• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.210-216
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• 2006

The concentrations of 16 priority PAHs (US EPA standard) were analyzed in the surface sediments obtained from 23 sampling sites near Kwangyang Bay in Korea. There was a local variability in the total PAHs ranged from 0.01 to 171.39 mg/kg, with a mean value of $8.13{\pm}24.8mg/kg$. The major pollution sources of PAHs near Kwanyang Bay were Taeindo, Sueo stream and Wallae stream, whose concentrations were 114.81, 38.37 mg/kg and 19.05 mg/kg, respectively. It showed that PAHs concentrations were increased with the decrease of particle size and with the increase of organic carbon contents in three fractioned sediments. From the analysis of PAHs source using LMW/HMW, Phe/Ant, and Fla/Pyr, pyrolysis by-products were mostly showed in Kwangyang Bay and some place showed the mixure of pyrolysis by-products, and crude oil by-products. Besides, the toxic effects assessment on benthic ecosystem for three major pollution sources showed that the PAHs concentration of Taindo which was mainly accumulated with carcinogenic PAHs exceeds ERM value and the PAHs of Sueo and Wallae streams are the degree of ERL value.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.245-253
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• 2015

Total acid digestion and 1 M HCl extraction methods were used to investigate the pollution status and the degree of ecological risk of trace metals in surface sediments from the Ulsan-Onsan coast. Total concentrations of trace metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Hg) were two-fold higher in surface sediments from Onsan coast than in those from Ulsan coast. The mean labile fractions of the total concentrations of Cd and Pb were 72% and 78%, respectively, indicating a high contribution from anthropogenic sources, whereas Cr, Li, Ni, and As in the residual fraction exceeded 80%, indicating a high contribution from natural sources. According to the results of assessment of trace metal pollution using the sediment quality guidelines in Korea, the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Hg were higher than the values of the probable effects level (PEL) at some stations of Onsan coast, and the concentrations of Cr and Ni were lower than the values of the threshold effects level (TEL). The pollution level and ecological risk of the trace metals were analyzed using various indexes (EF, $I_{geo}$, m-PEL-Q, and ERI). Our results showed that the degree of pollution by trace metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Hg) on the Ulsan-Onsan coast was high, and Hg and Cd were the major potential ecological risk factors.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.179-191
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• 2018

In order to determine the distribution characteristics of the heavy metals in surface sediments of the eastern Yellow Sea, heavy metal concentrations (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Mn, As, Ni, Co, Li, Fe and Al) together with grain size and total organic carbon (TOC), were analyzed. The concentrations of all heavy metals, with the exception of Pb, Mn and As in some stations, were relatively high in the central area of the Yellow Sea and tended to decrease toward the Korean coast. A significant relationship between grain size and concentrations of heavy metals suggested that they were mostly controlled by quartz dilution effect. However, at some stations, Pb, Mn and As exhibited different distribution patterns. For Pb, the differences were caused by petrogenetic influences (feldspar) in coarse-grained sediments. In the case of Mn, biogenetic influences ($CaCO_3$) affected distribution patterns. As was distributed differently because of the existence of a heavy mineral (pyrite). A comparison with previous data (collected in 2000) shows that the heavy metal concentration in the eastern Yellow Sea has not increased over the past fifteen years. The sedimentary environment of dumping sites in the Yellow Sea has not been significantly improved during this period. The results of the pollution assessment revealed that the concentrations of heavy metals in the study area were lower than lower criteria (TEL, MSQ-1) in Korean and Chinese sediment quality guidelines. The enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index ($I_{geo}$) and ecological risk index (ERI) of Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr were higher in the central area of the Yellow Sea.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.76-90
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• 2018

To determine the distribution of mercury (Hg) in the coastal surface sediments around the Korean peninsula, the baseline concentration of Hg was estimated, the extent of contamination was assessed, and the factors controlling the distribution were discussed. The concentrations of Hg in surface sediments were significantly high in Jinhae-Masan Bay in the South Sea, Ulsan-Onsan Bay and Yeongil Bay in the East Sea, but Hg in other sediments showed a similar distribution to Cs and relatively very low concentration between 0.21 and $39.5{\mu}g/kg$ ($13.6{\pm}7.80{\mu}g/kg$). Compared to the sediment quality guidelines in Korea, 8 % of the surface sediments (n=282) analyzed in this study exceeded the values of the threshold effects level (TEL), and six sediments collected around Onsan Port were higher than the value of the probable effects level (PEL). The contamination levels of Hg were assessed by the enrichment factors using the baseline concentration (2.06Cs+1.75) based on the residual analysis from the linear regression line for Cs, and further, factors controlling the distribution of Hg were discussed by the comparison with geochemical substances depending upon the Hg enrichment level. Hg concentrations were correlated well with Cs concentration in the range of less than 1.69 of EF implying grain size control, while in the range of 1.69 and 4.03 Hg concentrations were correlated well with Fe oxyhyroxide and organic carbon contents, which indicates Hg was enriched by superior sorption capability. On the meanwhile, samples with higher EFs (4.03 to 74.9) showed fairly positive correlations with other metals (Cu, Zn, Pb) rather than geochemical substances. For samples in Youngil Bay and Ulsan-Onsan Bay (n=30), Hg concentrations were correlated only with other metals rather than geochemical substances implying simultaneous supply of metal particles from metal refineries. But samples at Gosung, Sokcho and Uljin coast were correlated well with organic carbon even though they had high EFs. In addition, samples in Jinhae-Masan Bay with high contents of S were enriched by relatively high sulfide formation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.283-296
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• 2014

The distribution of heavy metals in the stormwater runoffs from industrial sites around Shihwa Lake that implements the total pollutant load management system (TPLMS) was studied to characterize the temporal changes of metal concentrations and to assess the ecological risk in dissolved and particulate phases of the selected metals. The dissolved Co and Ni concentration demonstrated first flush and tended to decrease with increasing of the duration of rainfall. The intensity of precipitation was found to be the main controlling factor of particulate metals in the stromwater runoffs. The particulate concentration of Pb accounted for 97.2% so the particulate phase was its main form. Other metals followed the sequence: Pb>Cu>Cd>Co>Zn>Ni. The particulate-dissolved partitioning coefficient ($K_d$) indicated that the $K_d$ of Pb were bigger than that of other metals because the metal Pb in the stormwater runoffs is quickly removed into the particulate phase. In a single day rainfall event, total runoff fluxes for total metals as the sum of dissolved and particulate forms through only two sewer outlets were 2.21 kg for Co, 30.5 kg for Ni, 278.3 kg for Cu, 398.3 kg for Zn, 0.39 kg for Cd and 40.0 kg for Pb, respectively. Given the annual rainfall, the number of rain days and the basin area for total pollutant load management system (TPLMS) of Shihwa area, enormous amount of non-point metal pollutants were entered into Lake with any treatment. The dissolved metals (e.g., Ni, Cu and Zn) in the stormwater runoffs exceeded the acute water quality criteria. Additionally, all metals were significantly enriched in the particulate phase and exceeded the PEL criteria of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). These results indicated that the heavy metals in the stormwater runoffs may pose a very high ecological risk to the coastal environments and ecosystem.