Degradation of crude oil in a contaminated tidal flat area and the resilience of bacterial community

Crude oil spills, Hebei Spirit in South Korea, is considered as one of the worst environmental disasters of the region. Our understanding on activation of oil-degrading bacteria and resilience of microbial community in oil contaminated sites are limited due to scarcity of such event. In the present study, tidal flat sediment contaminated by the oil spill were investigated for duration of 13 months to identify temporal change in microbial community and functional genes responsible for PAH-degradation. The results showed predominance of previously known oil-degrading genera, such as Cycloclasticus, Alcanivorax, and Thalassolituus, displaying significant increase within first four months of the accident. The disturbance caused by the oil spill altered the microbial community and its functional structures, but they were almost restored to the original state after 13 months. Present study demonstrated high detoxification capacity of indigenous bacterial populations in the tidal flat sediments and its resilience of microbial community.     

Permian felsic magmatism in the Neoproterozoic Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex of the Malani Igneous Suite: Evidence from zircon U–Pb age

We report Permian (ca. 272 Ma ±5.4 Ma) felsic dykes that intrude into the Neoproterozoic (ca. 750 Ma) magmatic suite of the Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex (NPIC), the western extension of the Malani Igneous Suite (MIS). The NPIC consists of Neoproterozoic basement amphibolites and granites (riebeckite–aegirine gray granites and the biotite–hornblende pink granites), all of which are intruded by several generations of mafic and felsic dykes. Granitic magmatism occurred in the Late Neoproterozoic (ca. 750 Ma) due to the subduction‐, followed by the rift‐related tectonic regime during the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent. U–Th–Pb zircon and monazite CHIME age data of 700–800 Ma from the earlier generation porphyritic felsic dykes suggest the dyke intrusion was coeval or soon after the emplacement of the host granites. Our findings of Permian age orthophyric felsic dykes provide new insights for the prevalence of active tectonics in the MIS during late Paleozoic. Textural features and geochemistry also make the orthophyric dykes distinct from the early‐formed porphyritic dykes and the host granites. Our newly obtained age data combined with geochemistry, suggest the existence of magmatism along the western margin of India (peri‐Gondwana margin) during Permian. Like elsewhere in the region, the Permian magmatism in the NPIC could be associated with the rifting of the Cimmerian micro‐continents from the Gondwana.     

Scattering and reflection of SH waves around a slope on an elastic wedged space

The scattering and reflection of SH waves by a slope on an elastic wedged space is investigated. A series solution is obtained by using the wave function expansion method. The slope on a wedged space is divided into two subregions by an artificial, auxiliary circular arc. The wave fields with unknown complex coefficients within each sub-region are derived. Applying Graf addition theorem, the scattered waves in the sub-regions are expressed in a global coordinate system. Fourier transform is adopted to derive a consistent form of standing waves in the inner region using the orthogonality of the cosine functions. The boundary-valued problem is solved by stress and displacement continuity along the artificial, auxiliary arc to obtain the unknown complex coefficients. Parametric studies are next performed to investigate how the topography from the slope on the wedged space will affect the scattering and diffraction, and hence the amplification and de-amplification of the SH waves. Numerical results show that the surface motions on the slope of the wedged space is influenced greatly by the topography. Amplification of the surface motions near the slope vertex is significant. The corresponding phases along the wedged space surfaces are consistent with the direction that the SH waves are propagating.     

Diversity patterns and phylogenetic structure of vascular plants along elevational gradients in a mountain ecosystem,South Korea

Recently, a phylogenetic diversity and community structure analysis as complementary to species-centric approaches in biodiversity studies provides new insights into the processes of community assembly. In this study, we analyzed species and phylogenetic diversity and community structures for woody and herbaceous plants along two elevational transects on Mt. Baekhwa, South Korea. The species richness and phylogenetic diversity of woody plants showed monotonic declining patterns with increasing elevation along all transects, whereas herbaceous plants showed different patterns, such as no relationship and a reversed unimodal pattern, between the study transects. The main drivers of these patterns were climate and habitat variables for woody and herbaceous plants, respectively. In addition, the phylogenetic community structure primarily showed phylogenetic clustering regulated by deterministic processes, especially environmental filtering, such as climate or habitat factors, along the two transects, although herbaceous plants along a transect depicted phylogenetic randomness as a result of a neutral process. Our findings suggest that deterministic and neutral processes may simultaneously control the community structures along small-scale elevational gradients such as local transects, although the deterministic process may be the predominant type.     

Policy implications for community-managed forestry in Cambodia from experts’ assessments and case studies of community forestry practice

Over the last 40 years, it has been shown at the global level that sustainable forestry can be achieved through comprehensive forest management,with the decentralized institutional arrangements of community-managed forestry coordinated by effective policy implementation. However, there is still a shortage of evidence regarding whether communitybased forestry is well characterized by forest policies,assessing what action is most needed and how best to address the challenges faced by community-based forestry in halting deforestation and promoting rural livelihoods. The study analyzed experts' assessments of the characteristics and success of communitymanaged forestry in Cambodia and explored three case studies of community-managed forestry practice to identify priorities for addressing forest policy implementation inadequacies in halting deforestation and promoting rural livelihoods. There were two methods of data collection. Firstly, this study used a survey of 27 experts to analyze perceptions about how far forest policy supported community-managed forestry effectively, the major challenges faced by the national community-managed forestry program, and the community-managed forestry contribution to halting deforestation and reducing rural poverty.Secondly, data was collected by content analysis of three case studies to explore the knowledge and practical experience of local experts about community-managed forestry practice at local level.The study employed Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance to analyze the level of concordance of experts on related forest policies(n=15) considering community-managed forestry, the challenges faced by the national community-managed forestry program,and the actions required to enable communitymanaged forestry to support communities. Analysis revealed that experts were in moderate agreement,denoted by Kendall's W=0.152, on how well forest policies articulate and implement the characteristics of community-managed forestry. Ranking of the major challenges faced by the national communitymanaged forestry program yielded Kendall's W of0.104, indicating the confidence in the ranking among experts was fair. There was only low confidence in the ranking of the action needed, with Kendall's W of0.055. Content analysis of the three case studies examining local experts' opinions on the attributes of community-managed forestry concerning the access,local participation and protection of the sustainable forestry revealed that Attribute one ‘Local people have access to the forest land and forest resources', and Attribute three ‘Local people begin by protecting and restoring the forests', received high attention from local experts. Of lesser importance or agreement was attributing two: local participation in decision-making concerning the forest.     

Circular time-domain reflectometry system for monitoring bridge scour depth

Abstract

Sediment has a severe effect on bridge stability, and time-domain reflectometry (TDR) is a suitable method for assessing scour depth. This paper presents a fundamental study to demonstrate the suitability of a circular TDR system to enhance the resolution when monitoring scour depth with consideration of detailed local changes over a wide area around piers. A total of 32 electrodes are vertically installed on a cylinder pier around the circumference at ～7.36?mm intervals. Scour depth is investigated through small-scale laboratory experiments, where a measured waveform reflects the artificially constructed scour depth with high resolution (≈5?mm). Different scour types including circular, mushroom, elliptical, and irregular shapes are developed to verify the application of circular TDR, and shapes are predicted through the detailed local distribution. The influences of the reflected waveform according to water level change, temperature variation, and salinity effect are investigated as additional considerations, and the relative deviation of scour depth is analyzed. This study demonstrates that the proposed circular TDR system achieves better resolution than existing single TDR systems and may provide a better alternative technique for monitoring scour depth.     

Influence of environmental disturbances and reproductive strategy on genetic diversity and differentiation of Zostera marina populations on the southern coast of Korea

The genetic diversity and differentiation of four Zostera marina populations along the southern coast of Korea were estimated using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to determine the effects of natural and anthropogenic stresses and reproductive strategy on within‐population genetic diversity. The mean number of alleles and gene diversities, indicating population genetic diversity, was highest in the Z. marina population that was exposed to repeated environmental disturbances, and lowest in the most undisturbed population. The higher genetic diversity in the disturbed population was associated with a higher contribution of sexual reproduction to population persistence. This suggests that both the level of disturbances and the reproductive strategy for population persistence contributed significantly to population genetic diversity at the study sites. According to the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), 76% genetic variation was attributable to differences among individuals within populations. The observed genetic differentiation (F_ST = 0.241) among Z. marina populations at the study sites appeared to result from reduced meadow size, increased genetic drift, and a high incidence of asexual reproduction. Increased population genetic diversity can enhance resistance and resilience to environmental disturbances; thus, this investigation of seagrass population genetics provides valuable new insights for the conservation, management, and restoration of seagrass habitats.     

M2 Tidal Current Estimation from One-day Observation Data off the Western and Southern Coasts of Korea

Ocean Science Journal - A practical method to estimate the M2 tidal current is proposed based on one-day current observations. In this method, the semi-diurnal constituent, composed of several...     

R/V Isabu-Based First Ultraclean Seawater Sampling for Ocean Trace Elements in Korea

Ocean Science Journal - Trace elements (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, etc.) are essential micronutrients for marine organisms and are thus related to major issues in the ocean, such as climate change,...     

Investigating the Effects of Different LED Wavelengths on Aggregation and Swimming Behavior of Chub Mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Ocean Science Journal - Efficient fish aggregation systems are essential for catching chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), which is a major target of purse seine fisheries in South Korea. To aid the...