A joint research team consisting of Kim Seoyoung (first author), a master's student in the Department of Marine Science at Incheon National University; Professor Kim Il-Nam (academic advisor and corresponding author); and Professor Kim Joohyung from the Department of Marine Life Science at Kunsan National University has, for the first time, identified that port areas along the coast of Jeju Island may act as significant atmospheric sources of potent greenhouse gases—nitrous oxide (N₂O), methane (CH₄), and carbon dioxide (CO₂)—during the summer, due to high nutrient accumulation.

In the summer of 2021, the research team collected marine environmental data and greenhouse gas concentration measurements from surface points at 18 ports around Jeju Island. The data were used to calculate the air-sea exchange fluxes of these gases. The sampling sites were categorized based on the surrounding land-use characteristics—urban, fishing, tourism, and agricultural areas.

The results showed that port areas enclosed by breakwaters have restricted seawater exchange, making them particularly vulnerable to nutrient accumulation from terrestrial runoff. Consequently, the port waters were found to be net emitters of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere during the summer.

As ports have developed into hubs not only for cargo transport but also for fishing and tourism, relatively high levels of water pollution are anticipated. This study quantitatively demonstrates that these enclosed port areas can act as "hotspots" for greenhouse gas emissions in coastal regions.

The research findings were published in a recent issue of Marine Pollution Bulletin (Impact Factor: 5.3; JCR Top 5%).