Da Un Jeong

Effect of abalone farming on sediment geochemistry in the Shallow Sea near Wando, South Korea

Wando County has grown up to 93% of the total abalone produced in South Korea since the late 1990s; however, this production has been decreasing in recent years. The objectives of this study were to understand the potential contamination risks of abalone farming and to examine the influence of intensive abalone farming on sediment quality by analyzing grain-size composition, organic matter (total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total sulfur (TS)) and heavy metal content, pH, and 210Pb geochronology. The results of organic matter analysis from surface and core sediment (length: 64 cm) showed that the area around the abalone farm had oxic marine-to-brackish conditions, but that the area directly below an abalone cage (location 7) had reductive conditions, with a C/S ratio of ~2. The average TN levels in the surface and core sediments were 0.25% and 0.29%, respectively, and this was predominantly due to the use of seaweed for feed. The low sediment pH (surface, 7.23; core, 7.04), indicates that acidification of the bottom sediment has gradually increased since the initiation of abalone farming and is likely due to the continuous accumulation of uneaten feed and feces. Heavy metal pollution was not apparent based on the examination of EF and Igeo, although the excess metal flux of Ni, Pb, Cu, Co, As, and Cd increased toward surface of the sediment core. These sediment changes may be caused by the rapid accumulation (sedimentation rate: 1.45 cm/year) of sludge discharged from the abalone farm and may be controlled by tidal currents, physiography, water depth, and tidal ranges.

Effects of hypoxia caused by mussel farming on benthic foraminifera in semi-closed Gamak Bay, South Korea

Seawater monitoring and geochemical and benthic foraminiferal analysis of sediments were conducted to identify the effects of hypoxia created by a mussel farm on benthic foraminifera in a semi-closed bay. Extremely polluted reductive conditions with a high content of organic matter (OM) at >12.0% and oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) with dissolved oxygen (DO) <0.4mg∙L(-1) were formed below the mussel farm in the northwest area of Gamak Bay, and gradually diffused toward the south. Highly similar patterns of variation were observed in species diversity, abundance frequency, and benthic foraminiferal assemblage distributed from Elphidium subarcticum-Ammonia beccarii in the northwest area through E. subarcticum-A. beccarii-Trochammina hadai, E. subarcticum-A. beccarii-Elphidiumclavatum, and E. clavatum-Ammonia ketienziensis in the southern area. These phenomena were caused by hydrodynamics in the current water mass. It was thought that E. subarcticum is a bioindicator of organic pollution caused by the mussel farm.

Effects of Heavy Rainfall on Sedimentation in the Tidal Salt Marsh of Suncheon Bay, South Korea

ABSTRACT Lee, Y.G.; Kim, S.; Jeong, D.U.; Kim, J.K., and Woo, H.J., 2013. Effects of heavy rainfall on sedimentation in the tidal salt marsh of Suncheon Bay, South Korea. Tide observations, geographic surveys, sediment composition, and sediment accretion rate monitoring were conducted to investigate the relationship between general pattern changes and control factors of the accretion rate at 10 localities of the tidal salt marsh of Suncheon Bay over 2 years (June 2007–May 2009). The substrate sediments of the tidal salt marshes that are distributed between the mean sea level and the high water of ordinary spring tide are mainly composed of silt (37.98%) and clay (60.45%) and have a high average annual accretion rate of 28.88 mm/y. The high substrate sedimentation of tidal salt marshes is caused by: (1) a high concentrated suspended sediment supply from the tidal flat; (2) considerable marsh grass vegetation; (3) undeveloped tidal salt marsh creek; and (4) marsh elevation distributed between the mean sea level and the high water of ordinary spring tide. The variation in patterns of the average monthly accretion rate can be divided into three stages: the low stage (June 2007 to February 2008) was the period of lowest accretion rate over 2 years and consistently measured between 5.35 mm and 12.40 mm, averaging out to 8.89 mm that period. The recovery stage (March 2008 to October 2008) was a period of rapid increase in accretion rate and measured from 14.93 mm to 49.47 mm with an average of 33.02 mm. The high stage (November 2008 to May 2009) was a period of high deposition in accretion rate, and measured between 46.67 mm and 53.38 mm, averaging to 49.83 mm. These three stages were formed and changed by heavy rainfall brought about by typhoons in the summer season of Korea and undeveloped tidal salt-marsh creek system. It was confirmed that heavy rainfall may significantly alter the sediment flux within the marsh system in this study.

Effect of abalone farming on seawater movement and benthic foraminiferal assemblage of Zostera marina in the inner bay of Wando, South Korea

Tidal current survey as well as geochemical and benthic foraminiferal analyses of sediment cores were conducted in an abalone farm and a Zostera bed to understand the degree to which the abalone farm facilities installed along a channel in a shallow sea affect the benthic environment and ecology. In the abalone farm, Ammonia beccarii-Pseudoparrella naraensis-Elphidium somaense-Rosalina globularis-Trochammina hadai and P. naraensis-E. somaense-A. beccarii-T. hadai assemblages appeared owing to an increase in the total nitrogen content from the biodeposits. The Zostera bed consisted of A. beccarii-P. naraensis-Buccella frigida-T. hadai assemblage owing to the gradual expansion of a brackish shallow-water environment by the rapidly decreasing current speed, and it may have flourished. Moreover, the total sulfur, Zn, Cr, and Cu contents in the sediments decreased remarkably more than those of the pre-abalone farming did, caused by the vigorous activity of Zostera marina physiology.

Implication of salt marsh foraminiferal assemblages in Suncheon Bay, South Korea

Analyses of the compositions of benthic foraminifera and sediment, observations of tidal level and salinity, and a geographic survey of the tidal salt marsh in Suncheon Bay were conducted to examine the vertical distribution of foraminifera and evaluate their potential use for sea level studies. The salt marsh is composed mainly of fine-grained silty clay sediment and its salinity is below approximately 11 psu. The tidal current flows in the southwest-tonortheast direction with an average velocity of 26.57 cm/s. A total of 33 species of foraminifera (17 agglutinated and 16 calcareoushyaline) belonging to 24 genera was identified. The species diversity (1.1 on average) was relatively low. Dominant species were Ammonia beccarii, Miliammina fusca, Haplophragmoides wilberti, and Jadammina macrescens. Calcareous foraminifera (29.5%) were dominantly represented by the Ammonia beccarii assemblage, which characterized the region between mean tide level and mean low high water (MLHW). Agglutinated species (70.5%) were represented mostly by Miliammina fusca, Miliammina fusca-Haplophragmoides wilberti, and Haplophragmoides wilberti assemblages, which characterized the MLHW–mean high water (MHW), MHW–mean highest high water (MHHW), and MHHW–Approx. highest high water tide levels, respectively. In particular, the Haplophragmoides wilberti assemblage is believed to represent the highest elevation zone of foraminifera in the salt marshes of Suncheon Bay and is considered to be a reliable indicator of sea level as a result of its narrow vertical range.