• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.spc
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• pp.8-11
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• 2005

Carbon stable isotope ratios of producers varied in lake ecosystems. In tile present study, we tried to estimate the seasonal variations of carbon isotope ratios of phytoplankton and benthic diatoms in a strongly acidic lake ecosystem. Lake Katanuma is a volcanic, strongly acidic lake (average pH of 2.2), located in Miyagi, Japan. Only two algal species dominate in Lake Katanuma; Pinnularia acidojaponica as a benthic diatom, and Chlamydomonas acidophila as a green alga. Carbon isotope values of P. acidojaponica varied seasonally, while those of particulate organic matter, which were mainly composed of C. acidophila remained fairly stable. The differences suggested that $CO_2$ gas was more frequently limited for P. acidojaponica than C. acidophila, since high density patches of benthic diatoms were sometimes observed on the lake sediment. Generally, carbon concentration mechanisms (CCMs)of microalgae can fix bicarbonate in lakes, and affect the carbon isotope values of microalgae. While, in Lake Katanuma, CCMs of the microalgae may scarcely function because of high $CO_2$ gas concentration and low pH. This is the reason for low seasonal amplitude of carbon isotope values of phytoplankton relative to those in other lakes.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.262-271
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• 2008

Natural abundances of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon (${\delta}^{15}N$ and ${\delta}^{13}C$) are being widely used to study N and C cycle processes in plant and soil systems. Variations in ${\delta}^{15}N$ of the soil and the plant reflect the potentially variable isotope signature of the external N sources and the isotope fractionation during the N cycle process. $N_2$ fixation and N fertilizer supply the nitrogen, whose ${\delta}^{15}N$ is close to 0%o, whereas the compost as. an organic input generally provides the nitrogen enriched in $^{15}N$ compared to the atmospheric $N_2$. The isotope fractionation during the N cycle process decreases the ${\delta}^{15}N$ of the substrate and increases the ${\delta}^{15}N$ of the product. N transformations such as N mineralization, nitrification, denitrification, assimilation, and the $NH_3$ volatilization have a specific isotope fractionation factor (${\alpha}$) for each N process. Variation in the ${\delta}^{13}C$ of plants reflects the photosynthetic type of plant, which affects the isotope fractionation during photosynthesis. The ${\delta}^{13}C$ of C3 plant is significantly lower than, whereas the ${\delta}^{13}C$ of C4 plant is similar to that of the atmospheric $CO_2$. Variation in the isotope fractionation of carbon and nitrogen can be observed under different environmental conditions. The effect of environmental factors on the stomatal conductance and the carboxylation rate affects the carbon isotope fractionation during photosynthesis. Changes in the environmental factors such as temperature and salt concentration affect the nitrogen isotope fractionation during the N cycle processes; however, the mechanism of variation in the nitrogen isotope fractionation has not been studied as much as that in the carbon isotope fractionation. Isotope fractionation factors of carbon and nitrogen could be the integrated factors for interpreting the effects of the environmental factors on plants and soils.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.223-230
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• 2007

To understand the origin and biogeochemistry of the organic matter in surface sediments of Lake Shihwa and Lake Hwaong, organic nitrogen, inorganic nitrogen, labile organic carbon, and residual organic carbon contents as well as stable isotope ratios for carbon and nitrogen were determined by KOBr-KOH treatment. Ratios of organic carbon to organic nitrogen $(C_{org}/N_{org})$ (mean = 24) were much higher than ratios of organic carbon to total nitrogen $(C_{org}/N_{tot})$ (mean= 12), indicating the presence of significant amounts of inorganic nitrogen in the surface sediments of both lakes. Stable isotope ratios for organic nitrogen were, on average, $5.2\%_{\circ}$ heavier than ratios of inorganic nitrogen in Lake Shihwa, but those same ratios were comparable in Lake Hwaong. This might be due to differences in the origin or the degree of degradation of sedimentary organic matter between the two lakes. In addition, stable isotope ratios for labile organic carbon were, on average, $1.4\%_{\circ}$ heavier than those for residual organic carbon, reflecting the preferential oxidation of $^{13}C$-enriched organic matter. The present study demonstrates that KOBr-KOH treatment of sedimentary organic matter can provide valuable information for understanding the origin and degradation state of organic matter in marine and brackish sediments. This also suggests that the ratio of $(C_{org}/N_{org})$ and stable isotope ratios for organic nitrogen can be used as indexes of the degree of degradation of organic matter.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.968-973
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• 2012

This study analyzes the structure types of salmon oil to evaluate the purity of salmon oil products based on the 38 different types of imported salmon oil products distributed in the Republic of Korea. The major types of omega-3 foods in the salmon oil are ethyl ester (EE) and triglyceride (TG). If the salmon oil contained potential contaminants and was processed in order to remove it, EE type omega-3 fatty acids are found in concentration. This provides a good guide in assessing if products were made with EE type ingredients or re-esterified contaminated materials. The results of the FT-IR analysis showed significant difference in the C=O, C-O band positions in TG and EE. There were 19 TG type products and 19 EE type products. The analysis of carbon isotope ratio was performed on the types of TG and EE. There were different properties in the 19 TG type products. In one product, the carbon isotope ratio was -25.15 and the other 18 products showed -22.15~-23.96. The carbon isotope ratio of all 19 EE type products showed -21.91~-23.74. The results of the TLC analysis showed similar results with FR-IR. The re-esterified TG form was not detected in the TG type products, confirming that the TG type products contained natural salmon oil. This study aimed to provide the basic material in classifying the types of natural salmon oil and re-esterified salmon oil, by analyzing the pattern and proportion of FT-IR spectrum, carbon isotope ratio, and TLC.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2005

The water and carbon cycles in terrestrial ecosystems are the essential database for better understanding of the causes and the current processes of climate change and for the prediction of its future change. CarboKorea and HydroKorea are dedicated research efforts to develop technologies to quantitatively interpret and forecast carbon/water cycles in typical landscapes of Korea. For this, stable isotope studies have been launched to genetically partition various components of carbon/water cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. From stable isotope studies, practical deliverables such as evaporation, transpiration and gross primary productivity (GPP) can be provided at scales from tower (footprint) to large watersheds. Such reliable field-based information will form an important database to be used for validation of the results from various eco-hydrological models and satellite image analysis which constitute main components of Carbo/HydroKorea project. Stable isotope studies, together with other relevant researches, will contribute to derive quantitative interpretation of carbon/water cycles in terrestrial ecosystems and support Carbo/HydroKorea to become a leading research infrastructure to answer pending scientific and socio-economic questions in relation to global changes.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.28-37
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• 1997

Two marine bivalve shells were collected from the eastern and western coastal regions of Korea, respectively. Stable oxygen and carbon isotope profiles are constructed using the incremental sampling along the axis of maximum growth to provide the continuous ${\delta}^{18}$O and ${\delta}^{13}$C records, which register the physical, biological and chemical properties of seawater where the organisms live. Cycles in the ${\delta}^{18}$O profiles are interpreted as annual along with the identification of annual growth bands; the maximum ${\delta}^{18}$O values correspond with the coldest temperature of seawater whereas the minimum ${\delta}^{18}$O values with the warmest temperature. The primary control on the amplitude of the ${\delta}^{18}$O profiles is seasonal variation of seawater temperature. The offset of the baseline between ${\delta}^{18}$O values of the two specimens is attributed to differences in both temperature and seawater ${\delta}^{18}$O values between two localities. The ${\delta}^{13}$C profiles show the similar seasonality of carbon cycling associated with phytoplankton productivity. The offset in the ${\delta}^{13}$C profiles between two specimens may be, as in the case of oxygen isotope profile, attributed to the different ${\delta}^{13}$C value of the seawater DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon) between the western coast and the eastern coast. Relationships between the shell isotopic composition and the coastal water properties of shell growth are readily interpreted from the ${\delta}^{18}$O-${\delta}^{13}$C pair diagram of the shell isotope data, similar to the use of salinity-${\delta}^{18}$O diagram for identifying water masses. The preliminary stable isotope results of this study suggest that mollusk shell isotope geochemistry may be useful to monitor the properties of water masses in the coastal and inner shelf setting around Korea and improve the interpretation of paleoceanography, provided the fossil mollusks are well preserved.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.349-357
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• 2017

Korean mariculture Undaria pinnatifida was collected during the months of January, February, March, and December of 2010, as well as from January of 2011 to investigate the changes in the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$) and heavy metal with respect to it growth and to identify the factors that influence such changes. The blades of U. pinnatifida showed ${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$ in the range (mean) of -13.11 to -19.42‰ (-16.93‰) and 2.99 to 7.57‰ (4.71‰), respectively. Among samples with the same grow-out period, those that weighed more tended to have higher ${\delta}^{13}C$ suggesting a close association between the carbon isotope ratio and growth rate of U. pinnatifida. Indeed, we found a very high positive linear correlation between the monthly average ${\delta}^{13}C$ and the absolute growth rate in weight ($r^2=0.89$). Nitrogen isotope ratio tended to be relatively lower when nitrogen content in the blade was higher, probably due to the strengthening of isotope fractionation stemming from plenty of nitrogen in the surrounding environment. In fact, a negative linear correlation was observed with the nitrate concentration in the nearby seawaters ($r^2=0.83$). Concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb, Cr, Hg, and Fe in the blades showed a rapid decrease in their concentration per unit weight in the more mature U. pinnatifida. Specifically, compared to adult samples, Cu, Hg, and Pb were concentrated by 30, 55, and 73 folds, respectively, in the young blades. Therefore, U. pinnatifida tissue ${\delta}^{13}C$ is as an indirect indicator of its growth rate, while ${\delta}^{15}N$ values and heavy metal concentrations serve as tracers that reflect the environmental characteristics.

• Journal of Environmental Analysis, Health and Toxicology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.229-236
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• 2018

In this study, inter-laboratory comparison was done using elemental analyzer-isotope ratio mass spectrometers (EA-IRMSs) to determine carbon and nitrogen contents as well as stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions (${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$) of five environmental samples containing lake and marine sediments, higher plant leaves, and fish muscle, and one organic analytical standard (Protein (Casein) Standard OAS). Five national laboratories participated in this comparison study, and each laboratory analyzed all five samples and the analytical standard. Results showed that variations in total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents as well as ${\delta}^{13}C_{TOC}$ and ${\delta}^{15}N_{TN}$ values among the laboratories were large compared to the analytical uncertainties. The results highlighted the inhomogeneity of the test samples and thus, the need to select suitable standard reference materials for future inter-laboratory studies. Further inter-laboratory comparison exercises could promote good measurement practices in the acquisition of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition data.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.439-445
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• 2022

Organic pollutants that contained in stream sediments have origins of mountain soil in natural and cattle manure in human activity. Nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis for mountain soil, cattle manure and stream sediment were performed for contribution evaluation of organic pollutants in Toil stream of Yeongju dam basin. Average carbon isotope ratio(δ¹³C) is -25.17‰, -22.34‰, and -26.39‰ for river sediments, cattle manure and mountain soil, respectively. Result of carbon isotope analysis suggests that river sediments are more affected by acid soils. Average value of the nitrogen isotope ratio (δ¹⁵N) is 9.46% for river sediment, 1.99% for mountain soil, and 19.53% for cattle manure. Result of nitrogen isotopic analysis show that contribution of cattle mature is slightly higher than that of mountain soil in Toil stream sediments.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.124-127
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• 2000

The analysis of stable carbon isotope ratios for benthic fauna was applied to identify the source of carbon in benthic food webs in Youngil Bay, Korea. The ${\delta}^{13}$C values of 9 invertebrate species collected in this area showed a narrow range between -20.5 and -16.3%$_o$ with a mean of-18.1 (${\pm}$1.1)"%$_o$. The results suggest that the major source of organic carbon for the benthic fauna of the lower estuarine reaches and the oceanic sites is autochthonous marine particulate organic matter. The contribution of organic matter from terrestrial and riverine sources to the diet of the benthic fauna in this area appears to be minor, despite the considerable inflow of riverine waters.