• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.242-245
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• 2004

This study was conducted to assess water quality of Dae stream in Busan using the periphyton. Species of the higher rank 10% in standing crops were Cymbella ventricosa, Aulacoseira granulata, Gomphonema olivaceum, Synedra ulna through the study. In addition, Fragilaria intermedia ill the station 1 and 2, and Nitzschia palea in the station 3 and 4 dominated the periphyton community respectively. These species mainly appeared in the urban stream. Where input of pollutant is forecasted, standing crops of dominant species are investigated very highly. Also, standing crops of Nitzschia palea were higher in the pollution area such as polysaprobic than any other area. Water quality by the saprobic index were oligosaprobic in the station 1, $\beta$-mesosaprobic in the station 2 and 3, and $\alpha$- mesosaprobic in the station 4. These results suggests that the pollution of Dae stream gradually increased with downstream due perhaps to the loading of sewage from the new residental complex.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.5 s.174
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• pp.535-545
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• 2005

Environmental survey from some abandoned metal mine areas was undertaken on to assess the risk of adverse health effects on human exposure to arsenic influenced by past Au-Ag mining activities. Elevated levels of As were found in tailings from the studied mine areas. This high concentration may have a impact on soils and waters around the tailing piles. In order to perform the human risk assessment, chemical analysis data of soils, rice grains and waters fur As have been used. The HQ values fer As via the rice grain and groundwater consumption were significantly higher compared with other exposure pathways in all metal mine areas. However, there were minimal soil and water dermal contact risks. The resulting Hl values of As from the Dongil, Okdong and Hwacheon mine areas were higher than 5.0, and their toxic risk due to drinking water and rice grain was strong in these mine areas. The cancer risk of being exposed to As by the rice grain route from the Dongil, Okdong and Hwacheon mine areas was $5.2\times10^{-4},\;6.0\times10^{-4}\;and\;8.1\times10^{-4}$, respectively. The As cancer risk via the exposure pathway of drinking water from these mine areas exceeded the acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 fer regulatory purposes. Thus, the daily intakes of groundwater and rice grain by the local residents from the Dongil, Okdong and Hwacheon mine areas can pose a potential health threat if exposed by long-term arsenic exposure.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.288-297
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• 2010

This study was to evaluate the ecological stream health through the Multimetric Fish Assessment Index (MFAI) along with fish fauna analysis based on the tolerance and trophic guilds at Miho stream in 2008 and 2009. Also, we analysed total mercury concentration in fish tissues to examine heavy metal contamination. Total sampled fish were 40 species and 2,557 individuals and Zacco platypus was the most dominant with 35% relative abundance. It was sampled with 11.4% RA for Korean endemic species (10 species 291 individuals) less than average RA 39.3% for the Geum river watersheds. According to the tolarance guild analysis, tolerant species was more dominant with 58.9% RA (15 species, 1,507 individuals) than sensitive species with 6.6% RA. Trophic guild analysis also suggested that omnivores were more dominant (60.5% RA) than insectivores (31.5% RA). Riffle-benthic species was also sampled with 7.7% RA. Ecological stream health based on the MFAI were averaged 25.3 (n=3) with fair-poor condition in 2008 and also 26.3 (n=3) with fair condition in 2009, just slightly increased than 2008. Qualitative habitat evaluation index was averaged 134 (n=3) with fair condition but most of sites had sediment accumulation that reflected substrate degradations proceeding. From the result of total mercury accumulation in fish tissues, kidney and liver tissues showed the highest but the lowest for gill tissues. Overall mercury concentration were not exceed the national standards by Korean Federation of Drug and Administration (KFDA). Consequently, our result could correspond with the characteristics of Miho stream where point sources such industrial complexes and wastewater treatment plant widely distributed around the stream along the gradient of up and downstream.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.209-221
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• 2016

The section from water source to 2.6km upper stream of Hantan River is protected as the drinking water quality protection area according to guidelines of Ministry of Environment, because water source of the Gwanin water intake plant has been known the river. However, opinions were consistently brought up that the standard of water source protection zone must be changed with using underground water as water source because of contribution possibility of underground water as the water source of Gwanin water intake facility. In this regard, hydrogeologic investigation including resistivity survey and hydrogeochemical investigation were carried out to assess water source and infiltration of contaminant for the plant. Quaternary basaltic rocks (50m thick with four layers) covered most of the study area on the granite basement. As the result of the resistivity survey, it is revealed that permeable aquifer is distributed in the boundary of two layers: the basaltic layer with low resistivity; and the granite with high resistivity. Considering of outflow from Gwanin water intake facility, the area possessing underground water was estimated at least $5.7km^2$. The underground water recharged from Cheorwon plain was presumed to outflow along the surface of unconformity plane of basalt and granite. Based on field parameters and major dissolved constituents, groundwater and river water clearly distinguished and the spring water was similar to groundwater from the basaltic aquifer. Temporal variation of $SiO_2$, Mg, $NO_3$, and $SO_4$ concentrations indicated that spring water and nearby groundwater were originated from the basaltic aquifer and other groundwater from granitic aquifer. In conclusion, the spring of the Gwanin water intake plant was distinguished from river water in terms of hydrogeochemical characteristics and mainly contributed from the basaltic aquifer.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.270-279
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• 2005

It is important to understand and evaluate the environmental impacts of rice cultivation for developing environmentally-friendly agriculture because rice is main crop in Korea and rice cultivation have both functions of water pollution and purification with environmental and cultivation conditions. This paper presents the evaluation of nitrogen impact by rice cultivation on water system. A simple protocol was proposed to assess the potential amount of nitrogen outflow from paddy field and most of parameters affect on the nitrogen outflow from paddy field such as the amount of fertilizer application, water balance, the quality and quantity of irrigation water, soil properties, nitrogen turnover in the soil and cultivation method were considered. To develop the protocol, coefficients for parameters affected nitrogen turnover and outflow were gotten and summarized by comparison and analysis of all possible references related, and by additional experiments at field and laboratory. And potential amount of nitrogen input and output by water in paddy field were estimated with the protocol at the conditions of the nitrogen contents of irrigation water, amount of fertilizer application, and irrigation methods. Where irrigation water was clean, below 1.0 mg $L^{-1}$ of nitrogen concentration, rice cultivation polluted nearby watershed. At the conditions of 2.0 mg $L^{-1}$ of nitrogen concentration, 110 kg $ha^{-1}$ of nitrogen fertilizer application and flooding irrigation, rice cultivation had water pollution function, but it had water purification function with intermittent irrigation. At the conditions of 3.0 mg $L^{-1}$ of nitrogen concentration and 110 kg $ha^{-1}$ of nitrogen fertilizer application, rice cultivation had water purification function, but that had water pollution function with 120 kg $ha^{-1}$ of nitrogen application. Where irrigation water was polluted over 6.0 mg $L^{-1}$ of nitrogen, it was evaluated that rice cultivation had water purifying effect, even though the amount of nitrogen application was 120 kg $ha^{-1}$.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.1 s.89
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• pp.51-60
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• 2000

In order to understand the trend and assessment of water pollution, seasonal water quality was determined in the main river and the tributaries from midstream to downstream of the Kum River from March 1998 to June 1999. Among environmental factors, the variation of nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a was distinctive on an aspect of increase and decrease relatively to others, and particularly the impact of inorganic N ${\cdot}$ P inflowing into the main river was observed to be more significant at the Kapchon, Mihochon and Soksongchon among the tributaries. Water quality was highly related to hydrologic factor, and it was more deteriorated when water discharge maintains for a long time below normal flow or relatively at low condition of minimum and drought flow. These phenomena were remarkablee from December to March of the next year. $NH_4$ and SRP were decreased dramatically flowing toward the lower part of the river and chl-a was increased exponentially. While, the variations of $NO_3$ and $BOD_5$ were regular from midstream to downstream and there was no significant difference between the stations. Limiting nutrient for Phytoplankton growth seemed to be P than N because the ratio of TN/TP or DIN/SRP was relatively high as 42 or 544 in the main river, respectively. The main river and tributaries were ranked to be third grade, based on the assessment of BOD as an indirect indicator of organics, but particularly Kapchon was ranked to be over fifth grade. In addition, the inflow of high N ${\cdot}$ P nutrients from tributaries including Kapchon and Mihochon seemed to be major factor of the development of water pollution of the Kum River. On the other hand, persistent bloom of phytoplankton in lower part of the river was observed. As a conclusion, management of water quality for main source of pollution is urgent.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.45-58
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• 2012

For the development of reference values and evaluation of water quality in various environmental conditions, we divided the coastal region around Korean peninsular into 5 distinctive ecological regions based on the influence of surface current, depth, tidal range, turbidity, and climate condition. We used national marine environment monitoring data collected by National Fisheries Research & Development Institute(NFRDI) from 2000-2009. For the reference values, we used maximum seasonal mean from 2000 to 2007 for DIN, DIP, and chlorophyll-a and minimum seasonal mean for secchi depth measured at stations without the influence of river runoff in each ecological regions. For the reference value of bottom dissolved oxygen saturation, we used minimum mean value of 90% calculated from minimal riverine influence stations of whole regions. We calculated enrichment score for each assessment criteria. The enrichment score of DIN, DIP, and Chlorophyll-a was 1 (=< reference value), 2 (< 110% of reference value), 3 (< 125% of reference value), 4 (< 150% of reference value), and 5 (> 150% of reference value). The enrichment score of DO saturation and Secchi depth was 1 (> reference value), 2 (> 90% of reference value), 3 (>75 % of reference value), 4 (> 50% of reference value), and 5 (< 50% of reference value). We calculated water quality index using weighted linear combination of five enrichment score for the comparison of whole regions. From the water quality index distribution calculated from all stations between 2000 and 2007 period, we classified into 5 grade based on the standard deviation calculated from total water quality index. We assigned grade very good(I), good(II), moderate(III), bad(IV), and very bad(V) when the water quality index was less than 23, minimum + 1 sd, +2 sd, +3 sd, and grater than minium+ 3 sd, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.385-393
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• 2007

Benthic macroinvertebrate communities were studied after a small dam removal from the mid-section of the Gyeongan stream in Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Quantitative sampling was conducted at immediately upstream (upper) and downstream (lower) sites from the dam as well as at the site where the dam was located (dam site: middle) using a Surber sampler (50$\times$50 cm, mesh 0.25 mm), four times (November 2004, May 2005, January 2006, and May 2006) after the dam removal. As a result, 46 species of benthic macroinvertebtates, belonged in 35 genera, 27 families, 11 orders, 5 classes, and 4 phyla, were sampled from the stream sites, but the number of species that occurred at each sampling trial was different (ranged 3$\sim$17 spp.) according to the seasons and sites. Approximately one year after the dam removal, the species number has in-creased and taxa composition has changed as the microhabitat became more heterogeneously due to a riffle formation in the upstream site. Chironomid larvae and tubificid worms, which are common in Korean urban streams, were the dominant species, while Hydropsyche kozhantschikovi was the 2nd dominant species at some sampling trials. In general, McNaughton's dominance indices decreased and Shannon species diversity indices increased approximately one year after the dam removal. Compositions of collector-filterers, clingers, and swimmers increased as hydropsychid caddisflies, heptageniid mayflies, and baetid mayflies increased, respectively, in the upstream site. The group pollution index and the ecological score using benthic macroinvertebrates both indicated that water environment has been improved in the upstream site after the dam removal.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

An estuary is an area where a freshwater river or stream meets the ocean. Even before the importance of the value of estuaries was recognized, the estuary was lost because of large-scale conversion by draining, filling, damming, and dredging. In South Korea, 643 estuaries are located, and the total area is 3,248,300 ha, accounting for 32.5% of the total area of South Korea. Over 35% of Korean estuaries are closed estuaries which are only temporally connected with the sea, either permanently or periodically. Since 2008, in order to preserve the estuary ecosystem and solve major issues in the estuary by accumulating knowledge about the estuarine ecosystem, the Ministry of Environment of Republic of Korea has been conducting the "Estuarine Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Project". At 668 sites of 325 estuaries, epilithic diatom, benthic macroinvertebrate, fish, and vegetation are investigated, and the habitat condition of each site is evaluated using the newly developed biotic index. More than 100 researchers annually record 2,097 species of estuaries according to the standardized survey guidelines over the past 14 years and provide strictly managed data necessary for establishing estuaries conservation policies. As a result of bibliometric analysis of 1,195 research articles related to the monitoring and assessment of the estuarine ecosystem, research on pollutants such as heavy metals and sediment control have recently been conducted. "Estuarine Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Project" is an ecological monitoring type of long-term mandated monitoring that is usually focused on identifying trends. Although it is difficult to identify the mechanism influencing a change in an ecosystem through long-term mandated monitoring, providing empirical data for supporting evidence-based policy, decision-making, and the management of ecosystems. In order to increase the efficiency of the project, research to investigate the relationship between sediments and pollutants and organisms can be conducted at specific estuaries or sites to compensate for the shortcomings of mandatory monitoring.