• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.275-285
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• 2020

Background: In Korea, Symplocos prunifolia Siebold. & Zucc. is only found on Jeju Island. Conservation of the species is difficult because little is known about its distribution and natural habitat. The lack of research and survey data on the characteristics of native vegetation and distribution of this species means that there is insufficient information to guide the management and conservation of this species and related vegetation. Therefore, this study aims to identify the distribution and vegetation associated with S. prunifolia. Results: As a result of field investigations, it was confirmed that the native S. prunifolia communities were distributed in 4 areas located on the southern side of Mt. Halla and within the evergreen broad-leaved forest zones. Furthermore, these evergreen broad-leaved forest zones are themselves located in the warm temperate zone which are distributed along the valley sides at elevations between 318 and 461 m. S. prunifolia was only found on the south side of Mt. Halla, and mainly on south-facing slopes; however, small communities were found to be growing on northwest-facing slopes. It has been confirmed that S. prunifolia trees are rare but an important constituent species in the evergreen broad-leaved forest of Jeju. The mean importance percentage of S. prunifolia community was 48.84 for Castanopsis sieboldii, 17.79 for Quercus acuta, and 12.12 for Pinus thunbergii; S. prunifolia was the ninth most important species (2.6). Conclusions: S. prunifolia can be found growing along the natural streams of Jeju, where there is little anthropogenic influence and where the streams have caused soil disturbance through natural processes of erosion and deposition of sediments. Currently, the native area of S. prunifolia is about 3300 ㎡, which contains a confirmed population of 180 individual plants. As a result of these low population sizes, it places it in the category of an extremely endangered plant in Korea. In some native sites, the canopy of evergreen broad-leaved forest formed, but the frequency and coverage of species were not high. Negative factors that contributed to the low distribution of this species were factors such as lacking in shade tolerance, low fruiting rates, small native areas, and special habitats as well as requiring adequate stream disturbance. Presently, due to changes in climate, it is unclear whether this species will see an increase in its population and habitat area or whether it will remain as an endangered species within Korea. What is clear, however, is that the preservation of the present native habitats and population is extremely important if the population is to be maintained and expanded. It is also meaningful in terms of the stable conservation of biodiversity in Korea. Therefore, based on the results of this study, it is judged that a systematic evaluation for the preservation and conservation of the habitat and vegetation management method of S. prunifolia should be conducted.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.121-132
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• 2023

Marine heatwaves (MHWs), referring to anomalously high sea surface temperatures, have drawn significant attention from marine scientists due to their broad impacts on the surface marine ecosystem, fisheries, weather patterns, and various human activities. In this study, we examined the impact of the distribution of Changjiang diluted water (CDW), a significant factor causing oceanic property changes in the East China Sea (ECS) during the summer, on MHWs. The surface salinity distribution in the ECS indicates that from June to August, the eastern extension of the CDW influences areas as far as Jeju Island and the Korea Strait. In September, however, the CDW tends to reside in the Changjiang estuary. Through the Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis of the cumulative intensity of MHWs during the summer, we extracted the loading vector of the first mode and its principal component time series to conduct a correlation analysis with the distribution of the CDW. The results revealed a strong negative spatial correlation between areas of the CDW and regions with high cumulative intensity of MHWs, indicating that the reinforcement of stratification due to low-salinity water can increase the intensity and duration of MHWs. This study suggests that the CDW may still influence the spatial distribution of MHWs in the region, highlighting the importance of oceanic environmental factors in the occurrence of MHWs in the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.315-325
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• 2023

This study analyzed the disturbance process of river wetlands based on modern and contemporary maps and aerial photographs, and analyzed land cover and NDVI changes in the hydro-ecological impact zone around the Wangjin District. A stable sandbar was formed near Wangjinnaru and was naturally connected to the agricultural land within inland, but after the sandbar and river wetland were destroyed due to heavy floods, embankment construction, land readjustment, and comprehensive river management, artificial replaced wetlands and ecological parks were created, and sandbars in the form of river island were restored again. The change in land cover in the hydro-ecological impact zone showed that rice paddies and fields in agricultural areas decreased from 36.3% in 2013 to 22.9% in 2022, with the largest change in area to 814,476m². It was confirmed that the land cover was undergoing vegetation over time. Since the vegetation condition is good, a healthy food chain is formed in the waterfront ecosystem, which can be expected to be biodiversity-positive. Summarizing seasonal changes in the vegetation index, the overall change in the vegetation index was the largest in spring (March), followed by summer (June), and the change in autumn (September) was the smallest except for water. By land use, the overall vegetation index (NDVI) increased, including 39.1% improvement in alternative wetlands, 38.2% improvement in load, 44.3% improvement in ecological parks, 35.6% improvement in agricultural areas, and -8.1% decrease in water.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.45-60
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• 2024

This study aims to analyze the accidence of tourist safety accidents in Jeju using GIS and to expand the understanding of tourist safety accidents in the Jeju area. For this purpose, the eastern part of Jeju was selected as the study area, with the research period set for the entire year of 2021. The analysis utilized data on tourist safety accidents and emergency dispatch data resulting from these accidents in Jeju throughout 2021. Based on this safety accident data, an initial analysis was conducted on the accidence of tourist safety accidents across Jeju Island. This analysis identified patterns in the occurrence of tourist safety accidents by month, time, and location. Subsequently, using spatial data, grid analysis, and overlay analysis, the study examined the status of tourist safety accidents and emergency dispatches to identify vulnerable areas. Through this GIS analysis of tourist safety accidents, the study highlights the need for preventive and responsive measures considering the activity characteristics of tourists. It emphasizes the necessity of proactive preventive measures such as inspecting tourist facilities and promoting safety accident prevention, particularly in vulnerable areas..

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2024

This study presents a fine scale distribution of the endangered species, Odontobutis obscura, through field surveys and literature reviews. Using the mark-recapture method, the population size in major habitats was determined. Field surveys conducted on 18 streams in Geoje Island revealed that the O. obscura was only found in the main streams and tributaries of the Sanyang, Gucheon, and Buchun Streams, which are part of the Sanyang Stream watershed. The O. obscura exhibited relative abundances ranging from 0.5% to 35.3% at different locations, with certain spots showing higher relative abundances (18.8% to 35.3%), indicating major habitat areas. A review of six literature studies confirmed the presence of the O. obscura, although there were differences in occurrence status depending on the purpose, scope, and duration of the studies. Combining the results of field and literature surveys, it was found that the O. obscura inhabits the main and tributary streams of the Sanyang, Gucheon, and Buchun Streams, from the upper to lower reaches. Currently, the O. obscura population in the Sanyang Stream watershed maintains a stable habitat, but its limited distribution range suggests potential issues such as genetic diversity deficiency in the long term. The population size of the O. obscura was confirmed at two specific locations, with densities of 0.5 to 1.5 individuals per m². The average movement distance from the release point was 13.1 m, indicating the limited mobility characteristic of ambush predators. Understanding the distribution and population size of endangered species is the first step towards their conservation and protection. Based on this information, further research could significantly contribute to the conservation of the O. obscura.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.478-485
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• 2018

With the total population of 3,356 worldwide as of 2016, the black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor) is designated as "endangered (EN)" species by IUCN. About 70% of population breeds on the uninhabited islands near the west coast of Korea and wintering area is Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, etc. However, there is few detail research in Korea and East Asia on black-faced spoonbill's long range migration and its habitat when migrating southward. We studied black-faced spoonbill's migration route, distribution, stopover, wintering sites, and timing of migration movements using a wild-tracker (WT-200, GPS-Mobile phone based telemetry, KoEco). We caught the black-faced spoonbills in the breeding sites (Gugi island, Bi island, Sangyeobawi, Chilsan island) in Korea in late June 2014. We attached the wild-tracker to 10 juvenile black-faced spoonbills. The tracking showed that the black-faced spoonbills started southward migration between late October and early November. The traveling distance to wintering site was maximum at 1,820 km, minimum at 746 km, the average at 1,201km. The maximum daily traveling distance was 1,479 km with an average of 782 km. The average days it took from breeding site to wintering site was 10 days (SD=10.7). The shortest duration was 2 days, and the longest duration was 34 days. Most individuals used 2-3 stopover sites between the breeding sites to the wintering sites and stayed almost 1-2 days (maximum 31 days). Stopover sites were wetlands such as rivers, streams, reservoir, and mud flat. The wintering sites were coastal areas (five individuals) in China, inland (one individual) in China, Taiwan (three individuals), and Japan (one individual). In conclusion, it is necessary to preserve the stopover sites and wintering site of the black-faced spoonbills through consultation and protection policy between countries and establish the systematic preservation measures and activity plans through continued moniting and additional studies.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.250-256
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• 2017

The prevalence of infections due to pathogenic bacteria such as Edwardsiella tarda, Streptococcus parauberis, and Photobacterium phosphoreum in fish farms in Jeju Island and their management by marine-derived biomaterials was studied. In this study, we isolated eight spices type of marine-derived biomaterials from four sea areas of Jeju Island. An antibiotic disc susceptibility test confirmed that the isolated marine-derived biomaterials showed weak resistance only to oxytetracycline and penicillin and sensitivity to the other antibiotics tested, and antimicrobial activity against fish pathogens with the inhibitory zone of 22 mm, 18 mm, and 19 mm for MD-02, MD-04, and MD-06 against E. tarda strains, respectively, and 19 mm, 22 mm, 30 mm, and 29 mm for MD-01, MD-02, MD-04, and MD-06 against S. parauberis strains, respectively, while all the marine-derived biomaterials showed antibacterial activity against P. phosphoreum. Among the eight biomaterials selected, Bacillus subtilis MD-02 displayed the greatest antibacterial activity against the three tested fish pathogens and also displayed susceptibility to antibiotics. The growth of Bacillus subtilis MD-02 was greatest with the carbon source, dextrine; nitrogen source, peptone; and mineral source, $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$. Hence, the present study confirmed that the isolate B. subtilis MD-02 from Jeju Island could be a potential antimicrobial agent against fish pathogens and a potential pharmacotherapeutic agent.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2012

To study the seasonal pattern of sediment distribution and the transport tendency in Haeundae nearshore area; i) the grain size texture of surface sediment was examined in June, October, and December of 2007, and March and June of 2008, and secondary, ii) the transport tendency was studied by using a two-dimensional sediment transport model of Gao and Collins (1992), and finally, iii) the bathymetric changes were analyzed by using the data collected in February, May, August, and December of 2007 by Haeundae District Office. Spatial distribution of sediment texture, the tendency of sediment transport as well as the bathymetric change showed significant seasonal variations. From June to December of 2007, the eastern part of the Haeundae area, off Dalmaji Hill showed the coarsening of mean grain size with a prominent transport tendency toward the Haeundae beach. On the contrary, the western part of the area, off Dongbaek Island showed a fining trend of mean grain size, and the transport tendency toward the beach was relatively weakened. From December of 2007 to June of 2008, the mean grain size of Mipo Harbor became finer, and the transport tendency toward the central beach decreased. The mean grain size of Dongbaek Island became coarser, while the tendency increased in the direction of the beach. The areas of significant net accumulation and erosion were depicted based on the bathymetric changes between observation periods. During the period of February to May of 2007, net accumulation was observed on the eastern part of the study area, in front of Mipo Harbor. Erosion was generally occurred throughout the area from May to August of 2007. From August to December of 2007, erosion and accumulation was observed off Mipo Harbor and Dongbaek Island, respectively. The change of sediment facies also suggests the accumulation on the eastern coast during the spring, erosion around the entire coast during the summer, and accumulation on the western coast during the winter. The changes in the accumulation and erosion were most apparent during the summer when several typhoons have passed by, while unnoticeable during the spring.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.78-86
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• 2002

Abundance, carbon biomass and chlorophyll a concentration of each size-fractionated plankton on the basis of trophical level were investigated in terms of spacial and temporal distribution, and interactions between each biological parameter and environmental factors in Jungmun coastal waters of Jeju Island from July 1999 to June 2000. Heterotrophic picoplankton (HPP) abundance averaged 1.4${\times}$$10^{6}$ cells ${\cdot}$ $ml^{-1}$ at of offshore and 8.3${\times}$$10^{5}$ cells ${\cdot}$ $ml^{-1}$ at inshore, while autotrophic picoplankton (APP) abundance 9.9${\times}$$10^{4}$ cells ${\cdot}$ $ml^{-1}$ at of offshore and 7.1${\times}$$10^{4}$ cells ${\cdot}$ $ml^{-1}$ at inshore. They were more abundant at of offshore than at inshore, and also more abundant than the other areas of Korean waters. On the other hand, heterotrophic and autotrophic nanoplankton (HNP, ANP) were more abundant at inshore than at of offshore. Microplankton (AMP) abundance was affected by diatom (r=0.962, P${\le}$0.001) at inshore and by dinoflagellate (r=0.868, P${\le}$0.001) at of offshore. However correlations between each plankton group in terms of size and trophic level were not significant. Carbon biomass showed as same as the distribution pattern of abundance, but composition percentage of each biomass of plankton group were quite different from that of abundance, representing the highest percentage in ANP. Seasonal fluctuation of chlorophyll a were different according to size class, showing the highest with 0.42 ${\mu}g$CHl-${\alpha}$${\cdot}$$1^{-1}$(57.9%) of APP in March 2000, 1.42 ${\mu}g$CHl-${\alpha}$${\cdot}$$1^{-1}$(74.7%) of ANP in May 2000, and 1.51 ${\mu}g$CHl-${\alpha}$${\cdot}$$1^{-1}$(81.8%) of AMP in July 1999. Correlation between biological parameters and environmental factors by principle component analysis revealed that the first factor as main explanation is the increasing of phosphorus and silica and the increasing of the at both of offshore and inshore. The N:P ratio were 36.4 at inshore and 32.6 at of offshore, showing the lack of phosphorus. Thus we suggest that phosphorus might be a main limiting factor to affect phytoplankton community in the study area.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2010

This study was carried out to suggest the basic data of planting method for construction of buffer green space based on the land use in case of reclaimed land by analyzing land structure, planting concept, and planting structure in buffer green space, Rokko Island, Kobe, Japan. Rokko Island(total area: 580ha) is divided into port and logistics industry area and urban area by constructing the box type large-scale buffer green space. The land structure of buffer green space were biased mounding type, parallel mounding type, and complex mounding type. The width of buffer green space was 50meters in case of northern area, from 28 to 32meters in case of eastern area, and 37.5meters in case of western area, and the slope of that was from 18 to 25 degrees and the height of that was from 2 to 15meters. There were applied landscape and buffer planting concept on the sea side area of northern buffer green space, on the other hand landscape and shade planting concept on the Inner city side area of that. According to the result of planting structure analysis of northern buffer green space, the main woody species were those of deciduous-evergreen species grow in warm-temperate forest zone such as Quercus glauca, Cinnamomum camphora, Machilus thunbergii, Elaeagnus maritima. The results of maximum number of species and planting density by $100mm^2$ was that 9 species 22 individuals in canopy layer, 9 species 15 individuals in understory layer, 3 species 67 individuals in shrub layer, and 14 species 104 individuals in total. The plant coverage of northern buffer green space based on the ecological planting method was from 69 to 139% in case of canopy layer, from 26 to 38% in case of understory layer, from 6 to 7% in case of shrub layer, and from 101 to 184% in total. Index of plant crown volume of northern buffer green space based on the ecological planting method was from 1.40 to $3.12m^3/m^2$ in case of canopy layer, from 0.43 to $0.55m^3/m^2$ in case of understory layer, $0.06m^3/m^2$ in case of shrub layer, and from 1.89 to $3.73m^3/m^2$ in total.