• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2004

The objective of this study is to review of environmental assessment of heavy metals derived from various metalliferous mines in Korea. As a results of national wide research for heavy metal contaminations in the vicinity of metalleferous mines, the main contaminants are mine waste materials including tailings. From the materials, toxic elements including As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn can be dispersed into downstream through wind and water. Thus, soils around the mines contain elevated levels of those elements, which are over the guide values for environmental regulation of soils in Korea. Arsenic is one of the most important elements contaminated by mining activities, to a less extent, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. In spite of remediation works for some metal mines by the government, there are still lots of abandoned mines which are necessary for reclamation of mining sites. This study also includes that metal concentrations in soils and tailings can be varied upon various decomposition methods including 0.1N HC1 and aqua regia and sequential extraction scheme, with differences in each element, too. This may be due to geochemical characteristics of the elements, such as solubility, mobility and chemical forms in the geochemical environment. Finally, it is suggested that a certain organization should be runned by Korean government for management of abandoned mines.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 1998

This study investigates the contamination mechanism of soil by drainages including acid rains around mining waste sites, and suggests the quantitative methods of prevention against soil contaminations and its alternatives. For these purposes, the dissolution of arsenic in soils, which is one of toxic heavy metals, has been examined experimentally using the artificial acidic solution. Also, in order to prevent dissolution of arsenic by acid rain, the effects of limestone for the neutrality method on the soil were investigated. The arsenic in soil specimen was dissolved by strong acidic solution below pH1.0. The maximum amount of dissolved arsenic increased with decreasing pH value. Furthermore, it was found very effective to use limestones for the neutrality method. The neutralization of limestones in acidic solution was found to follow the equation of chemical reaction-controlling formulation in unreacted-core models.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

The groundwater dependent ecosystem associated with a natural stream is the area where mixing and exchange of surface water and groundwater occurs due to large chemical and hydraulic gradients. Surface-groundwater interactions play an important role in biogeochemical processes in groundwater dependent ecosystems and make this area a hydro-ecological hot spot. The objective of this study is to characterize the groundwater dependent ecosystem in a natural stream where nitrate contamination of stream water is observed by means of hydrogeological, chemical, and biological methods. In this study, vertical flow exchange(hyporheic flow) rates between stream and groundwater were estimated based on vertical hydraulic gradients measured at mini-piezometers of various depths. To investigate the biological natural attenuation potential, biological analyses using polymerase chain reaction(PCR)-cloning methods were performed in this study. Results show that the veritical hyporheic water fluxes affect nitrate concentrations and bacterial densities in groundwater dependent ecosystems to some degree. Also, denitrifying bacteria were identified in hyporheic soils, which may support the biodegradation potential of the groundwater dependent ecosystems under certain conditions.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2018

For the efficient recovering of collapsed sloped soil, using a soil binder that can support the soil strongly and help the growth of plants is very important. The soil binder should also have functions of recovering the soil ecologically as well as be environmental friendly materials. In this research, optimum values of the water content and permeability and direct shear strength were searched by adding the water absorbent and coagulant into the soil binder. The polyacrylamide (PAM) with various anionic strength, super absorbent polymer (SAP) and cellulose ether (CE) were used as a soil binder, water absorbent and coagulant, respectively. Effects of the soil binder on the characteristics of soil were observed by changing the mixing ratio of PAM, SAP and CE. Experimental results showed that the soil binder increased the direct shear strength tens of times and the water content around two times, whereas decreased the water permeability. Also, the addition of CE to increase the coagulation of SAP increased more of the direct shear strength and water content.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.293-303
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• 2004

This experiment was conducted to investigate the direction or orientation of clay particle movement in argillic horizons (Bt) for clarifying the soil classification of soils. Soil samples were collected from 22 soil series containing Bt horizons. Physical and chemical characteristics and mineral and chemical compositions of clay in the soils were analyzed. Micoromorphological characteristics of the Bt horizons were also investigated with thin sections of the natural undisturbed and oriented soil samples. Average clay content in the Bt horizons was 28% and 1.33 times higher comparing to that in the surface layer. Soil pH was higher, but cation exchange capacity (CEC) and organic matter content were lower in Bt horizon than those in the surface layer. There was an evidence of clay accumulation in Bt horizons of all soil series examined except Bangog series. Although there was an increase of clay content in the horizons in Bangog series, the clay was not originated from illuviation process. The translocation of clay was in the order of an 2:1 expandable clay minerals > 2:1 non-expandable clay minerals > 1:1 clay minerals. The illuvial substances in argillic horizon were composed with clay, amorphous iron and opaque mineral. The micoromorphological features of Bt horizon were void coating, channel infilling and grain coating. There was an apparent boundary between clay coating and the groundmass in residuum and colluvium, but Bt horizon of alluvium was composed of a skew plane amputated by the physical operation.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.727-736
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• 2022

Ice wedges are subsurface ice mass structures that formed mainly by freezing precipitation with airborne dust and surrounding soil particles flowed through the active layer into the cracks growing by repeating thermal contractions in the deeper permafrost layer over time. These ice masses characteristically contain high concentrations of solutes and solids. Because of their unique properties and distribution, the possibility of harnessing ice wedges as an alternative archive for reconstructing paleoclimate and paleoenvironment has been recently suggested despite limited studies. It is imperative to preserve the physicochemical properties of the ice wedge (e.g., solute concentration, mineral particles) without any potential alteration to use it as a proxy for reconstructing the paleo-information. Thawing the ice wedge samples is prerequisite for the assessment of their physicochemical properties, during which the paleo-information could be unintentionally altered by any methodological artifact. This study examined the effect of thawing conditions and procedures on the physicochemical properties of solutes and solid particles in ice wedge samples collected from Cyuie, East Siberia. Four different thawing conditions with varying temperatures (4 and 23℃) and oxygen exposures (oxic and anoxic) for the ice wedge sample treatment were examined. Ice wedge samples thawed at 4℃ under anoxic conditions, wherein biological activity and oxidation were kept to a minimum, were set as the standard thawing conditions to which the effects of temperature and oxygen were compared. The results indicate that temperature and oxygen exposure have negligible effects on the physicochemical characteristics of the solid particles. However, the chemical features of the solution (e.g., pH, electric conductivity, alkalinity, and concentration of major cations and trace elements) at 4℃ under oxic conditions were considerably altered, compared to those measured under the standard thawing conditions. This study shows that the thawing condition of ice wedge samples can affect their chemical features and thereby the geochemical information therein for the reconstruction of the paleoclimate and/or paleoenvironment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.262-265
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• 2000

In order to estimate spatial physicochemical properties of the spring waters in the study area, spring waters at 57 sites were investigated for measuring ten items (temperature, pH, Eh, EC, TDS, DO, salinity, alkalinity, discharge rate, and surface elevation), To compare each component with one another, regression analysis was carried out. Kriging was used to estimate the spatial characteristics and continuity of data in the study area. To solve kriging equation, the semivariogram was calculated using geostatistical software GS$^{+}$(version 3.1). As a result of semivariogram analysis, the data of nine components but surface elevation could be assumed as stationary random function, and ordinary kriging method was used for making contour maps.s.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.297-306
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• 2021

To select rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars suitable for forage-rice double cropping system, the growth and grain quality of four early maturing rice cultivars (Joun, Jopyeong, Haedamssal, and Unkwang), and the chemical properties of soils were investigated under single- (fallow-rice) and forage-rice double-cropping systems in paddy fields in Miryang, southern Korea. The soil where two forage crops [Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and oat (Avena sativa L.)] were cultivated during winter had a slightly lower pH; an increase in total nitrogen (T-N), K, Ca, and Na contents; and a slight decrease in organic matter and available P₂O₅ contents, compared with the soil fallowed during winter. This shows that the chemical properties of paddy soils can be improved by winter forage cropping. At the heading stage, the culm length, panicle length, panicle number, and leaf color of all cultivars, except for Haedamssal, were generally higher under double-cropping than under single-cropping. For Haedamssal, the culm length and leaf color did not differ between the cropping systems, but the panicle length was slightly shortened and its panicle number increased under double-cropping. After harvest, the yield of milled rice decreased for all cultivars except Haedamssal, but increased in Haedamssal under double-cropping. The head rice rate was slightly higher under double cropping, particularly in Jopyeong and Haedamssal, than under single-cropping. The protein content of milled rice under double cropping was higher and its amylose content was similar or slightly lower compared to those of rice under single cropping, resulting in decreased Toyo values for rice under double-cropping. The pasting temperature did not differ significantly between the cropping systems. However, Haedamssal had a low pasting temperature but a high Toyo value under double cropping, compared to the other three cultivars, suggesting that its palatability is relatively high. Furthermore, panicle number increased and milled rice yield did not decrease, even under double cropping. Therefore, Haedamssal seems to be the best cultivar for paddy-based double cropping with forage crops.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2015

We have examined the correlation between the physicochemical and microbiological environment variables for the different layers of oak forest soil in Mt. Gyeryong, Korea. The result shows that there is a high correlation in the environment variables between the soil parameters of the fermented (F) layer and humus (H) layer. In particular, the pH level in the F layer shows a high correlation with C and N, while the various organic acids of the H layer turns out to be closely correlated with soil bacteria density. As we evaluated phylogenetic characteristics of bacterial populations by DGGE analysis with DNA extracted. Total of 175 bands including 43 bands from litter (L) layer, 42 bands from F layer, 43 bands from H layer and 47 bands from rhizosphere (A) layer were selected as the major DGGE band of oak forest soil. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, 175 DGGE bands were classified into 32 orders in 7 phylum. The heat map was analyzed in order to compare the quantity of the base sequences of each order and based on the clustering of the different layers of oak forest soil, the result confirms that the F layer and H layer belong to a different cluster from that of L layer and A layer. Furthermore, it also showed that approximately 50% of the total microbial population in different layers is ${\alpha}$-proteobacteria, which indicates that they belong to the dominant system group. In particular, Rhizobiales, Burkholderiales and Actinobacteriales were observed in all the seasons and layers of oak forest soil, which confirms that they are the indigenous soil bacterial community in oak forest soil.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.472-481
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• 2011

In order to reuse remnants of medicinal herb extracts as an environment-friendly manure, fermented compost made from medicinal herb waste (MHWC), poultry manure compost (PMC) and MHWC+PMC (1:1, w/w) were applied on upland soil cultivated with 2 year-old Bokbunja plants. The results of the changes of soil chemical properties on upland soil, the yield and the sugar contents of the fruit harvested were summarized as follows. The pH in soils treated with composts (STCs) was significantly changed (p<0.05) compared with untreated control (UC) group. The electrical conductivity (EC) in MHWC group was decreased 0.46-0.56 times compared with UC, and it was different from PMC groups. The contents of organic matter and total nitrogen were increased in all of the treatments and MHWC group was the highest among the all groups. The content of available phosphorous was different by types and amounts of the composts. The content of heavy metal in all groups did not exceed the standard content for soil contamination. The yield and the sugar contents of the fruit harvested were the highest in the treatments of MHWC. In conclusion, MHWC is an effective compost resource on improvement of soil environment and promoting the fruit qualities.