Sungsik Park of Pukyong National University Wins Grand Prize at "Marine Environmental Monitoring Network Data Utilization Paper Competition"

Research on Water Quality Management Scenarios and Load Reduction Measures in Masan Bay Receives High Praise

Sungsik Park, Former Researcher at the Marine Industry Development Institute of Pukyong National University, received the Grand Prize at the "2025 Marine Environmental Monitoring Network Data Utilization Paper Competition."

Sungsik Park, Former Researcher. Courtesy of Pukyong National University

Park was awarded the Grand Prize, which is the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Award, for his paper titled "Simulation of Water Quality Management Scenarios in Masan Bay and Proposal of Efficient Load Reduction Measures" (supervised by Professor Kim Kyunghoe) at the competition jointly organized by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation, and the Korean Society of Marine Environment and Energy.

This paper received high praise for its prediction and reproduction of phosphorus and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations in Masan Bay-a semi-enclosed inner bay where both external riverine loads and internal sediment loads interact-and for deriving the required load reduction amounts to achieve target water quality.

Park constructed and integrated hydrodynamic, phosphorus cycling, and machine learning models to accurately reproduce the variations in phosphorus and COD concentrations in Masan Bay and analyzed various load reduction scenarios. Through this approach, he assessed the feasibility of achieving the target water quality and specifically presented the required load reduction amounts.

This research was recognized for its high potential for practical application as foundational data for developing efficient pollution reduction strategies in the future, by suggesting the necessity of managing both external and internal loads simultaneously and the validity of setting seasonal target water quality for Masan Bay.

Park achieved these results through collaborative research involving academia, industry, and research institutes, working alongside Professor Kim Kyunghoe, Dr. Kim Youngyoon of the Marine Ecology Technology Research Institute, Professor Lee Wonje of Kyungnam University, and Secretary-General Lee Sungjin of the Masan Bay Public-Private-Academia Council.

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