Recent Development in Multi-national Marine Ecosystem Surveys along the Antarctic Peninsula

Kim, Su-Am Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 2001 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.23 No.4

From an ecological point of view, the western part of the Atlantic sector is one of the most productive areas in the Southern Ocean. Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and krill-dependent predators such as fish, seals, and birds are abundant there, and most krill fisheries have operated in this area since 1970s. The hottest issues for the proper management of krill resources nowadays are to determine total biomass in this area, and to identify environmental forces controlling stock fluctuation. This paper reviews and collates information on ongoing oceanographic activities in the Antarctic Peninsula region concerning these issues. To delineate the status and function of Antarctic krill population in Antarctic marine ecosystems, multinational researches along the Antarctic Peninsula area have been developing recently. Four member states of CCAMLR (Japan, Russia, UK, and USA) had conducted acoustic surveys in January-February 2000 (socalled CCAMLR-2000 survey), and krill standing stock at 120 kHz was estimated to be 44.29 million metric tonnes in the western Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. On the other hand, the Southern Ocean GLOBEC (SO-GLOBEC) Programme has prepared a serial winter survey to examine the factors that govern krill survivorship and distribution in relation to shelf circulation processes. Ship-based surveys using ice-breakers are being conducted by three nations (Germany, UK, and USA) around the Marguerite Bay during the austral fall and winter 2001 and 2002. In addition to these two large-scale surveys, some CCAMLR members have carried out joint oceanographic surveys near the South Shetland Islands to detect ecosystem changes since 1994. Especially from December 1999 to February 2000, in conjunction with CCAMLR-2000 survey, four nations (Japan, Korea, Peru, and USA) conducted acoustic surveys to produce time-series information on krill distribution and biomass near the South Shetland areas. Though the aims of each program and the approach to solve the scientific questions were different each other, the results from each program fill the gaps between programs. Further cooperation and exchange in these activities could be beneficial to each program.

Development of a Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring System using Coastal Passenger Ships and PCS Telemetry

Jin, Jae-Youll,Park, Jin-Soon,Lee, Jong-Kuk,Park, Kwang-Soon,Lee, Dong-Young,Yum, Ki-Dai Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 1999 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.21 No.2

To meet increasing needs for environmentally sustainable management of coastal area, there has been compelling pressure to establish a cost-effective and long-term coastal water quality (CWQ) monitoring system. A remote CWQ monitoring system, STAMP, has been developed and is in operation along the route between Kyema harbor and Anma Island in the southwestern coastal area of Korea. STAMP uses a PCS phone as a telemetry unit to transmit acquired data for monitoring general water quality parameters, and a routinely operating coastal passenger ship or car ferry. STAMP has various merits of low-cost operations; long-term monitoring with secure instrumentation; and stable real-time telemetry of acquired data with-out the loss and noise. It is expected that the system will serve as a very useful tool in the CWQ managing programs of Korea taking the advantage of many coastal passenger ships in various routes including the ships departing from the coastal industrial cities. The acquired data compiled on suspended surface sediment concentrations (SSSC) will be also valuably helpful in understanding the sediment budget across the routes of the vessel.

Reviews on Natural Resources in the Arctic: Petroleum, Gas, Gas Hydrates and Minerals

Yoon, Jong-Ryeol,Kim, Yea-Dong Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 2001 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.23 No.1

The Arctic consists of numerous sedimentary basins containing voluminous natural resources and two of the world's major oil and gas producing areas. The western Siberia Basin in the Arctic region has the largest petroliferous province with an area of 800 ${\times}$ 1,200 km and produces more than 60% of total Russian oil production. The North Slope of Alaska produces about 20% of the U.S. output, i.e., 11% of the total U.S. consumption. Being small compared to those regions, the Canadian Northwest Territories and the Pechora Basin in Russia produce only fair amount of oil and natural gas. There are also many promising areas in the northern continental shelf of Russia. In addition to Russia, Svalbard and Greenland have been investigated for oil and gas. Gas hydrates are widespread in both permafrost regions and arctic continental shelf areas. The reserves of gas hydrates in the Arctic Ocean are about 20${\sim}$32% of total estimated amounts of gas hydrates in the world ocean. Mineral mining is well developed, especially in Russia. The major centers are located around the Kuznetsk Basin and Noril'sk. They are major suppliers of gold, tin, nickel, copper, platinum, cobalt, iron ore, coal as well as apatite. There are also some minings of lead-zinc in Alaska and Arctic Canada.

Circulation in the Southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea) in July 1993 Determined by an Inverse Method

Shin, Chang-Woong,Byun, Sang-Kyung,Kim, Cheol-Soo,Seung, Young-Ho,Lee, Jae-Hak Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 1999 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.21 No.2

To estimate absolute transports by advection in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea), an inverse method was applied to CTD data obtained in July 1993. The relative velocities are calculated using the thermal wind equation. The inverse model was formulated to obtain a reference velocity based on the mass conservation in each of four vertical layers within a region enclosed by hydrographic sections and the coastal boundary. The flow patterns in the surface layer are clockwise and anti-clockwise in the regions south and northwest of Ulleung Island, respectively, and a strong northward flow appears in between them. In the second layer, the flow fields are generally weak. The inverse calculation yields the southward flow along the coast, and this suggests that the subsurface low salinity water in the Ulleung Basin is supplied by the southward transport along the east coast of Korea.

Variation of Nitrate Concentrations and δ¹⁵N Values of Seawater in the Drake Passage, Antarctic Ocean

장양희,김부근,신형철,홍창수,Jang, Yang-Hee,Khim, Boo-Keun,Shin, Hyoung-Chul,Sigman, Daniel M.,Wang, Yi,Hong, Chang-Su Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 2008 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.30 No.4

Seawater samples were collected at discrete depths from five stations across the polar front in the Drake Passage (Antarctic Ocean) by the $20^{th}$ Korea Antarctic Research Program in December, 2006. Nitrate concentrations of seawater increase with depth within the photic zone above the depth of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW). In contrast, ${\delta}^{15}N$ values of seawater nitrate decrease with depth, showing a mirror image to the nitrate variation. Such a distinct vertical variation is mainly attributed to the degree of nitrate assimilation by phytoplankton as well as organic matter degradation of sinking particles within the surface layer. The preferential $^{14}{NO_3}^-$ assimilation by the phytoplankton causes $^{15}{NO_3}^-$ concentration to become high in a closedsystem surface-water environment during the primary production, whereas more $^{14}{NO_3}^-$ is added to the seawater during the degradation of sinking organic particles. The water-mass mixing seems to play an important role in the alteration of ${\delta}^{15}N$ values in the deep layer below the UCDW. Across the polar front, nitrate concentrations of surface seawater decrease and corresponding ${\delta}^{15}N$ values increase northward, which is likely due to the degree of nitrate utilization during the primary production. Based on the Rayleigh model, the calculated ${\varepsilon}$ (isotope effect of nitrate uptake) values between 4.0%o and 5.8%o were validated by the previously reported data, although the preformed ${\delta}^{15}{{NO_3}^-}_{initial}$ value of UCDW is important in the calculation of ${\varepsilon}$ values.

Development of the Korea Ocean Prediction System

Suk, Moon-Sik,Chang, Kyung-Il,Nam, Soo-Yong,Park, Sung-Hyea Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 2001 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.23 No.2

We describe here the Korea ocean prediction system that closely resembles operational numerical weather prediction systems. This prediction system will be served for real-time forecasts. The core of the system is a three-dimensional primitive equation numerical circulation model, based on ${\sigma}$-coordinate. Remotely sensed multi-channel sea surface temperature (MCSST) is imposed at the surface. Residual subsurface temperature is assimilated through the relationship between vertical temperature structure function and residual of sea surface height (RSSH) using an optimal interpolation scheme. A unified grid system, named as [K-E-Y], that covers the entire seas around Korea is used. We present and compare hindcasting results during 1990-1999 from a model forced by MCSST without incorporating RSSH data assimilation and the one with both MCSST and RSSH assimilated. The data assimilation is applied only in the East Sea, hence the comparison focuses principally on the mesoscale features prevalent in the East Sea. It is shown that the model with the data assimilation exhibits considerable skill in simulating both the permanent and transient mesoscale features in the East Sea.

Kuroshio Observation Program: Towards Real-Time Monitoring the Japanese Coastal Waters

Ostrovskii, Alexander,Kaneko, Arata,Stuart-Menteth, Alice,Takeuchi, Kensuke,Yamagata, Toshio,Park, Jae-Hun,Zhu, Xiao Hua,Gohda, Noriaki,Ichikawa, Hiroshi,Ichikawa, Kaoru,Isobe, Atsuhiko,Konda, Masanor Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 2001 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.23 No.2

The challenge of predicting the Japanese coastal ocean motivated Frontier Observational Research System for Global Change (FORSGC) and the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) to start a multiyear observational programme in the upstream Kuroshio in November 2000. This field effort, the Kuroshio Observation Program (KOP), should enable us to determine the barotropic and baroclinic components of the western boundary current system, thus, to better understand interactions of the currents with mesoscale eddies, the Kuroshio instabilities, and path bimodality. We, then, will be able to improve modeling predictability of the mesoscale, seasonal, and inter-annual processes in the midstream Kuroshio near the Japanese main islands by using this knowledge. The KOP is focused on an enhanced regional coverage of the sea surface height variability and the baroclinic structure of the mainstream Kuroshio in the East China Sea, the Ryukyu Current east of the Ryukyu's, and the Kuroshio recirculation. An attractive approach of the KOP is a development of a new data acquisition system via acoustic telemetry of the observational data. The monitoring system will provide observations for assimilation into extensive numerical models of the ocean circulation, targeting the real-time monitoring of the Japanese coastal waters.

High Latitude Antarctic Benthos: A 'Coevolution' of Nature Conservation and Ecosystem Research?

Gutt, Julian Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 2001 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.23 No.4

Due to international law the Antarctic is currently the best protected large ecosystem on earth, providing the opportunity for scientific research into processes of both regional and global importance. However, it is impossible to carry out research activities without minor disturbances to the environment. The Weddell Sea with its shelf inhabiting fauna can be considered to be representative for the entire Antarctic shelf with exceptions. It has generally escaped major anthropogenic impact but it is the only area in the high latitude Antarctic where long-term research fishing has been carried out. There are two main results combining aspects of nature conservation and benthos research. Firstly, the use of dredges has clearly decreased over the last two decades, whilst the use of non-invasive underwater photography and video has significantly increased. Secondly, during the same period icebergs destroyed an area of the seafloor and its fauna more than 2000-times greater than the area affected by research trawls. The increased use of imaging methods, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and other modem instruments, as well as statistically based and coordinated sampling strategies can contribute to both a better understanding of ecosystem function and to an ongoing reduction in anthropogenic impact.

Benthic Organisms and Environmental Variability in Antarctica: Responses to Seasonal, Decadal and Long-term Change

Clarke, Andrew Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 2001 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.23 No.4

Marine organisms in Antarctica live in an environment which exhibits variability in physical processes over a wide range of temporal scales, from seconds to millennia. This time scale tends to be correlated with the spatial scale over which a given process operates, though this relationship is influenced by biology. The way organisms respond to variability in the physical environment depends on the time-scale of that variability in relation to life-span. Short-term variations are perceived largely as noise and probably have little direct impact on ecology. Of much greater importance to organisms in Antarctica are seasonal and decadal variations. Although seasonality has long been recognised as a key feature of polar environments, the realization that decadal scale variability is important is relatively recent. Long-term change has always been a feature of polar environments and may be a key factor in the evolution of the communities we see today.

Volcaniclastic Sedimentation of the Sejong Formation (Late Paleocene-Eocene), Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica

Yoo, Chan-Min,Choe, Moon-Young,Jo, Hyung-Rae,Kim, Yae-Dong,Kim, Ki-Hyune Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology 2001 Ocean and Polar Research Vol.23 No.2

The Sejong Formation of Late Paleocene to Eocene is a lower volcaniclastic sequence unconformably overlain by upper volcanic sequence, and distributed along the southern and southeastern cliffs of the Barton Peninsula. The Sejong Formation is divided into five sedimentary facies; disorganized matrix-supported conglomerate (Facies A), disorganized clast-supported conglomerate (Facies B), stratified clast-supported conglomerate (Facies C), thin-bedded sandstone (Facies D), and lapilli tuff (Facies E), based on sedimentary textures, primary sedimentary structures and bed geometries. Individual sedimentary facies is characterized by distinct sedimentary process such as gravel-bearing mudflows or muddy debris flows (Facies A), cohesionless debris flows (Facies B),unconfined or poorly confined hyperconcentrated flood flows and sheet floods (Facies C), subordinate streamflows (Facies D), and pyroclastic flows (Facies E). Deposition of the Sejong Formation was closely related to volcanic activity which occurred around the sedimentary basin. Four different phases of sediment filling were identified from constituting sedimentary facies. Thick conglomerate and sandstone were deposited during inter-eruptive phases (stages 1, 3 and 4), whereas lapilli tuff was formed by pyroclastic flows during active volcanism (stage 2). These records indicate that active volcanism occurred around the Barton Peninsula during Late Paleocene to Eocene.