• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.417-428
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to raise the necessity of ensuring sustainability of water infrastructures in economic, social and environmental sectors by using index that evaluates the sustainability centering on water supply and wastewater utilities. This study identified sub-indexes that should be stressed among different indexes in economic, social and environmental aspects and those indexes were compared by each clusters of cities. The principal component analysis was used to calculate the weights of the sub-indexes, and the k-mean cluster analysis was conducted to classify the clusters. As a result of the weighting analysis, financial independence, service revenue ratio, subsidy ratio, population coverage ratio, deterioration, stream/river ecosystem health and river water quality were found to be the major variables in assessing sustainability. Cities were then classified into two groups using the k-mean cluster analysis. The overall sustainability scored high in the economic sector was relatively satisfactory, but it was necessary to improve the environmental sustainability. The group with relatively good environmental sustainability showed low score in the overall sustainability and required improvements in the economic sector.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.169-180
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• 2012

The ESBs (Environmental Specimen Banks) have monitoring functions for the contemporary environmental qualities and also offer the future generation tangible information on the past environment by preserving the specimens. This entails the sampling of the representative specimen for each distinctive ecosystem, which is performed under a strict and stipulated procedure and a condition that does not allow any change in the component so that a retrospective analysis can be readily done even in the distant future. It has been more than 30 years that some developing countries started collecting a broad spectrum of specimens to vindicate the effectiveness of an environmental policy and to monitor the long-term variations of background concentrations of environmental pollutants. Though being late, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Korea, has successfully launched the National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) in 2009 equipped with its state-of-the-art automated cryogenic tanks. Since then, the researchers at the NESB have been doing their best to excel the existing ESBs around the world by learning and improving the expertise. To do so, they conducted a pilot study for developing and testing their own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) based on the analysis of the examples of the other ESBs. The problems from the pilot study had been reviewed to improve the SOP to meet the requirements for an ESB, that is to say, preserving representative environmental specimens in cryogenic condition and enhancing the analytical method. Furthermore, they also need to prepare themselves to address the future challenges by providing some additional functions, which makes it distinguishable from the other ESBs. If successful, this will be a step further to be recognized as a full-fledged member of the ESB society of the world.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.111-124
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• 2008

The changes in flora and distribution and structure of vegetation were monitored for seven years at a restored reach of an urban stream, the Yangjae Stream, southeast of Seoul, Korea. In the restored reach, diverse kinds of the close-to-nature stream restoration techniques were adapted and implemented in the winter of 1998-1999. The species numbers and diversity indices of riparian plants at the restored reach were higher than those at the unrestored reach seven years after the restoration implementation. But plant diversity was decreased from the early restoration stage of 1999 - 2001 to seven years after the implementation. The dominant species changed from a ruderal annual, Humulus japonicus, to a perennial, Phragmites australis. The floral structure was distinctly different between in the early stage and seven years later on the results of principal component analysis (PCA) because of decreasing in numbers of exotic or ruderal species and planted or introduced plants in newly disturbed habitats. The distribution areas of communities of Humulus japonicus and Erigeron annuus were decreased and those of communities Phragmites australis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus were increased after the restoration implementation. The results of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of plant communities revealed that the community structure were changed from the disturbed vegetations to the stable and natural vegetation after the restoration implementation. Total seven species of willows were found at the restored reach, of which two species were planted and the others were naturally introduced. The monitoring results showed that the stream ecosystem of the study reach were successfully recovered in flora and vegetation and could be used as a model site for the stream restoration in urban streams.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.80-89
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• 1998

To understand the temporal variation of phytoplankton community in the Antarctic coastal ecosystem, physicochemical parameters, chlorophyll a, and primary productivity were measured as a component of the 7th KARP (Korea Antarctic Research Program) in 1994. Data were collected every month between February and December except four months (June-September) when the study area was frozen. Chlorophyll a concentrations ranged from negligible to 3.03 ${\mu}g/l$, averaging 0.63 ${\mu}g/l$. The primary productivity ranged 0.53-18.95 mg C/$m^3{\cdot}day$, and the depth-integrated primary productivity ranged 41.28-560.20 mg C/$m^3{\cdot}day$. A positive relationship was observed between the phytoplankton biomass and irradiance ($r^2$=0.29, p < 0.01). The degree of correlation between the primary productivity and irradiance ($r^2$=0.85, p < 0.001) was significantly higher than that between the phytoplankton biomass and irradiance. However, neither temperature nor inorganic nutrients seem to affect the temporal variation of primary productivity.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.327-334
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• 2017

The flood pulse in streams enhances the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the channel-floodplain ecosystems by exchanging water, nutrients, sediments and organisms. However, the lateral connectivity in most streams of Korea has been disrupted by the levee constructions for the purpose of flood control and land use of floodplains. To compare the characteristics of floodplain vegetation according to existence of lateral connectivity in streams, we investigated the geomorphological and soil environmental factors and structures and distribution of vegetation in the floodplains connected and isolated by levee to the channel in Cheongmi Stream, Seom River, Hwangguji Stream, Mangyeong River, Gomakwon Stream, and Boseong River, Korea. In comparison of soil environments, moisture and clay contents were higher in the isolated floodplain than in the connected floodplain. According to the result of principal component analysis (PCA) using environmental data, the environments of the connected floodplain and the isolated floodplain were separated by soil moisture contents, soil texture and distribution altitude of the vegetation. The results of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) using vegetation data showed that the isolated floodplain was dominated by the hydropythic communities of diverse life form and that the connected floodplain was dominated by the hygrophytic communities that endure disturbance. In conclusion, it is thought that the vegetation of the floodplain changed to the lentic wetland vegetation dominated by diverse hydrophytes as the floodplain was isolated from the channel by artificial levees.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.6
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• pp.462-467
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• 2005

This study aims to classify the biotope types and evaluate its functions for acquiring the basic information which can support the landscape ecological management of the urban forest in the case of the three parks in Daegu metropolitan city and then to analyze vegetation landscape patterns. The biotope classification was mostly divided into 5 to 6 biotope type groups in the high units and 15 to 20 biotope types belong to them and then could know that the more big the park size, the more diverse and large the biotope types and its average area. The biotope grade over the three parks was dominating low rank grade (1 to 3 grade) 72.7% that forest organism is inadequate as live, and high grade (7 to 9 grade) did not appear entirely. Most in Biotope function estimation were appeared less than the middle rank grade and biotope area is bigger, those grade rises and temperature could know that is fallen. Vegetation landscape patterns was very simple because only two kinds of Robinia pseudo-acacia and Quercus acutissima is appeared as the dominated landscape elements in all of the three parks. And also because average area of those elements is generally 1ha or so, there was much problems in consecutiveness of functional role as forest ecosystem component. Conclusively, Ecological landscape management need to improve Biotope diversity and functionality, and it secures ecological minimal area and space linkage.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.573-580
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• 2011

Litter production, nutrient concentration of each component of litterfall and amount of nutrients input to forest floor via litterfall were investigated for four years from May 2005 through April 2009 in Quercus variabilis forest at Mt. Worak National Park. Amount of litterfall in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 were 5.181, 5.372, 5.314, 5.361 ton $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$, respectively. Average amount of litterfall for four years was 5.307${\pm}$0.09 ton $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$. Average percentage of leaf litter, branch and bark, reproductive organ and the miscellaneous for four years were 67.5${\pm}$1.9, 13.3${\pm}$0.8, 10.1${\pm}$0.5 and 9.1${\pm}$1.2%, respectively. Average amount of N, P, K, Ca and Mg returned to forest floor via litterfall for four years in this Q. variabilis forest were 44.47${\pm}$6.70, 2.50${\pm}$0.25, 12.26${\pm}$0.30, 17.23${\pm}$2.32 and 9.56${\pm}$0.54 kg $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$, respectively.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.49-60
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• 2014

Fish assemblages play an integral role in stream ecosystem and are influenced by stream environmental conditions and habitat disturbances. Fish community structures and habitat parameters of U.S. EPA rapid bio-assessment protocol were surveyed to investigate the effect of stream environment and habitat disturbance on fish communities at 13 study sites in the Gapyeong Stream, a typical gravel-bed stream. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on data from habitat assessment at each study site indicated that the study sites were differentiated by habitat parameters such as embeddedness, velocity/depth regime and sediment deposition, which were related with bed slope. A total of 46 species belonging to 12 families were collected in the Gapyeong Stream. A dominant species was Zacco koreanus, subdominant species was Z. platypus. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on species abundance classified fish communities into the three main groups along the stream longitudinal change. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) portrayed that fish community structures were related to major habitat parameters, i.e., epifaunal substrate/available cover, embeddedness, velocity/depth regime, sediment deposition, channel alternation and frequency of riffles. These results suggested that fish community structures were primary affected by the longitudinal environmental changes, and those were modified by habitat disturbance in the Gapyeong Stream, a gravel-bed stream.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.243-274
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• 2013

To investigate the research state and characteristics of dinoflagellate cyst along the Korean coastal waters, this work analyzed 45 studies conducted in the Korean coasts and basin, the south of Jeju, East China Sea including some part of the Yellow Sea. It was found that the research on dinoflagellate cyst began in the later half of the 1980s in Korea, and that the research areas focused on eutrophied regions where a red tide occurred or on the seas where coastal development occurred. In other words, no research on the East Sea was found. In terms of research contents, there were various studies on analysis of cyst assemblage, tracking of the changes in marine environment like process of eutrophication, roles as a seed population in occurrence of a red tide, creation of cyst by use of sediment trip and tracking of its changes, morphological changes by the change of pH concentration in the hypoxia zone of eutrophied region, germination of a specific species, and other international-level studies. Species composition and cell density also varied in the Korean coastal waters. However, much research on dinoflagellate cyst in Korea is not systematic, and is fragmentary and individual and hencesuffers from great limitations. The research results so far have focused only on specific regions, and sporadic research had been conducted by specific research groups. Dinoflagellate cyst of surface sediments represents the accumulation index of pelagic environment in the sea and is a useful index to understand the marine environment efficiently. In conclusion, Korea requires organized human resources and collaborative research on dinoflagellate cyst which in turn should be considered as a component of marine ecosystem and as an essential aspect of marine biology.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.623-631
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• 2021

The increased transport of marine hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) has resulted in frequent HNS spill accidents domestically and internationally. There are about 6,000 species of HNS internationally, and most of them have toxic properties. When an accidental HNS spill occurs, it can destroys the marine ecosystem and can damage life and property due to explosion and fire. Constructing a spectral library of HNS according to wavelength and developing a detection algorithm would help prepare for accidents. In this study, a ground HNS spill experiment was conducted in France. The toluene spectrum was determined through hyperspectral sensor measurements. HNS present in the hyperspectral images were detected by applying the spectral mixture algorithm. Preprocessing principal component analysis (PCA) removed noise and performed dimensional compression. The endmember spectra of toluene and seawater were extracted through the N-FINDR technique. By calculating the abundance fraction of toluene and seawater based on the spectrum, the detection accuracy of HNS in all pixels was presented as a probability. The probability was compared with radiance images at a wavelength of 418.15 nm to select abundance fractions with maximum detection accuracy. The accuracy exceeded 99% at a ratio of approximately 42%. Response to marine spills of HNS are presently impeded by the restricted access to the site because of high risk of exposure to toxic compounds. The present experimental and detection results could help estimate the area of contamination with HNS based on hyperspectral remote sensing.