• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.155-163
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• 2014

Total concentration and chemical speciation of trace metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Ni) were determined to evaluate pollution level and potential ecological risk in surface sediments of the Masan Bay. The results showed that the trace metal concentrations, except for Ni, were high in the inner Masan Bay. Based on the chemical speciation of metals in sediments, the percentage of total concentrations of Cd and Pb in non-residual fraction was 92% and 88%, respectively, indicating that these metals originated mainly from anthropogenic sources. However, Ni (70%) was dominant in residual fraction. Pollution load index (PLI) and ecological risk index (ERI) values in the inner bay indicate the presence of anthropogenic pollution and considerable-moderate ecological risk, respectively. Ecological index (Ei) value for Cd was high at most stations in the Masan Bay, and Cd content was the highest in acid soluble fraction, which presents the highest ecological risk. The results obtained in this study indicate that Cd presents a high potential ecological risk to benthic biota in the Masan Bay.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2017

BACKGROUND: RNA interference (RNAi) eliminates or decreases gene expression by disrupting the target mRNA or by interfering with translation. Recently, RNAi technique was applied to generate new crop traits which provide protection against pests. To establish the environmental risk assessment protocol of RNAi LMO in lab scale, we developed dsRNA expression system using E. coli and tested acute oral toxicity assay to honey. METHOD AND RESULTS: The dsRNA expression vector, L4440, was chosen and cloned 240 bp of Snf7 and GFP gene fragment. To develop the maximum dsRNA induction condition in E. coli, we tested induction time, temperature and IPTG concentration in media. To estimate the risk assessment of dsRNA to honey bee, it has been selected and cultured with dsRNA supplement for 48 hours according to OECD guideline. As a result, the optimum condition of dsRNA induction was $37^{\circ}C$, 4 hours and 0.4 mM IPTG concentration and the difference between Snf7 and GFP dsRNA molecules from E. coli was not significant in survival and behavior to honey bee. Furthermore, blast search results indicated that effective match of predicted dsRNA fragments were not existed in honey bee genome. CONCLUSION: In this study, we developed and tested the acute oral toxicity of dsRNA using E. coli expression system to honey bee.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.27-51
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• 2009

This study looked for ways to carry out development projects in a sustainable manner by generating improvement plans, and focused on reviewing the status and problems associated with the environmental and ecological planning that is currently applied to new town and large-scale development projects. Improved methods were suggested based on differences between urban development and housing development projects. Based on principles set for the introduction of environmental and ecological planning, the size of the projects subject to environmental and ecological planning was set. With regard to the procedural improvements for environmental and ecological planning, nine problems were singled out from the development planning phases. Solutions were suggested by separating the problems into the site and district designation phase, development planning phase, implementation planning phase, and post-management phase based on a literature review and the opinion of experts. In consideration of improvements to the planning system, the scope of environmental and ecological planning was set after looking at information related to environmental and ecological planning, literature review, expert interviews, and the relevance of related plans. The scope of the environmental and ecological planning was divided into the overview of planning, environmental and ecological conception, conception of spatial structure and framework, and urban environment regeneration and impact reduction plans. By synthesizing the above-described results, the functions of environmental and ecological planning, development planning, and environmental assessment and their inter-relations were defined. The defined inter-relations seem likely to be developed into a form that would enable sustainable land development.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.189-200
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• 2008

As a transition zone between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, riparian areas of rivers and streams play significant roles in production and decomposition for river and stream systems. Understanding of the physical and ecological characteristics of riparian areas are, therefore, important for the management of river and stream systems. It is especially important to understand the characteristics of riparian areas for the Nakdong River in Korea which has a large watershed area and diverse land uses. This study aimed at collecting field data, according to stream types, which are essential for the management of riparian areas of the middle and lower reaches of the Nakdong River, Korea. Most riparian areas surveyed in this study had roads within 100 meters from river edges. Distances from water edge to banks were less than 1m for most riparian areas neighboring agricultural lands, indicating that those areas might be very vulnerable to pollutant inputs from non-point sources. Water quality data indicated that soil erosion in the riparian areas could be a major source of phosphorus input to the Nakdong River and land use patters might have a significant influence on nitrogen concentration in the river. Heavy metal concentrations in soils of the riparian areas of the river were below soil quality standards, except arsenic and chromium. Vegetation surveys showed that therophytes were the most frequently occurred riparian plants in the Nakdong River. Number of aquatic plant species increased downstream, with the most diverse aquatic plants observed in wetlands and irrigation canals of the West Nakdong River. Occurrence rate of naturalized plants and urbanization index were high in the survey sites adjacent to urban and agricultural areas.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.299-305
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• 2011

Streams and rivers are among the most fascinating and complex ecosystems on Earth. Recently, many plans of ecological streams are developed and performed in several regions. In spite of obtaining of instream water is most important problem to composite an ecological stream, assessment methods for instream water are too various to estimate an optimal result. In this study, we developed decision support system so that decision-maker may can be supported decision making for composite an ecological stream with connecting the satisfaction of residents in stream. Decision support system is composed of hydraulic, water quality, eco-river simulation model and can show optimal instream flow assessment and water quality improvement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.15-27
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• 2022

Climate change is considered a severe global problem closely related to carbon storage. However, recent urbanization and land-use changes reduce carbon stocks in terrestrial ecosystems. Recently, the role of protected areas has been emphasized as a countermeasure to the climate change, and protected areas allow the area to continue to serve as a carbon sink due to legal restrictions. This study attempted to expand the scope of these protected areas to an evaluation-based environmental spatial information theme map. In this study, the area of each grade was compared, and the distribution of land cover for each grade was analyzed using the Ecological and Nature Map, Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map and Urban Ecological Map of Sejong Special Self-Governing City. Based on this, the average carbon storage for each grade was derived using the InVEST Carbon model. As a result of the analysis, the high-grade area of the environmental spatial information generally showed a wide area of the natural area represented by the forest area, and accordingly, the carbon storage amount was evaluated to be high. However, there are differences in the purpose of production, evaluation items, and evaluation methods between each environmental spatial information, there are differences in area, land cover, and carbon storage. Through this study, environmental spatial information based on the evaluation map can be used for land use management in the carbon aspect, and it is expected that a management plan for each grade suitable for the characteristics of each environmental spatial information is required.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2013

Toxic effects of arsenic (As) and chromium (Cr) has been investigated using the sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) germ cell and pluteus-larvae. The gametotoxic and embryotoxic effects of As and Cr on H. plucherrimus were each investigated at 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100. Spawning was induced by 0.5 M KCl solution and the normal fertilization and embryogenesis rates were performed for 10 min and 64 hrs after fertilization, respectively. The normal fertilization and embryogenesis rates in the control condition (not including As and Cr) were greater than 94% and 93%, respectively. The fertilization rate was not significantly changed compared with control but embryogenesis rate was significantly decreased with concentration-dependent manner. As and Cr reduced normal embryogenesis rates and a significant reduction occurred at concentration greater than 6.25 ppb (P<0.01) and 25 ppb (P<0.05), respectively. The lowest-observedeffect- concentration (LOEC) of normal embryogenesis rate in As and Cr were each 6.25 and 25 ppb, respectively. From these results, normal embryogenesis rate of H. pulcherrimus have toxic effect at greater than the 6.25 ppb concentration of As and 25 ppb concentration of Cr in marine ecosystems. These results suggest that the normal embryogenesis rates of H. pulcherrimus are very useful test method for the toxicity assessment of heavy metal as As and Cr in marine ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.128-135
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• 2012

The individual toxicity of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) has been investigated by using the sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) germ cell and pluteus-larvae. The gametotoxic and embryotoxic effects of Pb and Zn on H. pulcherrimus were each investigated at 31, 63, 125, 250, 500 ppb and 16, 31, 63, 125, 250 ppb, respectively. Spawning was induced by 0.5 M KCl solution and the fertilization and normal embryogenesis rates test were performed for 10 min and 64 h after fertilization, respectively. In exposure to Pb, the fertilization rate was not significantly changed compared with control but normal embryogenesis rate was significantly decreased with concentration dependent manner. Fertilization and normal embryogenesis rates showed a significant decreased with concentration dependent manner in exposed to Zn. The normal embryogenesis rates were significantly inhibited in exposed to Pb ($EC_{50}$=45.13 ppb, 95% Cl=40.12~50.05 ppb) and Zn ($EC_{50}$=19.82 ppb, 95% Cl=18.26~21.31 ppb). In exposure to Pb and Zn, the NOEC of normal embryogenesis rate was <31.25 and <15.63 ppb, respectively. The LOEC showed each 31.25 and 15.63 ppb in exposed to Pb and Zn. These results suggest that the early embryo development of H. pulcherrimus is highly sensitive to heavy metals such as Pb and Zn, H. pulcherrimus can be used as a test organism for risk assessment in marine ecosystems.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.69-85
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• 2000

Wetlands are generally thought to be among the most fertile and productive ecosystems of the world. They provide a variety of ecological functions to the landscape. In recent years there has been considerable research activity to generate more scientific documentation on the ecological functions of wetlands. Many pollutants released to the environment settle and accumulate in the silt and mud called sediment on the bottoms of wetlands. Contaminated sediment can cause adverse effects to aquatic organism and eventually to ecological system. Sediment toxicity test with water fleas has been done by standardized preparation method of pore and elutriate water methods described in the literature for the need to protect Woopo wetlands. The results of Daphnia magna, Ceridaphnia dubla and Simocephalus sp. toxicity test were compared and discussed in terms of the relative sensitivity and discrimination abilities with both pore and elutriate water obtained from the sediments of Woopo wetlands.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.89-94
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• 2013

Diatoms have become an integral part of the UK's freshwater monitoring strategy over the past two decades, mostly in response to increasingly stringent European Union (EU) legislation. The use of diatoms is based on strong correlations between diatom assemblages and environmental variables, and from knowledge of the "expected" (= "reference") state of each river. The nationwide overview of the ecological health of rivers this gives allows those stretches of rivers which fail to meet EU criteria to be identified. This, in turn, allows appropriate remediation measures to be planned. Because diatom assemblages vary in space and time, even within a single water body, effective use of diatoms requires a consistent approach in order to minimise uncertainty. This includes the use of methods which comply with European Standards, a training and accreditation scheme for analysts, and a suite of quality assurance methods. Those aspects of uncertainty that cannot be readily controlled have been quantified and all estimates of ecological status are accompanied by the appropriate "confidence of class" and "risk of misclassification". This, in turn, helps planners prioritise those locations which are most likely to benefit from remediation.