The impacts of climate change on local hydrology and low flow frequency in the Geum River Basin,Korea

The climate sensitive analysis of potential climate change on streamflow has been conducted using a hydrologic model to identify hydrologic variability associated with climate scenarios as a function of perturbed climatic variables (e.g. carbon dioxide, temperature, and precipitation). The interannual variation of water resources availability as well as low flow frequency driven by monsoonal time shifts have been investigated to evaluate the likelihood of droughts in a changing climate. The results show that the timing shift of the monsoon window associated with future climate scenarios clearly affect annual water yield change of ? 12 and ? 8% corresponding to 1‐month earlier and 1‐month later monsoon windows, respectively. Also, a more severe low flow condition has been predicted at 0·03 m³/s as opposed to the historic 7Q10 flow of 1·54 m³/s given at extreme climate scenarios. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of ultraviolet irradiation on the production and composition of fatty acids in plankton in a sub-Antarctic environment

We investigated the effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation on the natural phytoplankton assemblage in Marine Cove on King George Island, Antarctica, in December 2005. The amount of newly synthesized phytoplankton polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was lower with exposure to full irradiation (PAR+UV-A+UV-B) than without such exposure (exposed instead to PAR+UV-A radiation) in an in situ incubation under the light conditions in two different types of incubation bottles: quartz bottles transmitting all light wavelengths including UV-B and polycarbonate bottles with no UV-B transmission and 20 % reduced PAR compared to the quartz bottle. However, the amount of newly synthesized saturated fatty acids was greater with than without UV-B radiation. Thus, UV-B radiation may have a significant influence on fatty acid synthesis in phytoplankton. In particular, the production of eicosapentaenoic acid [20:5(n-3)] and docosahexaenoic acid [22:6(n-3)] was reduced during incubation under the natural solar radiation including UV-B. To understand the indirect influence of UV-B on herbivores (the secondary producer), we conducted feeding experiments with amphipods fed in situ on the natural phytoplankton assemblage. The amphipods fed on the phytoplankton with the low PUFA values also exhibited a low PUFA accumulation rate, which could negatively affect their growth, development, and reproduction. Consequently, the diminished rate of essential fatty acid synthesis [especially 20:5(n-3) and 22:6(n-3)] in primary producers caused by UV-B exposure could affect the structure and function of the Antarctic marine ecosystem.     

Estimation of Roughness Parameters Within Sparse Urban-Like Obstacle Arrays

We conduct wind-tunnel experiments on three different uniform roughness arrays composed of sparsely distributed rectangular cylinders for the estimation of surface parameters. Roughness parameters such as the roughness length z ₀ and zero-plane displacement d are extracted using a best-fit approximation of the measured wind velocity. We also perform a large-eddy simulation (LES) to confirm that four sampling points are sufficient to surrogate a space average above the canopy layer of the sparse roughness arrays. We propose a new morphological model from a systematic analysis of experimental data on the arrays. The friction velocity predicted by the proposed model agrees well with the peak value of the measured Reynolds shear stress ${(-\left<\overline{u'w'}\right>)^{0.5}}${(-\left<\overline{u'w'}\right>)^{0.5}}. The proposed model is further validated in an additional wind-tunnel experiment conducted on a scaled configuration of a real urban area exposed to four wind directions. The proposed model is found to perform very well particularly in the estimation of the friction velocity, readily leading to a better estimation of turbulence, which is essential for an accurate prediction of pollutant dispersion.     

Macrobenthos habitat mapping in a tidal flat using remotely sensed data and a GIS-based probabilistic model

This paper proposes and tests a method of producing macrofauna habitat potential maps based on a weights-of-evidence model (a probabilistic approach) for the Hwangdo tidal flat, Korea. Samples of macrobenthos were collected during field work, and we considered five mollusca species for habitat mapping. A weights-of-evidence model was used to calculate the relative weights of 10 control factors that affect the macrobenthos habitat. The control factors were compiled as a spatial database from remotely sensed data combined with GIS analysis. The relative weight of each factor was integrated as a species potential index (SPI), which produced habitat potential maps. The maps were compared with the surveyed habitat locations, revealing a strong correlation between the potential maps and species locations. The combination of a GIS-based weights-of-evidence model and remote sensing techniques is an effective method in determining areas of macrobenthos habitat potential in a tidal flat setting.     

Effects of the Changjiang river discharge on sea surface warming in the Yellow and East China Seas in summer

This study explores the effects of the Changjiang (also called the Yangtze River) river discharge (CRD) on the density stratifications and associated sea surface temperature (SST) changes using a global ocean general circulation model with regional focus on the Yellow and East China Seas (YECS). It is found that CRD increases the SST in summer through a barrier layer (BL) formation that tends to enhance stratification at the mixed layer base, and thus reduces both vertical mixing and entrainment. This process is effective, particularly in August, after the CRD reaches its maximum in July. The SST difference between the composites of flood and drought years confirms that the surface warming is related to surface freshening by the CRD. This result suggests that the BL induced by the CRD is an important contributor to the surface heat budget in the YECS.     

Geotechnical properties of deep oceanic sediments recovered from the hydrate occurrence regions in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, offshore Korea

This study presents comprehensive geotechnical data of the natural marine sediments cored from the hydrate occurrence regions during the Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Expedition 1 (UBGH1), East Sea, offshore Korea in 2007. Geotechnical soil index properties of the Ulleung Basin sediments, including grain size distribution, porosity, water content, Atterberg limits, specific gravity, and specific surface area, were experimentally determined. These soil index properties were correlated to geotechnical engineering parameters (e.g., shear strength and friction angle) by using well-known empirical relationships. By performing standard consolidation tests on both undisturbed specimens (as recovered from the original core liner after hydrate dissociation) and remolded specimens, stress-dependent mechanical and hydraulic properties (e.g., compressibility and hydraulic conductivity) were measured. The experimental results provide important engineering parameters, and demonstrate the effect of hydrate presence and consequential dissociation to index properties, engineering parameters, and innate sediment structures.     

Molecular and isotopic signatures in sediments and gas hydrate of the central/southwestern Ulleung Basin: high alkalinity escape fuelled by biogenically sourced methane

Natural marine gas hydrate was discovered in Korean territorial waters during a 2007 KIGAM cruise to the central/southwestern Ulleung Basin, East Sea. The first data on the geochemical characterization of hydrate-bound water and gas are presented here for cold seep site 07GHP-10 in the central basin sector, together with analogous data for four sites (07GHP-01, 07GHP-02, 07GHP-03, and 07GHP-14) where no hydrates were detected in other cores from the central/southwestern sectors. Hydrate-bound water displayed very low concentrations of major ions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺), and more positive δD (15.5‰) and δ¹⁸O (2.3‰) signatures compared to seawater. Cl^– freshening and more positive isotopic values were also observed in the pore water at gas hydrate site 07GHP-10. The inferred sulfate–methane interface (SMI) was very shallow (<5 mbsf) at least at four sites, suggesting the widespread occurrence of anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) at shallow sediment depths, and possibly high methane flux. Around the SMI, pore water alkalinity was very high (>40 mM), but the carbon isotopic ratios of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ¹³C_DIC) did not show minimum values typical of AOM. Moreover, macroscopic authigenic carbonates were not observed at any of the core sites. This can plausibly be explained by carbon with high δ¹³C values diffusing upward from below the SMI, increasing alkalinity via deep methanogenesis and eventually escaping as alkalinity into the water column, with minor precipitation as solid phase. This contrasts, but is not inconsistent with recent reports of methane-fuelled carbonate formation at other sites in the southwestern basin sector. Methane was the main hydrocarbon component (>99.85%) of headspace, void, and hydrate-bound gases, C₁/C₂₊ ratios were at least 1,000, and δ¹³C_CH4 and δD_CH4 values were in the typical range of methane generated by microbial reduction of CO₂. This is supported by the δ¹³C_C2H6 signatures of void and hydrate-bound gases, and helps clarify some contradictory interpretations existing for the Ulleung Basin as a whole. In combination, these findings suggest that deep biogenic gas and pore waters migrate upward through pathways such as hydrofractures, and measurably influence the shallow carbon cycle. As a result, cation-adjusted alkalinity/removed sulfate diagrams cannot always serve to estimate the degree of alkalinity produced by sulfate reduction and AOM in high methane flux areas.     

High-resolution spectroscopy of Saturn at 3 microns: CH4, CH3D, C2H2, C2H6, PH3, clouds, and haze

We report observation and analysis of a high-resolution 2.87-3.54 μm spectrum of the southern temperate region of Saturn obtained with NIRSPEC at Keck II. The spectrum reveals absorption and emission lines of five molecular species as well as spectral features of haze particles. The ν₂+ν₃ band of CH₃D is detected in absorption between 2.87 and 2.92 μm; and we derived from it a mixing ratio approximately consistent with the Infrared Space Observatory result. The ν₃ band of C₂H₂ also is detected in absorption between 2.95 and 3.05 μm; analysis indicates a sudden drop in the C₂H₂ mixing ratio at 15 mbar (130 km above the 1 bar level), probably due to condensation in the low stratosphere. The presence of the ν₃+ν₉+ν₁₁ band of C₂H₆ near 3.07 μm, first reported by Bjoraker et al. [Bjoraker, G.L., Larson, H.P., Fink, U., 1981. Astrophys. J. 248, 856-862], is confirmed, and a C₂H₆ condensation altitude of 10 mbar (140 km) in the low stratosphere is determined. We assign weak emission lines within the 3.3 μm band of CH₄ to the ν₇ band of C₂H₆, and derive a mixing ratio of 9±4×¹⁰⁻⁶ for this species. Most of the C₂H₆ 3.3 μm line emission arises in the altitude range 460-620 km (at ∼μbar pressure levels), much higher than the 160-370 km range where the 12 μm thermal molecular line emission of this species arises. At 2.87-2.90 μm the major absorber is tropospheric PH₃. The cloud level determined here and at 3.22-3.54 is 390-460 mbar (∼30 km), somewhat higher than found by Kim and Geballe [Kim, S.J., Geballe, T.R., 2005. Icarus 179, 449-458] from analysis of a low resolution spectrum. A broad absorption feature at 2.96 μm, which might be due to NH₃ ice particles in saturnian clouds, is also present. The effect of a haze layer at about 125 km (∼12 mbar level) on the 3.20-3.54 μm spectrum, which was not apparent in the low resolution spectrum, is clearly evident in the high resolution data, and the spectral properties of the haze particles suggest that they are composed of hydrocarbons.     

Sediment reworking by a polychaete, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perinereis aibuhitensis</Emphasis>, in the intertidal sediments of the Gomso Bay,Korea

Bioturbation, especially sediment reworking by the activities of macroinvertebrates, such as feeding and burrowing, is one of the major processes that affect the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of marine sediments. Given the importance of sediment reworking, this study was designed to evaluate the sediment reworking rate of a polychaete, Perinereis aibuhitensis, which is dominant in the upper tidal flats on the west coast of Korea, based on quantification of pellet production during spring and fall surveys. The density of individuals was higher in fall than in spring, whereas, due to a difference in the proportion of adults between the two seasons, the morphometric dimensions of the worm and its pellets were significantly longer and heavier in the spring. Hourly pellet production per inhabitant and density were closely related, with pellet production gradually decreasing as density increased. Daily pellet production was much higher in spring than in fall, mostly due to an increase in daytime production. The sediment reworking rate of Perinereis was similar in the two seasons in which observations were made and depended on its density and the sediment reworking rate per individual. The overall sediment reworking rate of Perinereis was 31 mm yr^?1 based on its density in the study area.     

Compatible taper and stem volume equations for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larix kaempferi</Emphasis> (Japanese larch) species of South Korea

In this study, compatible taper and stem volume equations were developed for Larix kaempferi species of South Korea. The dataset was split into two groups: 80% of the data were used in model fitting and the remaining 20% were used for validation. The compatible MB76 equations were used to predict the diameter outside bark to a specific height, the height to a specific diameter and the stem volume of the species. The result of the stem volume analysis was compared with the existing stem volume model of Larix kaempferi species of South Korea which was developed by the Korea Forest Research Institute and with a simple volume model that was developed with fitting dataset in this study. The compatible model provided accurate prediction of the total stem volume when compared to the existing stem volume model and with a simple volume model. It is concluded that the compatible taper and stem volume equations are more convenient to use and therefore it is recommended to be applied in the Larix kaempferi species of South Korea.