The Korean Tidal Flats Sediments and Organisms

Dr. Hee Jun Lee was awarded his M.Sc. and Ph.D.d from the Department of Oceanography, Seoul National University. He worked at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST, formerly Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute) for 37 years until he retired in 2021. During the last five years of his career at KIOST, Dr. Lee taught sedimentology courses as an affiliated professor at the Korea Maritime & Ocean University. Since then, he has worked as a senior consultant at the cooperation Mare Care. Dr. Lee is now a board member of the Korean Academy of Marine Sciences, which was established in 2022 under the auspices of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF). Dr. Lee received a Presidential Award for contributions to marine sciences in 2009, and he won a Best Paper Award and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Korean Society of Oceanography in 2014 and 2022, respectively. Dr. Lee has published about 70 papers and one book. His main research interest is a broad spectrum of the Holocene sedimentary environments in the Korean seas, from tidal flats and beaches to shelves to continental slopes. Therefore, his studies have focused on Holocene stratigraphy, slope stability, and sediment dynamics.

Dr. Sang Ock Ryu was awarded his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the Department of Oceanography, Chonnam National University. He worked as a research professor at Mokpo National University from 2006 to 2012, in addition to several other universities where he taught sedimentology courses. He established the Institute of Coastal Management and Technology (CMT) and has worked as the CEO. Dr. Ryu received many awards from the President and the Prime Minister of Korea for contributions to preserving wetlands and marine environments and promoting marine resources between 2014 and 2024. He won a Special Academy Award and Technology Award from the Korean Society of Oceanography in 2019 and the Korean Federation of Water Science and Engineering Society in 2021, respectively. Dr. Ryu published about 30 papers in journals and 5 books. His main research interest is sedimentology on tidal flats and coastal environments associated with the biological ecosystem. With biological research teams, Dr. Ryu studied the effects of sediment characteristics, coastal geomorphology, and pollution on the coastal ecosystem.