Investigating the physical and chemical properties of riverine wetlands is necessary to understand their distribution characteristics and depositional environment. This study investigated the physical (particle size, color, and type) and chemical properties (organic, inorganic, and moisture contents) of sediments in Samrak wetland, located in the Nakdong River estuary area in Busan, South Korea. The particle size analysis indicated that the hydraulic conductivity values for the coarse grain and the mixture of coarse and fine grains ranged from 2.03 to 3.49×10−1 cm s−1 and 7.18×10−3 to 1.24×10−7 cm s−1 , respectively. In-situ water quality and laboratory-based chemical analyses and radon-222 measurement were performed on groundwater and surface water in the wetland and water from the nearby Nakdong River. The physical and chemical properties of Samrak wetland was characterized by the sediments in the vertical and lateral direction. The concentrations of chemical components in the wetland groundwater were distinctly higher than those in the Nakdong River water though the wetland groundwater and Nakdong River water equally belonged to the Ca-HCO3 type.

Abstract
Introduction
Study Area
Methods
    Sampling of sediments
    Measurement of water content and totalorganic matter of sediments
    Particle size measurement and estimation ofhydraulic conductivity
    Chemical analyses of organic and inorganicconstituents and oxides of sediments
    Water quality analysis
    Measurement of Radon-222 concentration
Results
    Water content of the sediments
    Organic matter contents in the shallow anddeep sediments
    Inorganic components and oxides contents
    Particle size distribution and hydraulicconductivity of the deep sediments
    Groundwater level in the wetland
    Chemical characteristics of the wetlandgroundwater, surface water within the wetland,and the Nakdong River water
    Rn-222 concentration of the wetlandgroundwater, surface water within the wetland,and the Nakdong River water
Conclusions
References

• Hang-Tak Jeon(Department of Geological Sciences, Pusan National University)
• Eun-Ji Cha(Korea Environment Institute)
• Woo-Ri Lim(Department of Geological Sciences, Pusan National University)
• Sul-Min Yoon(Department of Geological Sciences, Pusan National University)
• Se-Yeong Hamm(Department of Geological Sciences, Pusan National University) Corresponding author