Water quality assessment at Jinhae Bay and Gwangyang Bay, South Korea

A new water quality index for evaluating the water quality of Jinhae Bay and Gwangyang Bay was developed. Four water quality parameters were selected as water quality indicators for the water quality index: dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and dissolved oxygen (DO). Reference levels of DIN, DIP, and Chl-a were determined as 6.22 μmol L−1, 0.38 μmol L−1, and 2.32 μmol L−1, respectively, on the basis of a long-term dataset that was collected monthly in the Korea Strait over a period of seven years (2006–2012). The water quality index established for Jinhae Bay and Gwangyang Bay is (bottom DO grade × 0.33) + (surface Chl-a grade × 0.33) + (surface DIN grade × 0.17) + (surface DIP grade × 0.17). On the basis of a three-year observation, the water quality of Jinhae Bay was classified as “good” in winter and spring, “poor” in summer, and “fair” in autumn and exhibited large spatial variation, with the lowest-quality water observed in Masan Bay. The water quality of Gwangyang Bay was classified as “good” in winter, “fair” in spring, “poor” in summer, and “fair” in autumn. Unlike Jinhae Bay, the water quality of Gwangyang Bay exhibited minimal spatial variation. In both bays, water quality among the four seasons was worse during summer. It is essential that a survey for water quality evaluation be conducted during summer.