Pollution and Ecosystem Health Conditions: An approach to assess coastal ecosystem health in Korea

Abstract

Coastal ecosystem components were monitored in Jinhae Bay and Gwangyang Bay where have been known as the highly polluted areas in the South Sea. Physical factors of waster currents and geographical characteristics were reviewed by using the past records. Water environments focused on the eutrophication and sediment environemnts on toxic organic compounds and heavy metals were monitored to understand the environmental status by the chemical pollutants. Community structures and population dynamics of plankton and benthos were investigated at the same time, which was intensely analyzed in the relationships with the chemical factors. The indicators for the marine ecosystem health assessment were selected by the analyses of past data as well as the results monitored, based on the relationships between the chemical pressures and the biological responses. For the progress to detail assessments, some target organisms were isolated from both bays.