Fugacity analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons between microplastics and seawater

Recently, the accumulation of plastic debris in the marine environment has become a great concern worldwide. Although plastics are biologically and chemically inert, plastic debris has been suspected of causing adverse effects on ecosystems due to the increase in reactivity by size reduction and/or micropollutants associated with plastics. Because of the high sorption capacity of microplastics toward organic micropollutants, it is suspected that microplastics may play roles in the distribution and fate of micropollutants. In order to quantitatively evaluate the “net flow” of environmental contaminants in water-plastic-organism systems, a fugacity analysis was conducted using concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in open oceans and in polyethylene as a representative material of plastic debris. Ratio of fugacity in polyethylene to that in seawater showed a decreasing trend with increasing partition coefficient between polyethylene and seawater (K_PE/sw). This indicates that phase equilibrium between polyethylene and seawater is not attained for higher molecular weight PAHs. Disequilibrium of high molecular weight PAHs suggests that transfer from seawater to plastic debris is thermodynamically driven and the role of plastic debris as a vector to transfer them to living organisms would be minimal. However, additives may slowly migrate from plastics into the environment causing potentially serious effects on ecosystems.     

Removal rate and releases of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in two wastewater treatment plants,Korea

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an important role in minimizing the release of many pollutants into the environment. Nineteen congeners in two WWTPs in Korea were determined to investigate the occurrence and fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) during wastewater treatment processes. The concentration of total PBDEs was 69.6 and 183 ng/L in influent, which declined to 1.59 and 2.34 ng/L in the final effluent, respectively (Tongyeong and Jinhae WWTPs). PBDEs were found to exist mostly in the particulate phase of wastewater, which rendered sedimentation efficient for the removal of PBDEs. BDE-209 was the predominant congener in the influent and sludge. Most of the PBDEs entering the WWTPs presumably ended up in the sludge, with < 2% being discharged with the final effluent. According to the mass loading estimation, every day 2.55–9.29 g PBDEs entered the two WWTPs, 2.8–10.4 g were disposed to landfill sites in sludge form and 0.06–0.12 g were discharged to the surrounding water through final effluent, respectively. Preliminary results indicated that the ecological risk to organisms in soil exposed to PBDEs through the usage of sludge application to agricultural land was relatively low. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report on the removal efficiency of PBDEs in a WWTP in Korea.     

A new record of pasiphaeid shrimp of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pasiphaea</Emphasis> (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea) in Korean waters

A single specimen of the pelagic shrimps, Pasiphaea japonica Omori, 1976 (Pasiphaeidae) collected in the southeastern waters of Korea is described and illustrated. Although this species occurs widely in the Indo-West Pacific including the Japanese coast of the East/Japan Sea and the middle and southern parts of the East China Sea, this is the first record of the species and the genus in Korean waters. The species is distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of characteristics: non-carinate dorsal sixth abdominal somite with a terminal tooth, rudimentary pleurobranch on the eighth thoracic somite, merus of the first pereopod with more than eight spines, and almost entirely transparent white color.     

Population Genetic Structure of Rock Bream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oplegnathus fasciatus</Emphasis> Temminck &amp; Schlegel, 1884) Revealed by mtDNA COI Sequence in Korea and China

The rock bream, Oplegnathus fasciatus, is a common rocky reef game fish in East Asia and recently has become an aquaculture species. Despite its commercial importance, the population genetic structure of this fish species remains poorly understood. In this study, 163 specimens were collected from 6 localities along the coastal waters of Korea and China and their genetic variation was analyzed with mtDNA COI sequences. A total of 34 polymorphic sites were detected which determined 30 haplotypes. The genetic pattern reveals a low level of nucleotide diversity (0.04 ± 0.003) but a high level of haplotype diversity (0.83 ± 0.02). The 30 haplotypes are divided into two major genealogical clades: one that consists of only Zhoushan (ZS, East China Sea) specific haplotypes from the southern East China Sea and the other that consists of the remaining haplotypes from the northern East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Korea Strait, and East Sea/Sea of Japan. The two clades are separated by approximately 330~435 kyBP. Analyses of AMOVA and F_st show a significant population differentiation between the ZS sample and the other ones, corroborating separation of the two genealogical clades. Larval dispersal and the fresh Yangtze River plume are invoked as the main determining factors for this population genetic structure of O. fasciatus. Neutrality tests and mismatch distribution analyses indicate late Pleistocene population expansion along the coastal waters of Korea and China approximately 133–183 kyBP during which there were periodic cycles of glaciations and deglaciations. Such population information needs to be taken into account when stock enhancement and conservation measures are implemented for this fisheries species.     

Changes in Fish Assemblages after Dike Construction in the Saemangeum Area

In the Saemangeum area, construction of a dike began in 1991 and was completed in 2006; desalination is currently being conducted. In order to investigate     

Determination of palladium and platinum in seaweed

Palladium and platinum concentrations were determined for twenty two species of seaweed from the California coast, U.S.A.. A new sensitive analytical technique using atomic absorption spectrometry was developed for palladium in seaweed. For the first time, palladium contents in seaweed were obtained. The contents of palladium and platinum varied from 0.09 to 0.61 ng g^–1 and 0.25 to 1.75 ng g^–1 in dried material, respectively.The average ratio of Pt/Pd found in seaweed was 3.5, while the ratio of Pt/Pd was 4.5 in seawater. Therefore, it is postulated that there is no discrimination for seaweed to accumulate palladium and platinum from the ambient seawater due to the chemical similarity of the metals.     

Experimental study of strong reflection of regular water waves over submerged breakwaters in tandem

A series of laboratory experiments was carried out to investigate the strong reflection of regular water waves over a train of submerged breakwaters. Rectangular and trapezoidal shapes of submerged breakwaters are employed and compared for reflecting capability of incident waves. Measured reflection coefficients of regular waves over impermeable submerged breakwaters are verified by comparing with those of the eigenfunction expansion method. A very good agreement is observed. Reflection coefficients of permeable submerged breakwaters are less than those of impermeable breakwaters. The trapezoidal shape is recommended for a submerged breakwater in terms of reflecting capability and practical application.     

Assessing Cryptic Invasion State: Fine-Scale Genetic Analysis of Ciona savignyi Population in Putative Native Habitat of the Korean Coast

The solitary ascidian, Ciona savignyi (Ascidiacea, Enterogona) is a notorious marine invader still expanding its habitat range worldwide. This species is considered native to the North West Pacific, but its indigeneity in Korean coastal waters has been questioned because of outdated taxonomic records and its inhabitation of oceanographically marginal areas. To clarify their cryptic invasion state, 247 individual C. savignyi samples were collected from 12 harbors and marinas on the Korean coast, and a 744 bp region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene was sequenced and analyzed. Our analyses of population genetic structure and demographic history provided considerable pieces of evidence supporting their long-term establishment on the Korean coasts: differentiated population genetic structure, sequentially arrayed star-shape haplotype network, neutrality test results of past population expansions, and post-glacial colonization pattern of demography. Consequently, we concluded that C. savignyi populations on the Korean Coast are indigenous rather than exotic. These results could be used as reference data for further phylogeo graphic and demographic studies of problematic Ciona species, and to clarify and resolve similar cryptic invasion states of the other Korean coastal marine organisms. This study is the first to resolve the cryptic in vasion state of Korean marine organisms using genetic analysis.

     

Carbon disulfide in the estuarine, coastal, and oceanic environments

The concentration of carbon disulfide (CS₂) in surface water and relevant hydrographic parameters were determined in coastal waters of the eastern USA (Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay, including the Potomac River; 7–11 September 1986). The CS₂ concentration varied extensively along the cruise track, from 4 to 510 pmol S(CS₂) l⁻¹ (n = 103). The average values in estuarine, shelf, and oceanic waters were found to be 118 ± 100 pmol S(CS₂) l⁻¹ (n = 54), 51 ± 34 pmol S(CS₂) l⁻¹ (n = 14), and 28 ± 12 pmol S(CS₂) l⁻¹ (n = 35), respectively. To help interpret the geochemical behavior of CS₂, we analyzed the depth distribution of CS₂ in the North Atlantic Ocean during an earlier cruise (23 April–2 May 1986). In most cases, these depth profiles show a near-surface maximum at about 10–20 m depth and a relatively steep gradient below this maximum. Based on the distribution pattern in the water column and evidence provided by earlier workers, we propose that diffusion of CS₂ from bottom sediments may contribute to CS₂ levels in surface seawater. The atmospheric concentration of CS₂ was also investigated at some locations during the September cruise. Except during periods when there was a significant anthropogenic input, the concentration of CS₂ in air was generally in the range of 4–15 pptv (parts per trillion by volume) with a mean of 10.4 ± 4.0 pptv (n = 10). The calculated sea-to-air emission rates of CS₂ at each of our sampling stations show a decreasing trend across estuarine, shelf, and oceanic areas, in agreement with the trend in surface water concentrations.     

Sliding mode fuzzy control: Theory and verification on a benchmark structure

A sliding mode fuzzy control (SMFC) algorithm is presented for vibration reduction of large structures. The rule base of the fuzzy inference engine is constructed based on the sliding mode control, which is one of the non‐linear control algorithms. In general, fuzziness of the controller makes the control system robust against the uncertainties in the system parameters and the input excitation, and the non‐linearity of the control rule makes the controller more effective than linear controllers. For verification of the present algorithm, a numerical study is carried out on the benchmark problem initiated by the ASCE Committee on Structural Control. To achieve a high level of realism, various aspects are considered such as actuator–structure interaction, sensor noise, actuator time delay, precision of the A/D and D/A converters, magnitude of control force, and order of control model. Performance of the SMFC is examined in comparison with those of other control algorithms such as H_{mixed 2/∞}, optimal polynomial control, neural networks control, and SMC, which were reported by other researchers. The results indicate that the present SMFC is efficient and attractive, since the vibration responses of the structure can be reduced very effectively and the design procedure is simple and convenient. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.