• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.7 no.2 s.25
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• pp.25-33
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• 2007

In most developed countries, Extreme heat alter system operates every summer and the response plan to be issued according to this system is composed of some government agencies sub-plans. The National Emergency Management Agency in Korea develops response plan but it is not composed of the definition of the heat vulnerability and the concrete agency roles. Therefore, this study analyses foreign cases in three processing: preparedness, response, recovery and reviews the status of heat response plan. As a conclusion, the study suggests two ways of Extreme heat management into Korean heat response plan such as strengthening its institutional position and complementing its context.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.132-144
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• 2023

Recently, the frequency and intensity of heat waves due to the increase in climate change temperature are increasing. Therefore, this study tried to compare the evaluation process and evaluation results of the heat wave disaster evaluation, which is the government's analysis of the heat wave disaster vulnerability and the risk evaluation method recently emphasized by the IPCC. The analysis of climate change disaster vulnerability is evaluated based on manuals and guidelines prepared by the government. Risk evaluation can be evaluated as the product of the possibility of a disaster and its impact, and it is evaluated using the Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation based on Bayesian estimation method, which uses prior information to infer posterior probability. As a result of the analysis, the two evaluation results for Busan Metropolitan City differed slightly in the spatial distribution of areas vulnerable to heat waves. In order to properly evaluate disaster vulnerable areas due to climate change, the process and results of climate change disaster vulnerability analysis and risk assessment must be reviewed, and consider each methodology and countermeasures must be prepared.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.295-304
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• 2020

The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) recommended the importance of preventive measures against extreme weather, and heat waves are one of the main themes for establishing preventive measures. In this study, we tried to analyze the heat vulnerable areas by considering not only spatial characteristics but also social characteristics. Energy consumption, popu lation density, normalized difference vegetation index, waterfront distance, solar radiation, and road distribution were examined as variables. Then, by selecting a suitable model, SLM (Spatial Lag Model), available variables were extracted. Then, based on the Fuzzy theory, the degree of vulnerability to heat waves was analyzed for each variable, and six variables were superimposed to finally derive the heat vulnerable area. The study site was selected as the Daegu area where the effects of the heat wave were high. In the case of vulnerable areas, it was confirmed that the existing urban areas are mainly distributed in Seogu, Namgu, and Dalseogu of Daegu, which are less affected by waterside and vegetation. It was confirmed that both spatial and social characteristics should be considered in policy support for reducing heat waves in Daegu.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.1-23
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• 2018

This study aims to propose a way for evaluating thermal environment vulnerability associated with policy to improve thermal environment. For this purpose, a variety of indices concerning thermal vulnerability assessment and adaptation policies for climate change applied to 17 Korean cities were reviewed and examined. Finally, 15 indices associated with policies for improving thermal environment were selected. The selected indices for thermal vulnerability assessment were applied to Daegu Metropolitan City of South Korea as a case study. As results, 15 vulnerability maps based on the standardized indices were established, and a comprehensive map with four grades of thermal vulnerability were established for Daegu Metropolitan City. As results, the area with the highest rated area in the first-grade(most vulnerable to heat) was Dong-gu, followed by Dalseo-gu and Buk-gu, and the highest area ratio of the first-grade regions was Ansim-1-dong in Dong-gu. Based on the standardized indices, the causes of the thermal environment vulnerability of Ansim-1-dong were accounted for the number of basic livelihood security recipients, the number of cardiovascular disease deaths, heat index, and Earth's surface temperature. To improve the thermal environment vulnerability of Ansim-1-dong, active policy implementation is required in expansion and maintenance of heat wave shelters, establishment of database for the population with diseases susceptible to high temperature environments, expansion of shade areas and so on. This study shows the applicability of the vulnerability assessment method linked with the policies and is expected to contribute to the strategic and effective establishment of thermal environment policies in urban master district plans.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.347-357
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• 2009

This study conducted a vulnerability assessment on Korea's physical infrastructure to provide base data for developing strategies to strengthen Korea's ability to adapt to climate change. The assessment was conducted by surveying professionals in the field of infrastructure and climate change science. A vulnerability assessment was carried out for seven climate change events: average temperature increases, sea level rise, typhoons and storm surges, floods and heavy rain, drought, severe cold, and heat waves. The survey asked respondents questions with respect to the consequences of each climate change event, the urgency of adaptation to climate change, and the scale of investment for adaptation to each climate change event. Thereafter, management priorities for infrastructure were devised and implications for policy development were suggested. The results showed that respondents expected the possibility of "typhoons and storm surges" and "floods and heavy rain" to be the most high. Respondents indicated that infrastructure related to water, transportation, and the built environment were more vulnerable to climate change. The most vulnerable facilities included river related facilities such as dams and riverbanks in the "water" category and seaports and roads in the "transport and communication" category. The results found were consistent with the history of natural disasters in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.343-349
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• 2010

In Korea, man-caused forest fires are known originate primarily in coniferous forests. We have hypothesized that the vulnerability of Pinus densiflora forests is principally a consequence of the ignition characteristics of the species. To assess this hypothesis, we conducted two combustion experiments using fallen leaves with a reference species, Quercus variabilis. In the first experiments, in which a cigarette was employed as a primary heat source for the initiation of a forest fire, the Pinus leaves caught fire significantly faster (1'1" at Pinus, 1'31" at Quercus, P < 0.001), and ignition proceeded normally. Quercus leaves, on the other hand, caught fire but did not ignite successfully. In the second set of experiments utilizing different moisture contents and fuel loads, the maximum flame temperature of the Pinus leaves was significantly higher ($421^{\circ}C$ at Pinus, $361^{\circ}C$ at Quercus, P < 0.001) and the combustion persisted for longer than in the Quercus leaves (8'8" at Pinus, 3'38" at Quercus, P < 0.001). The moisture contents of the leaves appeared to be a more important factor in the maximum temperature achieved, whereas the most important factor in burning time was the amount of fuel. Overall, these results support the assumption that Pinus leaves can be ignited even by low-heat sources such as cigarettes. Additionally, once ignited, Pinus leaves burn at a relatively high flame temperature and burn for a prolonged period, thus raising the possibility of frequent fire occurrences and spread into crown fires in forests of P. densiflora.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.69-93
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• 2014

The aim of this research was to develop a climate change vulnerability index at the district level (Si, Gun, Gu) with respect to the health care sector in Korea. The climate change vulnerability index was esimated based on the four major causes of climate-related illnesses : vector, flood, heat waves, and air pollution/allergies. The vulnerability assessment framework consists of six layers, all of which are based on the IPCC vulnerability concepts (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) and the pathway of direct and indirect impacts of climate change modulators on health. We collected proxy variables based on the conceptual framework of climate change vulnerability. Data were standardized using the min-max normalization method. We applied the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) weight and aggregated the variables using the non-compensatory multi-criteria approach. To verify the index, sensitivity analysis was conducted by using another aggregation method (geometric transformation method, which was applied to the index of multiple deprivation in the UK) and weight, calculated by the Budget Allocation method. The results showed that it would be possible to identify the vulnerable areas by applying the developed climate change vulnerability assessment index. The climate change vulnerability index could then be used as a valuable tool in setting climate change adaptation policies in the health care sector.

• Atmosphere
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.309-318
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• 2009

Vulnerability to heat was examined for populations of 6 major cities in South Korea (Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu, and Busan). Daily excess mortality and maximum temperature from 1991 to 2005 were employed in this study. The results show that the standardized mortality increase associated with a $1^{\circ}C$ increase in daily maximum temperature above the city-specific threshold explains the heat acclimatization effect better than the threshold temperature itself. The estimated increase in mortality (standardized per 10 million population) associated with a $1^{\circ}C$ increase in temperature above the threshold is 4.8 in Incheon, 4.7 in Seoul, 4.3 in Daejeon, 2.8 in Gwangju, 2.4 in Daegu, and 1.5 in Busan, well reflecting the latitudinal locations and local climates of each city. Climate models project more frequent, more intense, and longer lasting heat waves in most land areas in both hemispheres in the 21st century under increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. In order to mitigate the adverse human health impacts due to excess heat, more detailed characteristics of acclimatization to heat need to be understood and quantified.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to set the direction to manage national parks to cope with climate change, and offer basic data to establish the relevant policies. Towards this end, this study analyzed the current and future climate change vulnerability of national parks using the 24 proxy variables of vulnerability in the LCCGIS program, a tool to evaluate climate change vulnerability developed by the National Institute of Environmental Research. To analyze and evaluate the current status of and future prospect on climate change vulnerability of national parks, the proxy variable value of climate exposure was calculated by making a GIS spatial thematic map with $1km{\times}1km$ grid unit through the application of climate change scenario (RCP8.5). The values of proxy variables of sensitivity and adaptation capability were calculated using the basic statistics of national parks. The values of three vulnerability evaluation items were calculated regarding the present (2010s) and future (2050s). The current values were applied to the future equally under the assumption that the current state of the proxy variables related to sensitivity and adaptation capability without a future prediction scenario continues. Seoraksan, Odaesan, Jirisan and Chiaksan National Parks are relatively bigger in terms of the current (2010s) climate exposure. The national park, where the variation of heat wave is the biggest is Wolchulsan National Park. The biggest variation of drought occurs to Gyeryongsan National Park, and Woraksan National Park has the biggest variation of heavy rain. Concerning the climate change sensitivity of national parks, Jirisan National Park is the most sensitive, and adaptation capability is evaluated to be the highest. Gayasan National Park's sensitivity is the lowest, and Chiaksan National Park is the lowest in adaptation capability. As for climate change vulnerability, Seoraksan, Odaesan, Chiaksan and Deogyusan National Parks and Hallyeohaesang National Park are evaluated as high at the current period. The national parks, where future vulnerability change is projected to be the biggest, are Jirisan, Woraksan, Chiaksan and Sobaeksan National Parks in the order. Because such items evaluating the climate change vulnerability of national parks as climate exposure, sensitivity and adaptation capability show relative differences according to national parks' local climate environment, it will be necessary to devise the adaptation measures reflecting the local climate environmental characteristics of national parks, rather than establishing uniform adaptation measures targeting all national parks. The results of this study that evaluated climate change vulnerability using climate exposure, sensitivity and adaptation capability targeting Korea's national parks are expected to be used as basic data for the establishment of measures to adapt to climate change in consideration of national parks' local climate environmental characteristics. However, this study analyzed using only the proxy variables presented by LCCGIS program under the situation that few studies on the evaluation of climate change vulnerability of national parks are found, and therefore this study may not reflect overall national parks' environment properly. A further study on setting weights together with an objective review on more proper proxy variables needs to be carried out in order to evaluate the climate change vulnerability of national parks.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.688-696
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• 2022

Obesity could cause immune-physiological disorders in fish. Yet, little is known about the impact of obesity on stress and histological responses. This study aimed to determine histological and physiological changes in and vulnerability of overfeeding-induced obese rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss exposed to stress condition. Control, intermediate and overfed groups were fed at 1.5, 2.5 and 3.09% of their body weight per day, respectively, for eight weeks. Weight gain, body mass index, hepatosomatic index and serological parameters, and histology of liver were measured in five fish from each group at week 0, 2, 4, and 8. At week 8, 20 fish from each group were exposed to heat stress by increasing water temperature at a rate of 3℃ per day from 15 to 25℃ and maintaining the final temperature for 10 days. Overall, overfed fish showed significantly higher weight gain, body mass index, and serological parameters than those of fish in the other groups. Fish in the overfed and intermediate groups displayed multifocal infiltration of inflammatory cells in hepatic parenchyma. Mortality rate and serological parameters of fish in the overfed group exposed to heat stress were significantly higher than those of fish in the other groups, indicating increased vulnerability to environmental stress.