Diatoms, which are reported to have over 18,000 species worldwide and approximately 2,400 species in Korea, can be found in various environments including freshwater, seawater, and wetlands. They are particularly valuable for understanding global environmental changes throughout history due to their ability to maintain their shape for extended periods of time. Instead of collecting floating diatoms using nets, low-layer substrates such as gravel and leaves, as well as sedimentary surface layers, were gathered in order to identify attached diatom species. This is because attached diatoms demonstrate higher species diversity compared to floating diatoms. In this study, seven previously unrecorded diatoms were discovered in various domestic freshwater environments. Two species were found in reservoirs (Eunotia yanomami, Gomphonella pseudookunoi), two in parasitic cones (Eunotia carverenensis, Luticola minor), two in rivers (Cavinula maculata and Prestauroneis integra), and one (Surirella brebissonii var. kuetzingii) in a lagoon. The shapes, structures, and morphological characteristics of each diatom were identified using electron microscopy.

A study on the indigenous diatoms was carried out at 103 sites during August 2008 to April 2011 from the marine and the brackish waters in Korea. A fine structure of small-sized diatoms was examined using a light and scanning electron microscopy. Sixty species of diatoms were newly identified and composed of 3 class, 6 subclass, 16 order, 21 family and 39 genus. The detailed nomenclatures, references, photographs and distributions were here reported. Of 60 species, the most frequent species was Tryblionella coarctata appearing 24 times, and 22 times followed by Thalassiosira lacustris, Cocconeis stauroneiformis was 20 times. In the level of genus, Chaetoceros, Parlibells and Thalassiosira were included 4 species, Actinocyclus, Minidiscus and Licmophora were included 3 species. This study will provide the knowledge of the diversity level of diatom in Korea, the knowledge is important on the diatoms for further studies.