• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.6
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• pp.791-798
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• 2009

The role of forest and soil carbon under global climate change is getting important as a carbon sink and it is necessary to research on applicable forest models as well as in the field for a study of these dynamics. On this study, historical annual litter dataset as a major input data for the forest soil carbon model, Yasso was established using a dendrochronological reconstruction method, and the soil carbon dynamics of a Pinus densiflora forest in Gwangneung, Korea was simulated using Yasso. The amount of litter (needle, branch, stem and fine root) production, which was estimated using the dendrochronological method, has increased continuously from 1971 to 2006. Furthermore, there was no significant error between estimated and measured values of litter production (needle and branch) in 2006. The average of simulated soil carbon stock up to 30 cm depth was $46.30{\pm}4.28tCha^{-1}$, which accounted for 53% of carbon stock in trees of the forest, and had no significant difference and error with measured soil carbon stock. Under the climate change trend in Korea according to IPCC A1B scenario, it was estimated that the simulated soil carbon stock in the region would increase continuously from 1971 to 2041 and then decreased until 2100. Compared to the result of the scenario that there is no climate change, the soil carbon stock could be decreased up to 7.58% at 2100. It was inferred the dendrochronological reconstruction method and simulation of Yasso model are useful to estimate soil carbon dynamics of the natural P. densiflora forest. Follow-up researches, such as improvement of the dendrochronological method and Yasso model and their application and validation in various environment, are needed to produce more reliable results.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.6_1
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• pp.1505-1515
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• 2023

As extreme weather events caused by climate change are occurring around the world, blue carbon has recently been gaining attention as a carbon sink. Blue carbon has been officially recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a means of reducing greenhouse gases, and various studies are underway to discover new blue carbon sources both domestically and internationally. Domestic blue carbon research is centered on carbon absorption and storage in tidal flats, which account for most of the coastal wetlands, but there is a lack of research on spatial information. This study utilized the carbon storage of tidal flats from previous studies and converted it into location and spatial information for each basin of the Geumgang and Nakdong rivers. In addition, a proxy value of carbon storage per area by basin was calculated to compare and analyze the total carbon storage of various tidal flats in Korea and abroad. As a result of the analysis, both the Geumgang and Nakdong River basins showed different amounts of carbon storage depending on the tidal flats data, with the highest amount in the Geumgang basin coming from the National Ocean Survey (469,810.1 Mg C) and the highest amount in the Nakdong River basin coming from the Ministry of Environment (217,145.01 Mg C). The results of this study can be used as a basis for future research on the establishment of domestic blue carbon spatial information.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.250-258
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• 2022

Background: To assess the carbon sequestration capacity and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) of Quercus glauca forests, we analyzed the net primary productivity (NPP), carbon storage, and carbon emission of soil in a Q. glauca forest on Jeju Island (South Korea) from 2016 to 2018. Results: The average carbon stock in the above- and below-ground plant biomass was 223.7 Mg C ha^-1, while the average amount of organic carbon fixed by photosynthesis was 9.8 Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1, and the average NPP was 9.6 Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1. Stems and branches contributed to the majority of the above- and below-ground standing biomass and NPP. The average heterotrophic carbon emission from the soil was 8.7 Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1, while the average NEP was 1.1 Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1. Although the carbon stock, carbon absorption, and soil respiration values were higher than those reported in other oak forests in the world, the NEP was similar or lower. Conclusions: These results indicator that Q. glauca forests perform the role of a large carbon sink through the CO₂ absorption in the plants in terms of carbon balance. And it is judged to be helpful as data for assessment of carbon storage and flux in the forests and mitigation of elevated CO₂ in the atmosphere.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.109-116
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• 2010

Climate change is known to affect both natural and managed ecosystems, and will likely impact on the terrestrail carbon balance. This paper reports the effects of climate change on spatial-temporal changes in carbon reductions in South Korea's during 2000-2100. Future carbon (C) stock distributions are simulated for the same period using various spatial data sets including land cover, net primary production(NPP) and leaf area index (LAI) obtained from MODIS(Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), and climate data from Data Assimilation Office(DAO) and Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA). This study attempts to predict future NPP using multiple linear regression and to model dependence of soil respiration on soil temperature. Plants store large amounts of carbon during the growing periods. During 2030-2100, Carbon accumulation in vegetation was increased to $566{\sim}610gC/m^2$/year owing to climate change. On the other hand, soil respiration is a key ecosystem process that releases carbon from the soil in the form of carbon dioxide. The estimated soil respiration spatially ranged from $49gC/m^2$/year to $231gC/m^2$/year in the year of 2010, and correlating well with the reference value. This results include Spatial-Temporal C reduction variation caused by climate change. Therefore this results is more comprehensive than previous results. The uncertainty in this study is still large, but it can be reduced if a detailed map becomes available.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2023.05a
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• pp.413-413
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• 2023

Wetlands are a critical component of the global carbon cycle and are essential in mitigating climate change. Accurately quantifying wetland carbon emissions is crucial for understanding and predicting the impact of wetlands on the global carbon budget. The uncertainty quantifying carbon in wetlands may comes from the ecosystem's hydrological, biochemical, and microbiological variability. The Community Land Model is a sophisticated and flexible land surface model that offers several configuration options such as energy and water fluxes, vegetation dynamics, and biogeochemical cycling, necessitating careful consideration for the alternative configurations before model implementation to develop a practical model framework. We conducted a systematic literature review, analyzing the alternatives, focusing on the carbon stock pools configurations and the parameters with significant sensitivity for carbon quantification in wetlands. In addition, we evaluated the feasibility and availability of in situ observation data necessary for validating the different alternatives. This analysis identified the most suitable option for our study site, the Binbong Wetland, in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.4
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• pp.554-568
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• 2021

Forests are the largest carbon (C) sinks in terrestrial ecosystems. Recently, as enhancing forest C sequestration capacity has been proposed as a basic direction of the Republic of Korea's "2050 Carbon Neutral Strategy," accurate estimation of forest C sequestration has been emphasized. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines, sequestration quantity is calculated from changes in C stocks in forest C pools, such as biomass, deadwood, litter and soil layer, and harvested wood products. However, in Korea, only the overstory biomass increase is now considered the amount of sequestration quantity, so there can be a significant difference from the actual forest C sequestration. In this study, we quantified forest C exchange through C flux measurement using an eddy covariance system and an automated soil chamber system in a 57-year-old Korean pine plantation located in Mt. Taehwa, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Then, the net amount of C sequestration was compared with the amount of the overstory biomass increase. We estimated the annual C stock change in the remaining C pools by comparing the net sequestration amount from the C flux measurement with the overstory biomass increase and C stock change in the litter layer. Therefore, the net C sequestration of the Korean pine plantation estimated from the flux measurement was 5.96 MgC ha^-1, which was about 2.2 times greater than 2.77 MgC ha^-1 of the overstory biomass increase. The annual C stock increase in the litter layer was estimated to be 0.75 MgC ha^-1, resulting in a total annual C stock increase of 2.45 MgC ha^-1 in the remaining C pools. Our results indicate that the domestic forest is a larger C sink than the current methods, implying that more accurate calculations of the C sequestration capacity are necessary to quantify C stock changes in C pools along with the C flux measurement.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.100 no.3
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• pp.315-326
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• 2011

In recent years, domestic and international interests focus on climate change, and importance of forest as carbon sink have been also increased. Particularly REDD+ mechanism expanded from REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) is expected to perform a new mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas in post 2012. To conduct this mechanism, countries which try to get a carbon credit have to certify effectiveness of their activities by MRV (Measuring, Reporting and Verification) system. This study analyzed the approaches for detecting land cover change and estimating carbon stock by remote sensing technology which is considered as the effective method to develop MRV system. The most appropriate remote sensing for detection of land cover change is optical medium resolution sensors and satellite SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) according to cost efficiency and uncertainty assessment. In case of estimating carbon stock, integration of low uncertainty techniques, airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), SAR, and cost efficient techniques, optical medium resolution sensors and satellite SAR, could be more appropriate. However, due to absence of certificate authority, guideline, and standard of uncertainty, we should pay continuously our attention on international information flow and establish appropriate methods. Moreover, to apply monitoring system to developing countries, close collaboration and monitoring method reflected characteristics of each countries should be considered.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2015

Tropical forests play a critical role in mitigating climate change, and therefore, an accurate and precise estimation of tropical forest carbon (C) is needed. However, there are many uncertainties associated with C stock estimation in a tropical forest, mainly due to its large variations in biomass. Hence, we quantified C stocks in an intact lowland mixed dipterocarp forest (MDF) in Brunei, and investigated variations in biomass and topography. Tree, deadwood, and soil C stocks were estimated by using the allometric equation method, the line intersect method, and the sampling method, respectively. Understory vegetation and litter were also sampled. We then analyzed spatial variations in tree and deadwood biomass in relation to topography. The total C stock was 321.4 Mg C $ha^{-1}$, and living biomass, dead organic matter, and soil C stocks accounted for 67%, 11%, and 23%, respectively, of the total. The results reveal that there was a relatively high C stock, even compared to other tropical forests, and that there was no significant relationship between biomass and topography. Our results provide useful reference data and a greater understanding of biomass variations in lowland MDFs, which could be used for greenhouse gas emission-reduction projects.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.826-831
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• 2016

he land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) is one of the greenhouse gas inventory sectors that cover emission and removals of greenhouse gases resulting from land use such as agricultural activities and land use change. Particularly, LULUCF-Cropland sector consists of carbon stock changes in soil, $N_2O$ emissions from disturbance associated with land use conversion to cropland, and $CO_2$ emission from agricultural lime application. In this paper, we conducted the study to calculate the greenhouse gases emission of LULUCF-Cropland sector in South Korea from 1990 to 2014. The emission by carbon stock changes, conversion to cropland and lime application in 2014 was 4424, 32, and 125 Gg $CO_2$-eq, respectively. Total emission from the LULUCF-Cropland sector in 2014 was 4,582 Gg $CO_2$-eq, increased by 508% since 1990 and decreased by 0.7% compared to the previous year. Total emission from this sector showed that the largest sink was the soil carbon and its increase trend in total emission in recent years was largely due to loss of cropland area.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.81-99
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• 2015

The acceleration of global warming has required better understanding of carbon cycles over local and regional areas such as the Korean peninsula. Since forests serve as a carbon sink, which stores a large amount of terrestrial carbon, there has been a demand to accurately estimate such forest carbon sequestration. In Korea, the National Forest Inventory(NFI) has been used to estimate the forest carbon stocks based on the amount of growing stocks per hectare measured at sampled location. However, as such data are based on point(i.e., plot) measurements, it is difficult to identify spatial distribution of forest carbon stocks. This study focuses on urban areas, which have limited number of NFI samples and have shown rapid land cover change, to estimate grid-based forest carbon stocks based on UNFCCC Approach 3 and Tier 3. Land cover change and forest carbon stocks were estimated using Landsat 5 TM data acquired in 1991, 1992, 2010, and 2011, high resolution airborne images, and the 3rd, 5th~6th NFI data. Machine learning techniques(i.e., random forest and support vector machines/regression) were used for land cover change classification and forest carbon stock estimation. Forest carbon stocks were estimated using reflectance, band ratios, vegetation indices, and topographical indices. Results showed that 33.23tonC/ha of carbon was sequestrated on the unchanged forest areas between 1991 and 2010, while 36.83 tonC/ha of carbon was sequestrated on the areas changed from other land-use types to forests. A total of 7.35 tonC/ha of carbon was released on the areas changed from forests to other land-use types. This study was a good chance to understand the quantitative forest carbon stock change according to the land cover change. Moreover the result of this study can contribute to the effective forest management.