Influence of temperature on growth and reproduction of keystone species, Crangon hakodatei (Caridea, Crangonidae) in the East Sea of Korea.

The rapid rise in temperature due to climate change has raised concerns about its impact on the keystone species Crangon hakodatei in the East Sea of Korea. However, no studies have examined the population characteristics of C. hakodatei or its response to temperature change along the coast.

Effects of exotic Spartina alterniflora invasion on benthic environments in the Yellow Sea.

For four decades, cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) has invaded salt marshes in the Yellow Sea, altering physical, biogeochemical, and biological processes. Here, we investigated the ecological effects of S. alterniflora invasion on benthic environments compared to native halophytes.

Ecotoxicological effects of suspended sediments on marine microalgae using flow cytometry and pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry.

Microalgal bioassays were conducted to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of suspended sediments (SS) collected from coastal environments. Growth inhibition was assessed for six microalgal species, and multiple endpoints were measured using flow cytometry (FCM) and pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry for three species (Dunaliella tertiolecta, Isochrysis galbana, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum). Among these, the EC50 for growth inhibition of D.

Pile driving noise impacts behavioral patterns of important East Asian juvenile marine fishes.

The surge in renewable energy demand, particularly from offshore wind farm (OWF), raises concerns about underwater noise pollution during their construction. Despite extensive studies on underwater noise impacts in European and Western countries, local species targeted investigations are crucial for global application. We assessed how pile driving noise during OWF construction affected the behavior of three juvenile Korean fishes (Lateolabrax japonicus, Acanthopagrus schlegelii, and Platichthys stellatus) prevalent in East Asian seas.

Exploring optical descriptors for rapid estimation of coastal sediment organic carbon and nearby land-use classifications via machine learning models.

This study utilizes ultraviolet and fluorescence spectroscopic indices of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from sediments, combined with machine learning (ML) models, to develop an optimized predictive model for estimating sediment total organic carbon (TOC) and identifying adjacent land-use types in coastal sediments from the Yellow and Bohai Seas. Our results indicate that ML models surpass traditional regression techniques in estimating TOC and classifying land-use types. Penalized Least Squares Regression (PLR) and Cubist models show exceptional TOC estimation capabilities, with PLR exhibiting the lowest training error and Cubist achieving a correlation coefficient 0.

Integrated assessment of the natural purification capacity of tidal flat for persistent toxic substances and heavy metals in contaminated sediments.

Natural purification of pollutants is highly recognized as regulating ecosystem services; however, the purification capacity of tidal flats remains largely unknown and/or unquantified. A 60-day mesocosm transplant experiment was conducted in situ to assess the purification capacity of natural tidal flats. We adopted the advanced sediment quality triad approach, monitoring 10 endpoints, including chemical reduction, toxicity changes, and community recoveries.

Ecological interruption on food web dynamics by eutrophic water discharge from the world's longest dike at Saemangeum, Yellow Sea.

The man-made sea dike has disrupted the natural link between riverine and marine ecosystems and caused eutrophication within the aquatic ecosystem. The eutrophic water discharge has also raised concerns. As a representative tidal flat with the longest dike in the world, Saemangeum has experienced the problem of eutrophication.

Food web dynamics in the mangrove ecosystem of the Pearl River Estuary surrounded by megacities.

Global recognition that mangroves support coastal ecosystem services has increased; however, studies on trophic dynamics in mangrove ecosystems remain limited. We seasonally analysed the δC and δN of 34 consumers and 5 diets to elucidate the food web dynamics in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). Fish had a large niche space during the monsoon summer, reflecting increased trophic roles.

Stormwater runoff reduction simulation model for urban flood restoration in coastal area.

Unlabelled: Urban floods caused by expanding impervious areas due to urban development and short-term heavy precipitation adversely affect many coastal cities. Notably, Seoul, one of the coastal cities that experiences acute urban floods, suffers annually from urban floods during the rainfall season. Consequently, to mitigate the impacts of urban floods in Seoul, we established flood-vulnerable areas as target areas where green infrastructure planning was applied using the Stormwater Runoff Reduction Module (SRRM).

Best available technique for the recovery of marine benthic communities in a gravel shore after the oil spill: A mesocosm-based sediment triad assessment.

Ecotoxicological effects of spilled oils are well documented, but study of recovery of marine benthic communities is limited. Long-term recovery of hard bottom communities during physical and biological remediations after a spill was monitored. A 60-day experiment was conducted using a mesocosm with monitoring of eight endpoints by use of the sediment quality triad (SQT).

The first national scale evaluation of total nitrogen stocks and burial rates of intertidal sediments along the entire coast of South Korea.

The regulating ecosystem services, such as water purification, that tidal flats provide by nitrogen (N) burial are being increasingly recognized; yet, quantitative estimates remain limited. Here, we first present nationwide evaluation of total N stocks and burial rates in the Korean tidal flats, based on a 3 year long monitoring assessment combined with remote sensing approach. A total of 20 intertidal flats representing 7 provinces of South Korea were extensively surveyed in 2018-20.

10 years long-term assessment on characterizing spatiotemporal trend and source apportionment of metal(loid)s in terrestrial soils along the west coast of South Korea.

Long-term trends in the spatial distributions and sources of metal(loid)s in soils adjacent to the west coastal areas of South Korea have been systematically investigated for 10 years (2010-2019). Monitoring in 17 sites clearly showed site- and region-specific distributions, being associated with land use type (significant differences, as road > agriculture > wild) (P < 0.05), rather than temporal variation.

First comprehensive ecological checklist of Brachyura in Korea: 1879-2020.

The increasing concerns and management needs on marine biodiversity have escalated the requirement for timely documentation of the marine taxa. We first established a comprehensive ecological checklist of Korean Brachyura through a meta-analysis of 74 documents (since the 1870s). A total of 247 species inhabiting the Korean coastal waters are listed with some key ecological information; habitat, substrate, distribution, and delta +.

Spatiotemporal variation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) associated with the microphytobenthos of tidal flats in the Yellow Sea.

The physical functions of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), viz., by-product of microphytobenthos (MPB), in tidal flat system are well documented, but some ecological aspects remain unknown. We investigated MPB biomass (Chl-a), EPS, diatom assemblage, and erodibility in two contrasting tidal flat environments (megatidal vs.

Blue economy and the total environment: Mapping the interface.

The term 'Blue Economy (BE)' is increasingly popular in modern environmental research. The concept seeks to explore ocean-based development opportunities with environmental stewardship and protection. Yet different scholars and actors adopt this term often in conflicting ways without attempting to explore the relevance and the link between the blue economy and the broader environment viz.

The first national scale evaluation of organic carbon stocks and sequestration rates of coastal sediments along the West Sea, South Sea, and East Sea of South Korea.

Blue carbon science requires the estimates of organic carbon stock and sequestration rate; however, holistic data analysis remains limited in South Korea. The present study reports current organic carbon stocks and sequestration rates in the coastal areas of West Sea, South Sea, and East Sea of South Korea, encompassing entire intertidal areas using long-term field survey combined with remote sensing technology. Twenty-one intertidal flats were targeted across seven provinces (Gyeonggi, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Gangwon).

Shift in polar benthic community structure in a fast retreating glacial area of Marian Cove, West Antarctica.

Glacier retreat is a major long-standing global issue; however, the ecological impacts of such retreats on marine organisms remain unanswered. Here, we examined changes to the polar benthic community structure of "diatoms" under current global warming in a recently retreated glacial area of Marian Cove, Antarctica. The environments and spatiotemporal assemblages of benthic diatoms surveyed in 2018-2019 significantly varied between the intertidal (tidal height of 2.

Stable isotope signatures reveal the significant contributions of microphytobenthos and saltmarsh-driven nutrition in the intertidal benthic food webs.

A tidal saltmarsh supporting marine ecosystem services becomes more recognized, but an understanding of its trophic dynamics is far limited. We investigated the benthic food-web dynamics in Ganghwa tidal flat, a representative tidal saltmarsh of South Korea. The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio values were analyzed for the sixteen species of macrobenthos and their potential food sources such as microphytobenthos (MPB) and various organic matters.

Characteristics of long-term changes in microbial communities from contaminated sediments along the west coast of South Korea: Ecological assessment with eDNA and physicochemical analyses.

The environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding was applied to assess benthic ecological health in the west coast of South Korea by investigating a long-term microbial community change (2015-17). The ecological interaction among microorganisms, from phylum to family level, and their associations to environmental variables across the five regions were highlighted. As part of the study, the available chemistry and toxicological data in the regions during the monitoring periods were incorporated into an integrated sediment triad assessment.

Effects of polluted and non-polluted suspended sediments on the oxygen consumption rate of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus.

The potential ecological impacts of elevated suspended sediments (SS) in coastal areas due to human activities remain unclear. In particular, physiological response of benthic fish to SS exposure in polluted environment has not been documented. We determined sub-lethal toxicity of polluted and non-polluted SS to olive flounder.

Natural purification capacity of tidal flats for organic matters and nutrients: A mesocosm study.

The regulating services by natural tidal flats to purify organic pollutants are increasingly recognized, but a quantitative assessment is very limited. We developed a mesocosm system to determine removal efficiency of organic matters and nutrients by simulating a natural tidal condition. The tidal flat sediments significantly removed waterborne organic pollutants to background levels in ~2 and 6-7 days for COD and TP, respectively.

Spatiotemporal variability in microphytobenthic primary production across bare intertidal flat, saltmarsh, and mangrove forest of Asia and Australia.

The ecological role of intertidal microphytobenthos (MPB) is increasingly recognized in coastal production systems. MPB primary production (PP) measured in coastal wetlands of Korea, Cambodia, and Australia confirmed large variability at the global scale. Surprisingly, MPB biomass in mangrove forests almost doubled those measured in nearby bare tidal flats.

The Blue Economy and the United Nations' sustainable development goals: Challenges and opportunities.

The "Blue Economy (BE)" is an increasingly popular concept as a strategy for safeguarding the world's oceans and water resources. It may emerge when economic activity is in balance with the long term capacity of ocean ecosystems to support the activity in a sustainable manner. Importantly, the concept of BE posits the inherent conflicts between two discourses-growth and development, and protection of ocean resources.

Natural and anthropogenic impacts on long-term meiobenthic communities in two contrasting nearshore habitats.

The present study investigated the spatiotemporal distributions of meiofauna and corresponding environmental variables in two different subtidal environments. The two habitats represent unique geographical localities; (1) Jinhae Bay for semi-enclosed industrial bay (under anthropogenic pressure) and (2) Samcheok coast for open sea area (rather in natural condition) in Korea. Biotic and abiotic data were seasonally collected from six monitoring stations in each area for 3 years (2013-16) at two study areas and all the data were comparatively analyzed.