Flux and distribution of methane (CH4) in the Gunsan Basin of the southeastern Yellow Sea, off the Western Korea.

The flux and distribution of methane (CH4) was investigated in the seawater column at 14 stations in the Gunsan Basin, the southeastern part of Yellow Sea from 2013 to 2015. Here CH4 is concentrated 2.4-4.7 (3.4 ± 0.7) nM in the surface and 2.5-7.4 (5.2 ± 1.7) nM in the bottom layer. The CH4 saturation ratios ranged from 65.5% to 295.5% (162.6 ± 68.7), comprising the mean sea-to-air CH4 flux of 3.8 to 25.3 (15.6 ± 5.5) µM m-2d-1. Methane concentration was largely different in the upper and the lower seawater layers that is separated by the thermocline of which depth is variable (20-60 m) depending on the time of sampling. The concentration of seawater dissolved CH4 is high between the bottom surface of the thermocline layer and the sea floor. Generally it tends to decrease from the south-westernmost part of the basin toward the west coast of Korea. This distribution pattern of CH4 seems to result from the CH4 supply by decomposition of organic matters produced in the upper seawater layer that is superimposed by the larger supply from the underlying sediment layer especially beneath the thermocline. The latter is manifested by ubiquitous CH4 seeps from the seafloor sediments.

Removal of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) from TPH-saturated sandy aquifer sediments using in situ air sparging combined with soil vapor extraction.

Contamination in coastal aquifer plains is of great concern in many countries given that non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) have polluted numerous sites through accidental oil spills or improper disposal. We have developed a method to remove pollutants such as NAPLs from sandy sediment samples collected from the Mandol area of Gomso Bay in western South Korea. The sediments were collected from around the diffuser in a two-dimensional (2D) acrylic reaction apparatus, and these contained a total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration of 89.3 ppm (mg/kg media). The maximum perchloroethylene (PCE) concentration was 398.51 ppm in the unsaturated zone and 0.77 ppm in the saturated zone. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected between 20 and 44 hour. However, non-volatile contaminants remained in the sediments after treatment. In situ air sparging (IAS) combined with soil vapor extraction (SVE), transformation from sorbed and nonaqueous phases to the vapor phase, is incomplete when treatment is performed using a pervasive air flow for sediments such as the sand of Mandol. During air transformation, the groundwater flow conditions increased the rate of contaminant removal. Although pilot-scale testing in the field site was fluctuated due to the heterogeneous of sediments condition, this 2D study found that the proposed method can alter the measurable geophysical properties of NAPLs. These findings demonstrate that IAS combined with SVE in the saturated zone is an effective technology for aquifer remediation high applicability of sandy coastal sediments contaminated by NAPLs.

Contribution of petroleum-derived organic carbon to sedimentary organic carbon pool in the eastern Yellow Sea (the northwestern Pacific).

We investigated molecular distributions and stable carbon isotopic compositions (δ13C) of sedimentary n-alkanes (C15C35) in the riverbank and marine surface sediments to trace natural and anthropogenic organic carbon (OC) sources in the eastern Yellow Sea which is a river dominated marginal sea. Molecular distributions of n-alkanes are overall dominated by odd-carbon-numbered high molecular weight n-C27, n-C29, and n-C31. The δ13C signatures of n-C27, n-C29, and n-C31 indicate a large contribution of C3 gymnosperms as the main source of n-alkanes, with the values of -29.5 ± 1.3‰, -30.3 ± 2.0‰, and -30.0 ± 1.7‰, respectively. However, the contribution of thermally matured petroleum-derived OC to the sedimentary OC pool is also evident, especially in the southern part of the study area as shown by the low carbon preference index (CPI25-33, <1) and natural n-alkanes ratio (NAR, <-0.6) values. Notably, the even-carbon-numbered long-chain n-C28 and n-C30 in this area have higher δ13C values (-26.2 ± 1.5‰ and -26.5 ± 1.9‰, respectively) than the odd-carbon-numbered long-chain n-C29 and n-C31 (-28.4 ± 2.7‰ and -28.4 ± 2.4‰, respectively), confirming two different sources of long-chain n-alkanes. Hence, our results highlight a possible influence of petroleum-induced OC on benthic food webs in this ecosystem. However, the relative proportions of the natural and petroleum-derived OC sources are not calculated due to the lack of biogeochemical end-member data in the study area. Hence, more works are needed to constrain the end-member values of the organic material supplied from the rivers to the eastern Yellow Sea and thus to better understand the source and depositional process of sedimentary OC in the eastern Yellow Sea.

The radius of influence of a combined method of in situ air sparging and soil vapor extraction in the intertidal sediments of Gomso Bay on the west coast of South Korea.

BACKGROUND: In situ air sparging (IAS) was undertaken at sites in the tidal flats of Mandol and Hajeon, on the west coast of South Korea, to estimate variations in the radius of influence (ROI). RESULTS: The Mandol core sample consisted of sand and muddy sand 1.6-3.4 [Formula: see text] (average 2.3 [Formula: see text]) and contained water (average 15.10 %). The Hajeon core sample consisted of muddy sand, sandy silt, and muddy sandy gravel 1.31-4.44 [Formula: see text] (average 3.11 [Formula: see text]) and contained water (average 19.77 %). These sites differ in their sedimentary and geochemical characteristics. At the Mandol site, no H2S or combustible gas was detected during a 48-h sampling period, except for some volatile organic compounds (0.1-2.0 ppm) at the monitoring well during the initial 30 min. At the soil vapor extraction wells, CO2 and O2 varied by 850 ppm (690-1540 ppm) and 0.5 % (20.4-20.9 %), respectively. At the Hajeon site, CO2 and O2 varied from 580 to 1250 ppm and 20.6 to 20.9 %, respectively, during the 48-h sampling period. CONCLUSIONS: At the Mandol site, an oxygen concentration of 20.6 % was assumed as the effective concentration, and the ROI was estimated to be 128.0 cm. However, at the Hajeon site the ROI was estimated to be 85.7 cm. The smaller effective ROI at the Hajeon site was likely caused by the thin aquifer and thin screens of the sparing well. This estimated ROI show that the remediation effectiveness varies greatly as a heterogeneities and anisotropies in the porous sediments. Besides, injection pressure, flow rate, pulsing or continuous mode, and the range of intrinsic permeability for most important characteristic of sediment (soil) type impacted the ROI. Therefore, the IAS method is more effective at a pervasive air flow sediments such as Mandol, which consists of sand and muddy sand than at a channelized site such as Hajeon.