Spatial and temporal aspects of phytoplankton blooms in complex ecosystems off the korean coast from satellite ocean color observations

Complex physical, chemical and biological interactions off the Korean coast created several striking patterns in the phytoplankton blooms, which became conspicuous during the measurements of ocean color from space. This study concentrated on analyzing the spatial and temporal aspects of phytoplankton chlorophyll variability in these areas using an integrated dataset from a Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), Advanced Very High Resolution (AVHRR) sensor, and Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) sensor. The results showed that chlorophyll concentrations were elevated in coastal and open ocean regions, with strong summer and fall blooms, which appeared to spread out in most of the enclosed bays and neighboring waters due to certain oceanographic processes. The chlorophyll concentration was observed to range between 3 and 54 mg m^-3 inside Jin-hae Bay and adjacent coastal bays and 0.5 and 8 mg m^-3 in the southeast sea offshore waters, this gradual decrease towards oceanic waters suggested physical transports of phytoplankton blooms from the shallow shelves to slope waters through the influence of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) along the Tsushima Strait. Horizontal distribution of potential temperature (θ) and salinity (S) of water off the southeastern coast exhibited cold and low saline surface water (θ<19°C; S<32.4) and warm and high saline subsurface water (θ>12°C; S>34.4) at 75dBar, corroborating TWC intrusion along the Tsushima Strait. An eastward branch of this current was called the East Korean Warm Current (EKWC), tracked with the help of CTD data and satellite-derived sea surface temperature, which often influenced the dynamics of mesoscale anticyclonic eddy fields off the Korean east coast during the summer season. The process of such mesoscale anticyclonic eddy features might have produced interior upwelling that could have shoaled and steepened the nutricline, enhancing phytoplankton population by advection or diffusion of nutrients in the vicinity of Ulleungdo in the East Sea.     

Characterizing Excavation Damaged Zone and Stability of Pressurized Lined Rock Caverns for Underground Compressed Air Energy Storage

In this paper, we investigate the influence of the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) on the geomechanical performance of compressed air energy storage (CAES) in lined rock caverns. We conducted a detailed characterization of the EDZ in rock caverns that have been excavated for a Korean pilot test program on CAES in (concrete) lined rock caverns at shallow depth. The EDZ was characterized by measurements of P- and S-wave velocities and permeability across the EDZ and into undisturbed host rock. Moreover, we constructed an in situ concrete lining model and conducted permeability measurements in boreholes penetrating the concrete, through the EDZ and into the undisturbed host rock. Using the site-specific conditions and the results of the EDZ characterization, we carried out a model simulation to investigate the influence of the EDZ on the CAES performance, in particular related to geomechanical responses and stability. We used a modeling approach including coupled thermodynamic multiphase flow and geomechanics, which was proven to be useful in previous generic CAES studies. Our modeling results showed that the potential for inducing tensile fractures and air leakage through the concrete lining could be substantially reduced if the EDZ around the cavern could be minimized. Moreover, the results showed that the most favorable design for reducing the potential for tensile failure in the lining would be a relatively compliant concrete lining with a tight inner seal, and a relatively stiff (uncompliant) host rock with a minimized EDZ. Because EDZ compliance depends on its compressibility (or modulus) and thickness, care should be taken during drill and blast operations to minimize the damage to the cavern walls.     

Protective effects of Ecklonia cava extract on the toxicity and oxidative stress induced by hair dye in in-vitro and in-vivo models

Oxidative hair dyes containing p-phenylenediamine(PPD) are reported to induce an allergic reaction by promoting oxidative stress when absorbed through the skin. Despite the associated risk, these hair dyes remain popular owing to their convenience and sharpness of color. This makes it important to minimize the cytotoxicity and oxidative stress induced by PPD-containing hair dyes. Ecklonia cava extract has been evaluated in different studies for its protective effects against external stress in fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Our study was aimed at using in-vitro and in-vivo models to investigate the extract's effects on cytotoxicity of and oxidative stress induced by PPD-containing hair dyes. Analysis of CIEL*a*b* Color space was first used to determine the range of E. cava extract that would not interfere with the coloring ability of the dye upon addition. Subsequently, the set ranges of E. cava extract(5% and 7%) were added to the hair dye and their toxicity assessed by evaluating the viability of fibroblasts and keratinocytes. The effects on developmental phenotypes and induction of oxidative stress by hair dye were evaluated and compared with those of hair dyes containing different contents of E. cava extract using an in-vivo zebrafish model. Our results showed that E. cava extract in hair dye could significantly decrease the cytotoxicity and levels of oxidative stress caused by hair dyes containing PPD in both in-vitro and in-vivo models.These results suggest that the addition of 7% E. cava extract to 250 μg/mL hair dye does not interfere with the coloring ability of the dye while showing significant protective effects against the hair dye. The study proposes that the use of E. cava extract as an adduct to hair dyes containing PPD reduces the cytotoxicity and oxidative stress induced by these hair dyes.     

A seismic survey to detect natural gas hydrate in the East Sea of Korea

Recently, several countries have conducted projects to explore and develop natural gas hydrate, which is one of the new alternative energy resources for the future. In Korea, a five-year national research project was initiated in 2000. As part of this project, a seismic survey was performed in the East Sea of Korea to quantify the potential magnitude and distribution of natural gas hydrates. Multi-channel seismic data and core samples have been acquired and recovered in the survey area. Analysis of seismic data show clear bottom simulating reflectors (BSRs), seismic blank zones (or wipe-out zones) with velocity pull-up structure, and pock-marks. In this study, we present the results of seismic surveys which indicate the existence of natural gas hydrates in Korean offshore areas. These results will be applied to select areas for coring (or drilling) and detailed exploration such as 2D seismic survey with long offset or 3D seismic in the future.     

Spatial polychaeta habitat potential mapping using probabilistic models

The purpose of this study was to apply probabilistic models to the mapping of the potential polychaeta habitat area in the Hwangdo tidal flat, Korea. Remote sensing techniques were used to construct spatial datasets of ecological environments and field observations were carried out to determine the distribution of macrobenthos. Habitat potential mapping was achieved for two polychaeta species, Prionospio japonica and Prionospio pulchra, and eight control factors relating to the tidal macrobenthos distribution were selected. These included the intertidal digital elevation model (DEM), slope, aspect, tidal exposure duration, distance from tidal channels, tidal channel density, spectral reflectance of the near infrared (NIR) bands and surface sedimentary facies from satellite imagery. The spatial relationships between the polychaeta species and each control factor were calculated using a frequency ratio and weights-of-evidence combined with geographic information system (GIS) data. The species were randomly divided into a training set (70%) to analyze habitat potential using frequency ratio and weights-of-evidence, and a test set (30%) to verify the predicted habitat potential map. The relationships were overlaid to produce a habitat potential map with a polychaeta habitat potential (PHP) index value. These maps were verified by comparing them to surveyed habitat locations such as the verification data set. For the verification results, the frequency ratio model showed prediction accuracies of 77.71% and 74.87% for P. japonica and P. pulchra, respectively, while those for the weights-of-evidence model were 64.05% and 62.95%. Thus, the frequency ratio model provided a more accurate prediction than the weights-of-evidence model. Our data demonstrate that the frequency ratio and weights-of-evidence models based upon GIS analysis are effective for generating habitat potential maps of polychaeta species in a tidal flat. The results of this study can be applied towards conservation and management initiatives for the macrofauna of tidal flats.     

Stability Assessment of a Pit Slope Under Blast Loading: A Case Study of Pasir Coal Mine

In Pasir mine, coal seams and host rocks of varying thickness have been uniquely deposited with an average dip angle of 85°. The host rocks are weak and mainly composed of mudstone and sandstone comprising of 90–95% of the total pit volume. The thickness of coal seams and host rocks ranges from sub-metric to few tenths of meter. The overall safe pit slope angle was evaluated to be 27° for mining depth of 50–150 m. Several slopes failure incidents have occurred in the mine causing considerable disruption in production and monetary loss. It is envisaged that slope failures may be triggered due to blasting conducted in steeply dipping stratified deposit. In order to investigate the causes of slope failures, peak particle velocity (PPV) and accelerations at various locations from the blast site have been measured. In addition, finite element models of pit slope have been analyzed by applying static or gravity loading as well as blasting or dynamic loading. This paper elaborates the results of in situ measurements of ground vibration and numerical investigation and suggests possible causes of slope failures in Pasir mine.