Suspended solids play an important role in the growth and survival of aquatic organisms. The marine zooplankton species tested in this study were Tigriopus west (Copepoda) and Haustorioides koreanus (Amphipoda) sampled from the intertidal zone, including Artemia nauplii (Branchiopoda) hatched from cysts. The study design included six concentrations (0, 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1,000 mg L-1) of the suspended test particles assayed in triplicate. Experimental cultures in 500 mL-round polycarbonate bottles were subsampled after 96 h to count dead zooplankton. The culture bottles were agitated at 4 RPM on a rotating wheel at 23°C and 30 PSU. The survival rates of Artemia nauplii and T. west were not affected by suspended solid concentrations higher than 50.0 mg L-1, whereas the survival rate of H. koreanus decreased with increasing concentrations (p<0.05). In conclusion, H. koreanus and T. west, which were continuously exposed to suspended solid concentrations higher than 50.0 mg L-1, were affected by low-intensity ecological stress. However, in the case of H. koreanus, a concentration of 50.0 mg L-1 may be considered to be the limit of tolerance to suspended solids, suggesting that the number of individuals who eventually die will increase if continuously exposed.

In this study, the community structure of marine benthic invertebrates was examined to evaluate the differences between the west, south, and east coasts of Korea and to identify the indicator species representing each region. Acrylic attachment plate sets were installed in Jeongok, Mokpo, Tongyeong, Yangpo, and Gangreung, and the invertebrate fauna thus captured were identified. Monitoring was performed in each area from March 2017 to May 2018. Water depth, temperature, and salinity at each location were measured to determine the potential influence of abiotic factors on the community structure. As a result, the mean depth of plates installed and the water temperature were significantly different in each area. A total of 32 invertebrate species were identified in all localities, and the most significant difference in the species compositions was found between Mokpo and Gangreung. The community structure differed significantly with a change in the plate depth, and a larger number of indicator species appeared on shallower plates. Finally, we determined the community structure of benthic invertebrates in different geographical regions of the Korean ocean by characterizing the dominant invertebrate taxa and the indicator species at each site.

Chronic effects such as reproduction and population dynamics with elevated CO2 concentration were evaluated using two representative marine benthic species, copepod (Tisbe sp.) and amphipod (Monocorophium acherusicum) adopting long-term exposure. Juvenile copepod and amphipod individuals were cultivated in the seawater equilibrated with control air (0.395 mmol CO2/air mol) and high CO2 air having 0.998, to 3.03, 10.3, and 30.1 mmol CO2/air mol during 20 and 46 days, respectively. After the exposure period, the number of benthic invertebrate was counted with separate larval and juvenile stage such as naupliar, copepodid and adult for copepod, or neonate and adult for amphipod, respectively. The individual number of both test species at each life-stage was significantly decreased in seawater with 10.3 mmol CO2/air mol or higher. Recently, the technology of marine CO2 sequestration has been developed for the reduction of CO2 emission, which may cause climate change. However, under various scenarios of CO2 leaks during the injection process or sequestrated CO2 in marine geological structure, the potential risk to organism including various invertebrates can be expected to exposure. So the results of this study suggested that the detailed consideration on the adverse effect with marine ecosystem can be prerequisite for the marine CO2 sequestration projects.