Reconstruction of benthic environment change result from the environmental improvement policies executed in Masan Bay since the 1990’s: Using the environmental factors and living benthic foraminiferal population

Abstract

Reconstruction of environmental changes over the past 15 years was attempted by using the environmental and the living benthic foraminiferal population data. In the reconstruction using PCA and biological indices, the dredging of the polluted sediments was effective in removing the pollutant however it had a negative impact on the survival of foraminiferal population. In addition, it was revealed that accumulation of pollutants due to the failure to discharge the sewage out into the open sea through underwater discharging seriously aggravates the polluting of the benthic environment. Although the direct efforts such as dredging and discharging of wastewater were revealed very well in the reconstruction of the pollution history, definitive symptoms of the indirect efforts of regulating the quantity of pollutants entering the wastewaters from the land were not revealed. Long term and periodic research efforts are needed in order to quantitatively assess the effect of these indirect environmental improvement policies.ed sediments was effective in removing the pollutant however it had a negative impact on the survival of foraminiferal population. In addition, it was revealed that accumulation of pollutants due to the failure to discharge the sewage out into the open sea through underwater discharging seriously aggravates the polluting of the benthic environment. Although the direct efforts such as dredging and discharging of wastewater were revealed very well in the reconstruction of the pollution history, definitive symptoms of the indirect efforts of regulating the quantity of pollutants entering the wastewaters from the land were not revealed. Long term and periodic research efforts are needed in order to quantitatively assess the effect of these indirect environmental improvement policies.