Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Warm Tolerant Benthic Marine Algaein Korea 1. Kori Nuclear Power Plant

Algae > Volume 13(2); 1998 > Article

Algae 1998;13(2): 213-226.

Young-Hwan Kim, Hee-Moon Eum, Yeon-Shik Kang

Department of Biology, Chungbuk National University, Environment Group, Korea Electric Power Research Institute

ABSTRACT

Heated effluents from nuclear power plants, with the temperature rises of 8-12℃ under normal operating and design conditions, are discharged through the discharge canal and into natural water bodies. Thus, the benthic marine algae grown at the discharge canal can be regarded as warm tolerant species. This study is intended to clarify the structure and seasonally from February 1992 to October 1997. As a result, a total of 98 species of marine algae was found during the past 6 years. In general, the number of species observed was abundant in spring or summer and less in autumn or winter. 23 species(1 blue-green, 7 green, 5 brown and 10 red algae) of marine algae occurred more than 20% frequency and thus can be categorized as warm tolerant species. Among these, 14 species are recorded as warm tolerant marine algae for the first time in Korea during this study. Seasonal fluctuations of mean biomass were 10-488g dry wt m super(-2), but biomass per unit area normally exhibited less than 180g dry wt m super(-2). Seasonal trends of marine algal biomass are similar to those of the agal flora. Dominant species in biomass were Enteromorpha compressa(cumulative sum of seasonal biomass proportion 517%), Sargassum horneri (297%), Prionitis cornea(252%), Padinaarborescens(232%), Amphiroa zonata(225%) and Ulva pertusa(213%). Results showed that, as a whole, the red algae appeared as predominant algal group at the discharge canal, and the green algae such as Enteromorpha spp. were also the tolerant algal group particularly in the quantitative aspect. The biomass proportion of green algae decreased annually during the past six years; in contrast, that, of red algae exhibited rather annual increase especially during 1996-1997. It is therefore assumed that, even in the regions influenced by thermal effluents such as the discharge canal of nuclear power plant, the process of ecological succession has been proceeded.

Key words: Kori nuclear, power plant, marine algae, warm tolerant species