title: Human and riverine impacts on the dynamics of biogeochemical parameters in Kwangyang Bay, South Korea revealed by time-series data and multivariate statistics.
abstract: The successful management of sustainable coastal environments that are beneficial to both humans and marine ecosystems requires knowledge about factors that are harmful to such environments. Here, we investigated seawater nutrient and carbon parameters between 2010 and 2012 in Kwangyang Bay, Korea, a coastal environment that has been exposed to intensive anthropogenic activities. The data were analyzed using cluster and factor analysis. We found that the biogeochemical cycles of nutrients and carbon were determined by river discharge into the bay and biological activity. However, the impacts of these factors varied both spatially and seasonally. During the past 10 years, nutrient loads from the river and industrial complexes to the bay have decreased. The impacts of this decrease are visible in the phosphate concentration, which has fallen to a third of its initial value. We also examined the potential role of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in nitrogen cycling in the study area.
authors.affiliation: Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Ansan, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: twkim@kiost.ac.
authors.forename: Tae-Wook
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dongseon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: South Sea Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: South Sea Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Ok
authors.initials: YO
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D061006:Bays; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Atmospheric nitrogen deposition; Cluster analysis; Factor analysis; Kwangyang Bay; Nutrient cycles; Riverine nutrient transport