Nitrogen budget of the eelgrass, Zostera marina in a bay system on the south coast of Korea

Above- and below-ground productivities and tissue N content were measured monthly to quantify N incorporation to sustain eelgrass growth in Koje Bay on the south coast of Korea from January to December 2002. N acquisition was also estimated through measurements of N uptake kinetics, tissue biomass, and in situ inorganic N concentrations in water column and sediments. Above- and below-ground productivities were highest in summer and lowest in late fall and winter. Leaf tissue N content was highest in December and lowest in July, while rhizome tissue N content was highest in October and lowest in April. Estimated monthly N incorporation by leaf tissues based on the leaf productivity and N content ranged from 0.4 g N m^?2 month^?1 in November to 2.0 g N m^?2 month^?1 in May. N incorporation by below-ground tissues ranged from 0.1 g N m^?2 month^?1 in February to 0.2 g N m^?2 month^?1 in October. Annual whole plant N incorporation was 14.5 g N m^?2 y^?1, and N incorporation by leaf tissues accounted for about 87 % of total N incorporation. Maximum uptake rate (V _max ) and half saturation constant (K _m ) of leaf NH₄ ⁺ uptake were significantly lower than those of root NH₄ ⁺ uptake. Above- and below-ground biomass ranged from 20.8 g DW m^?2 and 8.6 g DW m^?2 in winter to 350.0 g DW m^?2 and 81.3 g DW m^?2 in spring, respectively. NH₄ ⁺ concentrations varied from 0.2 to 4.3 mM in water column and from 93.0 to 551.7 mM in sediment pore water. Based on these measurements, annual N acquisition by root tissues contributed slightly higher than that by leaf tissues to total plant N acquisition. During winter, monthly leaf N acquisition was lower than monthly leaf N incorporation. This implies that Z. marina has internal nitrogen retention system to offset the shortage and excess of nitrogen.     

Coastal environmental assessment and management by ecological simulation in Yeoja Bay, Korea

An eco-hydrodynamic model was used to estimate the carrying capacity of pollutant loads and response of water quality to environmental change in Yeoja Bay, Korea. An energy-system model also was used to simulate the fluctuation in nutrients and organic matter in the bordering wetland. Most water quality factors showed a pulsed pattern, and the concentrations of nutrients and organic matter of seawater increased when input loads of nutrients increased due to freshwater discharge. The well-developed tidal zones and wetlands in the northern area of the bay were highly sensitive to input loads. Residence times of water, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) within the bay were estimated to be about 16 days, 43.2 days, and 50.2 days, respectively. Water quality reacted more sensitively to the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus input than to COD. A plan to reduce the present levels of COD and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) by 20–30% and DIN by at least 50% in pollutant loads is needed for satisfying the target water quality criteria. The natural removal rate of nutrients in wetlands by reeds was assessed to be approximately 10%.     

Integrated Geological–Geophysical and Oceanographic Research in the South China Sea: Cruise 88 of the R/V “Akademik M.A. Lavrentyev”

Oceanology - Abstract—The paper gives brief results of comprehensive studies in the South China Sea obtained from a joint Russian–Vietnamese expedition in November 2019 (cruise 88 of...     

Some statistical characteristics of large deepwater waves around the Korean Peninsula

The relationship between significant wave height and period, the variability of significant wave period, the spectral peak enhancement factor, and the directional spreading parameter of large deepwater waves around the Korean Peninsula have been investigated using various sources of wave measurement and hindcasting data. For very large waves comparable to design waves, it is recommended to use the average value of the empirical formulas proposed by Shore Protection Manual in 1977 and by Goda in 2003 for the relationship between significant wave height and period. The standard deviation of significant wave periods non-dimensionalized with respect to the mean value for a certain significant wave height varies between 0.04 and 0.21 with a typical value of 0.1 depending upon different regions and different ranges of significant wave heights. The probability density function of the peak enhancement factor is expressed as a lognormal distribution, with its mean value of 2.14, which is somewhat smaller than the value in the North Sea. For relatively large waves, the probability density function of the directional spreading parameter at peak frequency is also expressed as a lognormal distribution.     

Workspace control system of underwater tele-operated manipulators on an ROV

This paper presents a control technique for structured undersea tasks that require a high degree of precision. The overall efficiency of tele-operated underwater manipulation is improved by reducing the burden on the human operator. A new workspace-control system composed of a computer and input devices in workspace was developed to support the operator. The computer transforms the desired velocity of end-effector in workspaces to desired joint angles by solving the inverse kinematics of the slave manipulators. The desired joint angles are transferred to the slave controller through RS-485 serial communication, and be followed by the slave manipulator. The developed master system provides advantages in conducting structured tasks(coring, drilling, underwater connector mating, etc.) that require precise control of the end-effector’s motion and attitude. The existing master system, however, is more useful for unstructured tasks than newly developed master system. By combining the two master systems, the work efficiency of the underwater tele-operated manipulator system was improved. This paper presents the development of the workspace-control system and a working strategy to alleviate operator’s burden in underwater works. Experimental results are presented to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method using underwater manipulators mounted on the KORDI deep-sea ROV Hemire.     

Designation processes for marine protected areas in the coastal wetlands of South Korea

The history of Korean tidal flat management and the process for designating Coastal Wetland Protected Areas (CWPAs) are described. Korean coastal wetlands have a long history of intensive use through reclamation for agricultural and industrial uses in the 20th century. Recently, the management policy is shifting away from intensive use towards the conservation of wetlands. This shift is caused by increasing public awareness of the value of wetlands and strong institutional support from the government. Since the Wetlands Conservation Act was passed in 1999, a total of twelve CWPAs have been designated through both top-down and bottom-up processes. Three designation paths are classified based on the relevant drivers, namely government-driven designations (seven CWPAs), local community driven designations (three CWPAs), and conflict resolution (trade-offs) driven designation (two CWPAs). The lessons learned from the designation of Korean CWPAs is that diversification of designation process could facilitate voluntary participation of local stakeholders and thereby enhance the chance of successful implementation of wise use strategy of tidal flats.     

Eddies in the southwestern East/Japan Sea

Closed loop mesoscale eddies were identified and tracked in the Ulleung Basin of the southwestern Japan/East Sea (JES) using the winding-angle (WA) methodology, for mapping the absolute geostrophic currents into surface streamlines of flow. The geostrophic velocity used here was the sum of the Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data (AVISO), time variable velocity and the 1992–2007 mean geostrophic velocity. Local sampling bias was removed using the drifter observations. This WA methodology of deriving the Lagrangian path lines that drifters followed over a 7-day period was validated by individual drifter tracks and it demonstrated closed looping eddy motions. The WA method demonstrated that less than 6% of the closed streamlines appeared when drifters did not show a closed loop in their vicinity, compared to 30% of the excess detection rate by the Okubo–Weiss method of locating closed loop structures. Three groups of eddies were identified: (1) Coastal Cold and Warm Eddies, which appeared in the area between the coast of southern Korea and the East Korean Warm Current (EKWC), when a southward coastal current was present, (2) Frontal Cold and Warm Eddies, which were formed in the region of the seaward extension of the meandering EKWC, north of Ulleung Island and (3) Ulleung Warm Eddies (UWE) and Dok Cold Eddies (DCE), which appeared during meanders of the EKWC, in the Ulleung Basin. No seasonal concentration for eddy generation and eddy population was found. The average radius of eddies was about 38–60 km. These were born, moved in an erratic pattern and then died in the vicinity where the EKWC separated from the coast and formed a large meander. The time-mean large meander formed meridionally concentrated bands of positive and negative relative vorticity. The cyclonic (cold) eddies tend to reside within the band of positive time-mean relative vorticity, and the anticyclonic (warm) eddies reside within the bands of negative relative vorticity. Six UWE and four warm eddies, in the Yamato Basin (about 10% of warm eddies), were sustained longer than a year. Because the large meander of the EKWC appeared to be controlled by topography, and the JES is a nearly enclosed basin with rapid flow-out to the east through the narrow Tsugaru Strait, there was little eddy energy propagation to the west. The warm eddies in the southwestern part of the JES appeared to be interacting very locally with the mean flow.     

A large mid-channel sand bar in the macrotidal seaway of outer Asan Bay, Korea: 30 years of morphologic response to anthropogenic impacts

Over the past three decades, dike constructions along the shores and dredging activities for navigation purposes have caused significant sedimentologic/morphologic modifications of a mid-channel bar situated in the tidal seaway of outer Asan Bay, Korea, as shown by a comparison of two sediment datasets collected in the channel and over the bar in 1977 and 2008. In addition, three hydrographic charts published in 1976, 1989, and 2006 were analyzed using GIS to estimate sand volume budgets and any bar migration. The bar is currently about 15 km long and 2–5 km wide, with a relief of 15 m. It is elongated in the tidal flow direction, but asymmetric in cross section. Chart analyses reveal a dramatic reduction in size and volume over the study period. An approximate 19% net loss in total sediment volume was calculated between 1976 and 1989. Since then, a net gain of about 7% has been estimated. The surface areas between selected depth contours reveal a similar pattern, i.e., substantial shrinking until 1989, followed by slight expansion up to 2006. Comparing selected textural parameters (mean grain size, sorting) of a 2008 sediment sampling campaign with those of a 1977 survey, it was found that mean grain sizes have decreased by as much as 1-phi interval, and that the sediments have become more poorly sorted in the vicinity of the bar over the 30-year study period, probably due to a sudden decrease in tidal energy flux after completion of the adjacent dikes. A particular feature is the temporary response of the bar to man-made impacts, characterized by substantial shrinking along its southwestern flank, and slight expansion along its northeastern flank. The observed changes in bar morphology can plausibly be explained by a sudden decrease in sediment supply resulting from a reduction in tidal prism in the wake of diking. The bar initially shrunk, but since 1989 has begun to gradually recover. To compensate the deficit, the bar has lowered its base level by scouring troughs along both flanks.     

Benthic habitat quality change as measured by macroinfauna community in a tidal flat on the west coast of Korea

Yellow Sea tidal flats are internationally recognised for their contribution to biological diversity and yet are under enormous pressure from reclamation, pollution and overexploitation. The benthic macroinfauna community is the dominant community on these tidal flats and a reliable indicator of benthic environmental changes. We surveyed the current benthic macroinfauna community of the Ganghwa Southern Tidal Flat, the largest remaining Korean mud flat in the Yellow Sea, in order to examine changes in the environmental situation of this benthic ecosystem. The results show a significant decline in species diversity from the last survey made in 2003, and a shift in species composition with appearances of polychaetes indicative of pollution and physical disturbances and other opportunistic species becoming dominant in both density and biomass. The benthic community shift observed during the two study periods may be associated with increased nutrient pollution as well as increased physical disturbances in this area. However, we recognise the limitations of the data both in frequency and scope but believe the significant changes to the composition of the benthic fauna are sufficient to warrant concern. Observations are required to examine the extent to which these human activities induce benthic community shift in this tidal flat.     

Optimal design of two-dimensional wings in ground effect using multi-objective genetic algorithm

The shape optimization of the 2-dimensional wing in ground effect (WIG) has been performed by the integration of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and MOGA (multi-objective genetic algorithm). Because of the trade-off between the aerodynamic forces and the height stability, it is difficult to satisfy the design requirements of efficiency and stability at the same time. In this study, the lift coefficient, the lift-drag ratio and the static height stability are chosen as the objective functions to obtain the optimal wing profiles of a WIG craft. An NACA0015 airfoil is used for the baseline model; the aerodynamic characteristics of the base model are compared with that of the optimal solutions. The profile of the airfoil is constructed by four Bezier curves with fourteen control points resulting in the eighteen coordinates, which are adopted as the design variables. The optimal solutions of the multi-objective optimization are not unique but a set of the non-dominated optima: the Pareto frontiers or a Pareto set. As the results of the multi-objective optimization, the forty Pareto optima, which include high-lift, high-efficiency, and more stable airfoils on the edge of the 3-dimensional objective space, are obtained at thirty evolutions of the generation.