Abstract
The characteristics of physico-chemical factors and the species compositions of phytoplankton were investigated to analyze the marine ecosystem at the depths during summer in the coast of Dokdo (stations DOK1$\sim$3). The mean values of conductivity (32 mS cm$^{-1}$), total dissolved solids (45 mg L$^{-1}$), salinity (35.5 psu), total suspended solids (39 mg L$^{-1}$) were the highest in DOK1. The biomass (chl-${\alpha}$) of phytoplankton was the highest in the surface of station DOK1 (3.1 ${\mu}g$ L$^{-1}$). By means of physico-chemical factors (salinity, turbidity, chl-${\alpha}$, T-N, T-P and Si), the coast of Dokdo was estimated to be more polluted than the previous results in 2000. A total of 72 species in Dokdo were composed of 54 species (76.1%) for Bacillariophyceae and 13 species (18.3%) for Dinophyceae, 3 species (4.2%) for Chrysophyceae and 1 species (1.4%) for Cyanophyceae. The standing crops of phytoplankton were the highest (8.5 $\times$ 10$^4$ cells L$^{-1}$) at 20 m of station DOK1, while they were the lowest (1.65 $\times$ 10$^4$ cells L$^{-1}$) at 30 m of station 1. The dominance index was maximum (0.73) at 10 m of station DOK1 and was minimum (0.4) at 30 m of station 1. The diversity index was the highest (2.92) in the surface of station 2, while it was the lowest at 20 m (1.58). The dominant species of phytoplankton were Chaetoceros affinis (3.3 $\times$ 10$^4$ cells L$^{-1}$) at 20 m, Climacosphenia moniligera (2.8 $\times$ 10$^4$ cells L$^{-1}$) at 40 m and Melosira juergensii (1.7 $\times$ 10$^4$ cells L$^{-1}$) at 10 m of station DOK1. At the surface of station DOK2, the dominant species were Bacillaria paxillifer and Richelia intracellularis (1.4 $\times$ 10$^4$ cells L$^{-1}$, respectively), while it was Paralia sulcata (1.6 $\times$ 10$^4$ cells L$^{-1}$) at the surface of station DOK3. The station DOKl, where affected by upwelling, turbulence and convection due to the East Korean Warm Current, was the most eutrophicated water body in three stations. The monitoring of marine ecosystem in the coast of Dokdo should be continued to show the alternatives for water and species conservation and to purify the eutrophicated water body due to artificial pollutants as well as physico-chemical factors by the global warming, the climatic change, CO$_2$ etc.
