. In order to answer these questions with regard to Korean waters, the project named 'Assessment of the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems in the South Sea of Korea' has been supported for 5 years by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and is scheduled to end in 2013. This project should provide valuable information on the current status of marine environments/ecosystems in the South Sea of Korea and help establish the methodology and observation/prediction systems to better understand and predict the impact of climate/marine environment changes on the structure and function of marine ecosystems. This special issue contains 5 research and a review articles that highlight the studies carried out during 2012-2013 through this project.

• ALGAE
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.285-298
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• 2021

The amount of CO₂ absorbed by the oceans continues to rise, resulting in further acidification, altering some functional traits of phytoplankton. To understand the effect of elevated partial pressures of CO₂ (pCO₂) on functional traits of dinoflagellates Alexandrium affine and A. pacificum, the cardinal temperatures and chain formation extent were examined under two pCO₂ (400 and 1,000 µatm) over the range of temperature expected to be associated with growth. The growth rate and chain formation extent of A. affine increased with higher pCO₂, showing significant changes in cardinal temperatures and a substantial increase in middle chain-length (4-8 cells) fractionation under elevated pCO₂ condition. By contrast, there were no significant differences in specific growth rate and any chain-length fractionation of A. pacificum between ambient and elevated pCO₂ conditions. The observed interspecies variation in the functional traits may reflect differences in ability of species to respond to environmental change with plasticity. Moreover, it allows us to understand the shifting biogeography of marine phytoplankton and predict their phenology in the Korea Strait.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.173-183
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• 2013

Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is widely used to disinfect seawater in power plant cooling systems in order to reduce biofouling, and in ballast water treatment systems to prevent transport of exotic marine species. While the toxicity of NaOCl is expected to increase by ongoing ocean acidification, and many experimental studies have shown how algal calcification, photosynthesis and growth respond to ocean acidification, no studies have investigated the relationship between NaOCl toxicity and increased $CO_2$. Therefore, we investigated whether the impacts of NaOCl on survival, chlorophyll a (Chl-a), and effective quantum yield in three marine phytoplankton belonging to different taxonomic classes are increased under high $CO_2$ levels. Our results show that all biological parameters of the three species decreased under increasing NaOCl concentration, but increasing $CO_2$ concentration alone (from 450 to 715 ${\mu}atm$) had no effect on any of these parameters in the organisms. However, due to the synergistic effects between NaOCl and $CO_2$, the survival and Chl-a content in two of the species, Thalassiosira eccentrica and Heterosigma akashiwo, were significantly reduced under high $CO_2$ when NaOCl was also elevated. The results show that combined exposure to high $CO_2$ and NaOCl results in increasing toxicity of NaOCl in some marine phytoplankton. Consequently, greater caution with use of NaOCl will be required, as its use is widespread in coastal waters.