To analyze the water characteristics in the dry and wet seasons, the data for temperature, salinity, nutrients and chl-a were used, which were observed in the south coastal area of Korea during April to October 2000. At Yeosu in the south coast of Korea, the higher values of 35.0 psu in salinity were shown in March and April, the lower values of 23.0 psu in salinity were shown in August and September. The annual range of salinity was 12.0 psu. The total amount of precipitation in the wet season (July to October) was occupied 68% (about 846 mm) during 2000. The precipitation of the dry season (November to June) was occupied 32% (about 394 mm) in the year. In the coastal area, the salinity variation is distinct in the period of July to October. Based on this result, we divided the season into two parts: the dry season during April to June and the wet season during July to October. Factor analysis was shown that temperature has strong negative relation and nutrients show positive relations in the dry season by the factor 1, which explains the total variance of 50.6% at the surface water. In the wet season, salinity has negative relation and nutrients show positive relation by the factor 2, which explains the total variance of 33.5%. The bottom layer also showed similar to those of surface water in the results of factor analysis. These mean that nutrients become rich due to the freshwater inflow in the wet season. The low saline water is shown not only in the south coast but also in the overall region in the South Sea of Korea. It is suggested that the South Sea of Korea may call a ROFI (Region of Freshwater Influence) system in summer.

We studied the appearance and proliferation of red tide organisms from March, 1998, to February, 1999, in the Jindong Bay. There were two red tide events during investigation, and we found that the dominant species Ceratium furca in May and Gymnodinium sanguineum in September, 1998. At surface, temperature and salinity showed 18.3∼19.7℃ and 30.6∼30.9 psu in May and 25.6∼27.0℃, 28.0∼28.5 psu in September, respectively. When the red tide occurred, the water mass was stable. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphate(DIP) in Jindong Bay showed seasonal variability. In May, the nitrogen was a limited nutrient in which the ratio of DIN versus DIP was less than 16 (Redfield ratio), while in September phosphate. During June to September, 1998, phosphate acted as a limited nutrient due to the increased river run-off from land. In May, chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen(DO) and chemical oxygen demand(COD) showed higher than 20㎍/ℓ, l0㎎/ℓ and 5.0㎎/ℓ, respectively. In September, they showed in turns 100㎍/ℓ, 10㎎/ℓ and 10㎎/ℓ, respectively.

In order to study on the variational characteristics of water quality and chlorophyll a concentration, the water samples were collected daily or three times a week during the period from April 1990 to November 1991 at Kukdong port located in the Northern Kamak bay of Southern Korea I made an analysis on biological factor as chlorophyll a concentration as well as physico-chemical factors such as water temperature, salinity, sigma-t, dissolved oxygen, nutrients (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, and silicate), N/P ratio and chemical oxygen demand. In Northern Kamak bay seasonal variations in physical factors such as water temperature, salinity and sigma-t were very marked. On the other hand, chemical factors such as nutrients concentration and COD were not so. Chemical factors, in particular, silicate were influenced by input of freshwater. And the roles of silicate on the seasonal succession of phytoplankton species composition was very low. Phytoplankton biomass as measured by chlorophyll a concentration was very high all the year round, and it was controlled by the combination of several factors, especially of N/P ratio determined by dissolved inorganic nitrogen.

Distribution patterns of the chemical species, contained or dissolved in the sediments and porewater, were studied from the submarine environments around Deok-Jeok Island, Yellow Sea. The sediments in the study area are predominantly composed of medium to coarse sands, and consequently of very low organic carbon (0.003% - 0.26% dry weight sediments). As opposed to the strong enrichment of porewater with nutrients and heavy metals in the ordinarily muddy, organic-rich sediments, the porewater enrichment is not intense in this sandy, organic-poor sediments; porewater phosphate is enriched to the maximum of only seven (average two) times over that in the bottom water. Concentrations of the heavy metals dissolved in porewater show a bit greater enrichment than the nutrient: Zn shows the lowest enrichment (7 times that of the bottom water) and Mn the highest (450 times that of tie bottom water). However, these enrichments of the chemical species in porewater arc the natural consequences of decomposition of the organic matter in sediments, and still fall short in the magnitude of those in the muddy, organic-rich sediments. Mining of the sands in the study area may pose a threat to the seawater quality as it causes a large scale porewater discharge to the bottom water. The additional supply of the nutrients by this discharge may develop an eutrophic state and, in consequence, an excessive nutrification of the water column. Since the residence times of the nutrients are much longer than those of the heavy metals, a long-term monitoring of the concentration changes in the porewater nutrients is very important to assess the potential deterioration of the seawater associated with the sand mining in the study area.