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Large submarine groundwater discharge and benthic eutrophication in Bangdu Bay on volcanic Jeju Island, Korea
Author(s) -
Hwang DongWoon,
Lee YongWoo,
Kim Guebuem
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.2005.50.5.1393
Subject(s) - submarine groundwater discharge , bay , eutrophication , benthic zone , groundwater , nutrient , oceanography , environmental science , dissolved silica , geology , seawater , estuary , volcano , hydrology (agriculture) , aquifer , geochemistry , ecology , chemistry , dissolution , geotechnical engineering , biology
We estimated the submarine discharge of groundwater (SGD) and associated nutrients into the semienclosed Bangdu Bay on a volcanic island, Jeju, Korea, by analyzing 222 Rn, Ra isotopes ( 224 Ra and 226 Ra), and nutrients in seawater, pore water, and coastal groundwater. The submarine inputs of groundwater into Bangdu Bay of 120–180 m 3 m −2 yr −1 (on the basis of 222 Rn, 224 Ra, 226 Ra, and Si mass balances) were much higher than those reported from typical continental margins. The nutrient fluxes from SGD were about 90%, 20%, and 80% of the total input (except from open ocean waters) for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), and dissolved inorganic silicate (DSi), respectively. These excess nutrient inputs from SGD are the major sources of “new nutrients” in this bay. On the basis of photosynthetic pigments and benthic algal distributions, we suggest that the large fluxes of excess nutrients from SGD can cause benthic eutrophication in a semienclosed bay on this highly permeable volcanic island.