Abstract
Real-time monitoring for environmental factors (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a, etc.) and fugacity of carbon dioxide (<TEX>$fCO_2$</TEX>) was conducted at an oyster Crassostrea gigas farm in Goseong Bay, south coast of Korea during 2-4th of November, 2011. Surface temperature and salinity were ranged from <TEX>$17.9-18.7^{\circ}C$</TEX> and 32.7-33.8, respectively, with daily and inter-daily variations due to tidal currents. Surface <TEX>$fCO_2$</TEX> showed a range of <TEX>$390-510{\mu}atm$</TEX> and was higher than air <TEX>$CO_2$</TEX> during the study period. Surface temperature, salinity and <TEX>$fCO_2$</TEX> are showed significant correlations with chl.-a and nutrients, respectively. It means when chl.-a value is high in surface water of the oyster farm, active biological production consume <TEX>$CO_2$</TEX> and nutrients from environments and produce oxygen, suggesting a tight feedback between biological processes and environmental reaction. Thus, factors affecting the surface <TEX>$fCO_2$</TEX> were evaluated using a simple mass balance. Temperature and biological productions by phytoplankton are the main factors for <TEX>$CO_2$</TEX> drawdown from afternoon to early night, while biological respiration increases seawater <TEX>$CO_2$</TEX> at night. Air-sea exchange fraction acts as a <TEX>$CO_2$</TEX> decreasing gear during the study period and is much effective when the wind speed is higher than <TEX>$2-3m\;s^{-1}$</TEX>. Future studies about organic carbon and biological production/respiration are required for evaluating the roles of oyster farms on carbon sink and coastal carbon cycle.
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