• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.27-43
• /
• 1992

The purpose of this study is to detect and evaluate the change of urban vegetation of Seoul during 1980s. Large areas covered with agricultural crops or forests were converted to residential and commercial areas, roads, schools, sports complexes, etc. There were also widespreas concerns on the deterioration of the quality of urban vegetation due to severe air pollution, overcrowding of nature parks, and idling of farm lands by land speculators. The image used for this study were MSS(Oct. 4, 1979) and TM(Apr. 26, 1990). The Green Vegetation Index of Kauth & Thomas(1976) was for the analysis. The GVI were resampled with 75$\times$75m grids and overlaid with the jurisdictional boundaries of 22 districts of Seoul. The results were reclassified to 6 classes, class 6 representing grids with the most vigorous vegetation or the best vegetation improvement in 1980s. The finding of this study can be summarized as follows : First, the most vigorous vigorous vegetation, in terms of GVI, of the 1979 image can be found at paddy fields located on alluvial near Han River. Broad-leaf forests located on hilly terrains have higher GVI than conifers located on the upper-parts of mountains. The average GVI of the northern part and southern part of Han River are 3.56 and 3.74, respectively. The main reason why the southern part has higher GVI is that there are more prime agricultural lands. Districts of Kangseo, Yangcheon, and Songpa have the highest percentage of grids of GVI class 6, and the percentages are 3.55 %, 3.47 %, and 2.69 %, respectively. Second, the most vigorous vegetation of the 1990 image can be found at the grass lands of the Yongsan golf club and the Sungsu horse racing track. The GVI of farm lands is lower than forest because most agricultural crops are at the early stage of growing season when the TM image was taken. The size of built-up area is much larger than of 1979. On the other hand, vegetation patches surrounded by developed area become smaller and have stronger contrast to surrounding area. The average GVI of the northern part and southern part of Han River are 3.57 and 3.51, respectively. The main reason why the southern part has lower GVI is the at more large-scale urban development projects were carried out in there during 1980s. Districts of Tobong, Nowon, and Seocho have the highest percentage of class 6, and the perecentages are 16.58 %, 10.14 %, and 8.50% respectively. Third, the change of urban vegetation in Seoul during 1980s are significant. Grids of GVI change classes 1 and 2, which represent severe vegetation loss, occupy 15.97% of Seoul. Three districts which lost the most vegetation are Yangcheon, Kangseo, and Songpa, where the percentages of GVI class 1 are 13.42%, 13.39% and 9.06%, respectively. The worst deterioration was mainly caused by residential developments. On the other hand, the vegetation of some part of Seoul improved in this period. Grids of GVI change classes 5 and 6 occupy 9.83 % of Seoul. Distircts of Jung, Yongsan, and Kangnam have the highest percentage of grids with GVI change classes 5 and 6, and their percentages are 22.31%, 19.17%, and 13.66%, respectively. The improvement of vegetation occurred in two areas. Forest vegetation is generally improving despite of concerns based on air pollution and heavy use by recreationists. Vegetation in open spaces established in riverside parks, large residential areas, and major public facilities are also improving.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.155-165
• /
• 2021

Objectives: Acute exposure to high concentrations of chemicals can occur when a chemical accident takes place. As such exposure can cause ongoing environmental pollution, such as in the soil and groundwater, there is a need for a tool that can assess health effects in the long term. The purpose of this study was assessing the health risks of residents living near a chemical accident site due to long-term exposure while considering the temporal concentration changes of the toxic chemicals leaked during the accident until their extinction in the environment using a multimedia environmental dynamics model. Methods: A health risk assessment was conducted on three cases of formaldehyde chemical accidents. In this study, health risk assessment was performed using a multimedia environmental dynamics model that considers the behavior of the atmosphere, soil, and water. In addition, the extinction period of formaldehyde in the environment was regarded as extinction in the environment when the concentration in the air and soil fell below the background concentration prior to the accident. The subjects of health risk assessment were classified into four groups according to age: 0-9 years old, 10-18 years old, 19-64 years old, and over 65 years old. Carcinogenic risk assessment by respiratory exposure and non-carcinogenic risk assessment by soil intake were conducted as well. Results: In the assessment of carcinogenic risk due to respiratory exposure, the excess carcinogenic risk did not exceed 1.0×10-6 in all three chemical accidents, so there was no health effect due to the formaldehyde chemical accident. As a result of the evaluation of non-carcinogenic risk due to soil intake, none of the three chemical accidents had a risk index of 1, so there was no health effect. For all three chemical accidents, the excess cancer risk and hazard index were the highest in the age group 0-9. Next, 10-18 years old, 65 years old or older, and 19-64 years old showed the highest risk. Conclusion: This study considers environmental changes after a chemical accident occurs and until the substance disappears from the environment. It also conducts a health risk assessment by reflecting the characteristics of the long-term persistence and concentration change over time. It is thought that it is of significance as a health risk assessment study reflecting the exposure characteristics of the accident substance for an actual chemical accident.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.644-658
• /
• 2021

Understanding the functional traits of dominant species in urban ecosystems provides insight into species' trait adaptation and ecosystem function in response to fragmented and isolated urban vegetation and reduced biological interactions. This study compared means and variances of environmental factors (geographic, meteorological, and soil attributes) and 4 leaf traits (leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry mass content, and leaf shape index) and 7 reproductive traits (fruit width, fruit length, fruit shape, fruit dry weight, fruit dry matter content, seed weight, and seed ratio) measured of 40 Sorbus alnifolia individuals in four mountainous areas south of Seoul downtown, South Korea. We then performed the multivariate analysis of trait combinations. While the measured environmental factors indicated the individuality of the survey sites, the urban vegetation was drier and had a longer growth period. The leaves of S. alnifolia in the urban areas were smaller and heavier, and the fruits produced longer and lighter seeds, showing the traits affected by long urbanization. The study confirmed changes in the growth and reproduction mechanism of the S. alnifolia population under the urban environment, indicating reduced biological interaction due to vegetation fragmentation and isolation. This study provides limited but distinct ecological information about the function and persistence of key species in cities with a reduced scale of biological interactions and many negative environmental factors such as air pollution.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.1307-1319
• /
• 2018

As interests in the air pollution increases, many kinds of researches are underway on the reduction of air pollutants. The removal of nitrogen oxides from the emission gas of diesel vehicles using urea solution has shown a great effect. The quality of urea solution is strictly defined by domestic law, but the increase of impurities in urea solution reduces the effect of reducing nitrogen oxides. Therefore, in this study, the change of physical properties of urea solution was analyzed after heating the urea solution for a certain temperature and time. Also, the changes of physical properties of urea solution were analyzed according to kinds of storage container and temperature for storing the urea solution. After heating the urea solution for a certain period of time, the biuret content in urea solution increased and the content of urea decreased. As the urea content decreased, both density and refractive index decreased. In the storage stability test carried out at a constant temperature with iron and PET containers, no change in physical properties was observed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.42-53
• /
• 2021

Street trees improve the cityscape and air quality, reduce heat islands, and create wildlife habitats. Hence, they are essential parts of a city's green infrastructure. Therefore, several trees that are well adapted to the urban environment were planted. However, this caused the problem of simple trees being planted around the world. This study is to select more various street trees. To accomplish this, evaluation criteria and detailed indexes were created. The importance was indicated through the Analytic Hierarchy Process. For commercial roads, the priority of landscape characteristics is 0.2640, and among detailed indicators, the priority of shape is 0.1245. For work roads, the priority of landscape characteristics is 0.2496, and among detailed indicators, the priority of shape is 0.1177. For work roads, the priority of characteristics of civil service is 0.2250, and among detailed indicators, the priority of shape is 0.1177. For general roads, the priority of maintenance characteristics is 0.2479, and among detailed indicators, the priority of shape is 0.1062. For historical and cultural roads, the priority of regional characteristics is 0.3488, and among detailed indicators, the priority of regional characteristics is 0.1643. For ecological roads, the priority of ecosystem characteristics is 0.3488, and among detailed indicators, the priority of the diversity of species is 0.1643. For automotive-only roads, the priority of the ecosystem characteristics is 0.4639, and among detailed indicators, the priority of reducing emissions is 0.1643. This study will provide objective criteria for the selection of street trees.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.874-882
• /
• 2017

As the interest on the air-pollution is gradually rising up at home and abroad, automotiv e and fuel researchers have been working on the exhaust emission reduction from vehicles through a lot of approaches, which consist of new engine design, innovative after-treatment systems, using clean (eco-friendly alternative) fuels and fuel quality improvement. This research has brought forward three main issues : evaporative, performance, air pollution. In addition, researcher studied the environment problems of the bio-ethanol, bio-butanol, bio-ETBE (Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether), MTBE (Methyl Tert iary Butyl Ether) fuel contained in the fuel as octane number improver. The researchers have many dat a about the health effects of ingestion of octane number improver. However, the data support the con clusion that octane number improver is a potential human carcinogen at high doses. Based on the bio-fuel and octane number improver types (bio-ethanol, bio-butanol, bio-ETBE, MTBE), this paper dis cussed the influence of gasoline fuel properties on the evaporative emission characteristics. Also, this p aper assessed the acceleration and power performance of gasoline vehicle for the bio-fuel property. As a result of the experiment, it was found that all the test fuels meet the domestic exhaust gas standards, and as a result of measurement of the vapor pressure of the test fuels, the bio - ethanol : 15 kPa and the biobutanol : 1.6 kPa. thus when manufacturing E3 fuel, Increasing the biobutanol content reduces evaporation gas and vapor pressure. In addition, Similar accelerating and powering performance was shown for the type of biofuel and when bio-butanol and bio-ethanol were compared accelerated perf ormance was improved by about 3.9% and vehicle power by 0.8%.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.363-373
• /
• 2007

To evaluate environment of farm lands using indicator insects and evaluation indices, the insect abundance of which is one of the major criteria for the evaluation of agricultural environment of farm land in urban areas and industrial complex, three sites (Ansan, Daesan, Suncheon) were designated and monitored from 2004 to 2006. The flora of agricultural land was more than urban areas and industrial complex of that in three sites. Soil, water and air pollution of urban areas and industrial complex were more serious than those of agricultural land in three sites. Overall population of insects were high from June to August in the surveyed three sites. Collected insects in agricultural land were 12 order, 106 family and 166 species, those in urban areas were 11 order, 102 family and 148 species, and in industrial complex were 11 order, 100 family and 152 species. Species and population belonging to Coleoptera was dominant in the surveyed sites. The insect diversity indices of farm land were 2.36 in agricultural land, 1.92 urban areas and industrial complex. And agricultural environment of agricultural land was good, urban areas was common and industrial complex was poor. Based on the major criteria of evaluation items, the criteria were selected as diversity index over 2.1, insect indicator Pheropsophus javanus in agricultural land, diversity index 1.5-2.0, insect indicator Nephotettix cincticeps in urban areas, diversity index below 1.5, insect indicator Pagria signata in industrial complex.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.61-70
• /
• 2022

This study evaluates the economic values for the several first precipitation events during Changma period. The selected three years are 2015, 2019, and 2020, where average precipitation amounts across the 58 Korean stations are 12.8, 20.1 and 13.3 mm, respectively. The four categories are used to assess the values including air quality improvement, water resource acquisition/accumulation, drought mitigation, and forest fire prevention/recovery. Economic values for these three years are estimated 50~150 billion won. Among the four factors considered, the effect of air quality improvement is most highly valued, amounting to 70 to 90% of the total economic values. Wet decomposition of air pollution (PM₁₀, NO₂, CO, and SO₂) is the primary reason. The next valuable element is water resource acquisition, which is estimated 9~15 billion won. Effects of drought mitigation and fire prevention are deemed relatively small. This study is the first to estimate the value of the precipitation events during Changma onset. An analysis for more Changma years will be performed to achieve a more reliable estimate.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.113-127
• /
• 1985

This paper was carried out for comparison of respiratory symptoms between urban and rural residents that is somewhat related to air pollution. And as urban residents, 470 persons of Daegu (Taegu) and 364 of Pohang were selected and 472 rural residents were also, in Eusong-Gun, those who were responded to questionnaire distributed from April 10, 1984 to April 30 through students of middle or high school. The subjects were families of the student. The questionnaire was appropriately modified the item B of Cornell Medical Index by author. Looking into the rate of complaints about each part, generally, the rate in urban is higher than that in rural. Particulary it is higher to 'feeling a choking lump or swelling of throat', 'the sputum' and 'the asthma' in the city (p<0.05). On the contrary, women in the farm village, to 'caught a severe cold' as compared with the city. In men under nineteen yearn of age, it is higher than the farm village to 'feeling a choking lump or swelling of throat' of Pohang (p<0.05). But in men forties, it is higher than the city that farm people are 'soaking sweat at night' and 'foreign body sensation on throat'. Students hardly differ between the two areas, while the group having occupation in Pohang felt more in 'feeling a choking lump or swelling of throat' than the farm residents. As the result, I consider that the rural residents were much affected by physical fatigue and pestisides, and the urban, by some problems of industrial fuel, traffic gas and various dusts.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
• /
• 2001.11a
• /
• pp.335-335
• /
• 2001

Direct-normal, total horizontal and diffuse horizontal irradiance data obtained from a multi-filter rotating shadowband radiometer over seven different wavelength bands (416nm, 151nm, 616nm, 675nm, 870nm and 940nm and the entire spectrum) has been analyzed at Kwangju, South Korea from June 1998 December 2000. The maximum hourly global radiation flux ranged from 0.44 MJ/$m^2$ to 2.68 MJ/$m^2$ at around 11:00-12:00 Hr local time while the maximum hourly diffuse radiation flux ranged from about 0.96 MJ/$m^2$ to 1.37 MJ/$m^2$. The maximum hourly direct irradiance ranged from 1.42 MJ/$m^2$ to 2.92 MJ/$m^2$ from June1998-2000. During the period under consideration, the average monthly global radiation recorded were 13.09 MJ/$m^2$/day, 10.58MJ/$m^2$/day and 9.78MJ/$m^2$/day for years 1998, 1999 and 2000 respectively, while the diffuse irradiance were 6.54 MJ/$m^2$/day, 5.33 MJ/$m^2$/day and 5.14 MJ/$m^2$/day for f998, 1999 and 2000 respectively. The direct irradiance values at the site were 11.63 MJ/$m^2$/day, 8.24MJ/$m^2$/day and 7.75 MJ/$m^2$/day for 1998, f999 and 2000 respectively. It was observed that each of the years has its own unique meteorological parameters that affect the quality and quantity of radiation received for each month. The annual average daily fractions of the diffuse to the global radiation (KD) were 0.51, 0.61 and 0.59 for years 1998, 1999 and 2000 respectively. Analysis indicated that the average daily KD ranged from 0.13 to a maximum value of 0.99 in May for irradiance measured at the broadband channel while the maximum and minimum KD value of 0.91 and 0.23 was recorded at wavelength band 870nm and 940nm in January and September respectively. The lowest average daily clearness index (Kt) value recorded was 0.03 in May (Spring) and the annual average daily clearness indexes are 0.45, 0.34 and 0.35 for years 1998, f999 and 2000 respectively. The frequency of clear days annually at Kwangju is 67.95%, 29.57% and 40.72% for years 1998, 1999 and 2000 respectively.