• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.497-510
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• 2022

Monthly monitoring, 3D scan survey, and electrical resistivity survey were conducted from January 2018 to August 2022 to identify the cause of rockfall occurring in Daljeon-ri Columnar Joint (Natural Monument No. 415), Pohang. A total of 3,231 rocks fell from the columnar joint over the past 5 years, and 1,521 (47%) of the falling rocks were below 20 cm in length, 978 (30.3%) of 20-30 cm, and 732 (22.7%) of rocks over 30 cm. While the number of rockfalls by year has decreased since 2018, the frequency of rockfalls bigger than 30 cm tends to increase. Large-scale rockfalls occurred mainly during the thawing season (March-April) and the rainy season (June-July), and the analysis of the relationship between cumulative rainfall and rockfall occurrence showed that cumulative rainfall for 3 to 4 days is also closely related to the occurrence of rockfall. Smectite and illite, which are expansible clay minerals, were observed in XRD analysis of the slope material (filling minerals) in the columnar joint, and the presence of a fault fracture zone was confirmed in the electrical resistivity survey. In addition, the confirmed fault fracture zone and the maximum erosion point analyzed through 3D precision measurement coincided with the main rockfall occurrence point observed by the BTC-6PXD camera. Therefore, the main cause of rockfall at Daljeon-ri columnar joint in Pohang is a combination of internal factors (development of fault fracture zones and joints, weathering of rocks, presence of expansive clay minerals) and external factors (precipitation, rapid thawing phenomenon), resulting in large-scale rockfall. Meanwhile, it was also confirmed that the Pohang-Gyeongju earthquake, which was continuously raised, was not the main cause.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.160-167
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• 2024

The amphibians serve as environmental indicator species warning of threats from pollution and development, and information regarding their body condition and surrounding habitat can be utilized as crucial indicators for assessing ecosystem health. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in body condition and the climate environments according to the season and sex of Class II endangered Kaloula borealis. A total of 53 surveys were conducted from June to October 2018, targeting frogs inhabiting the Godeok-dong area of Gangdong-gu, Seoul. Using the weight and length of each individual, the body condition index (SMI, Scaled mass index) was calculated. Results showed a total capture of 396 individuals, consisting of 235 males and 161 females. Females exhibited longer SVL and greater weight compared to males, with higher body condition indices. Monthly body condition indices were lower for males in June, while no differences were observed between males and females from July to September. Among the climate environments where females and males appeared, environmental variables related to precipitation and humidity showed differences. These research findings are deemed crucial for providing fundamental information to ascertain suitable habitats for Kaloula borealis and selecting alternative habitats due to developmental impacts in the future.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.224-236
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• 2002

A long-term growth simulation was performed at 496 land units in the western coastal plains (WCP) of North Korea to test the potential adaptability of each land unit for growing South Korean rice cultivars. The land units for rice cultivation (CZU), each of them represented by a geographically referenced 5 by 5 km grid tell, were identified by analyzing satellite remote sensing data. Surfaces of monthly climatic normals for daily maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation number of rain days and solar radiation were generated at a 1 by 1 km interval by spatial statistical methods using observed data at 51 synoptic weather stations in North and South Korea during 1981-2000. Grid cells felling within a same CZU and, at the same time, corresponding to the satellite data- identified rice growing pixels were extracted and aggregated to make a spatially explicit climatic normals relevant to the rice growing area of the CZU. Daily weather dataset for 30 years was randomly generated from the monthly climatic normals of each CZU. Growth and development parameters of CERES-rice model suitable for 11 major South Korean cultivars were derived from long-term field observations. Eight treatments comprised of 2 transplanting dates $\times$ 2 cropping systems $\times$ 2 irrigation methods were assigned to each cultivar. Each treatment was simulated with the randomly generated 30 years' daily weather data (from planting to physiological maturity) for 496 land units in WCP to simulate the growth and yield responses to the interannual climate variation. The same model was run with the input data from the 3 major crop experiment stations in South Korea to obtain a 30 year normal performance of each cultivar, which was used as a "reference" for comparison. Results were analyzed with respect to spatial and temporal variation in yield and maturity, and used to evaluate the suitability of each land unit for growing a specific South Korean cultivar. The results may be utilized as decision aids for agrotechnology transfer to North Korea, for example, germplasm evaluation, resource allocation and crop calendar preparation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.277-285
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• 1995

This study was conducted to understand the relationship between climatic factors and matsutake(Tricholoma matsutake) mushroom production. Data on local annual matsutake production collected from 29 locations from 1984 to 1993 were analyzed for stepwise and multiple regression with local climatic data, such as monthly maximum, minimum, and average air temperature, soil temperature, relative humidity, amount of rainfall, and number of rainy days. Correlation between monthly climatic factors and annual matsutake production was calculated in each location(Case 1), each year(Case 2), and each month(Case 3). In Case 1, number of rainy days and minimum temperature in Sep. showed positive correlation with matsutake production. In Case 2, maximum, minimum, and average temperature in June showed negative correlation with matsutake production. In Case 3, amount of precipitation in Sep. and Oct. number of rainy days in Sep., and minimum temperature in Sep. and Oct. showed positive correlation with matsutake production. In conclusion, amount of rainfall and number of rainy days in Sep. were the most important climatic factors and correlated positively with matsutake production. Below average air temperature in June was also beneficial for matsutake production.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: This experiment was conducted to investigate the distribution and burden characteristics of heavy metal in the rainwater sampled at Taean area, in the middle part of Korea, from April 2002 to October 2003. METHODS AND RESULTS: The relationship between concentration of heavy metal and other chemical properties in the rainwaters was also evaluated. Chemical properties in the rainwater were various differences with raining periods and years. It appeared that a weighted average pH values of rainwater was ranged from 5.0 to 5.1. Heavy metal concentrations in the rainwater were ranked as Pb > Zn > Cu > Ni > As > Cr > Cd. As compared with heavy metal concentrations of rainwater in 2002, Cu, Pb, and Zn were higher than other elements in 2003. There were positive correlation between major ionic components, such as ${NH_4}^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $K^+$, $Na^+$, ${SO_4}^{2-}$ and ${NO_3}^-$, and As, Cd, Zn, Cr, and Ni concentrations in rainwater. For heavy metal distribution of rainwater, the order of average enrichment factor was Cd > Pb > As > Cu > Zn > Ni > Cr, and these were relatively higher than the natural components such as Fe, Mg and Ca. The monthly enrichment factor were relatively high, from August to October at Taean. The monthly amount of heavy metal precipitation was high in the rainy season from July to August because of great influence of rainfall. CONCLUSION(s): The results of this study suggest that the heavy metals(Cd, Pb, As, Cu, and Zn) of rainwater is strongly influenced by anthropogenic sources rather than natural sources.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.44-54
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• 2001

This study was conducted to estimate microclimate of natural deciduous forest in national forest of Pyungchang, Kangwon province and to investigate the effects of the microclimatic conditions on the periodic annual increment of diameter by site types. In this study, site was first classified by nine types considering both elevation (higher than 1,000 m, 700∼1,000 m, and lower than 700 m) and topographical conditions (ridge, slope and valley). For each of site types, diameter growth was measured by using increment borer and periodic annual increment of diameter was then analyzed. A topoclimatological technique, for estimating microclimatic conditions, which make use of empirical relationships between the topographical factor and the climatic normals in the study area was applied to produce monthly mean, maximum and minimum temperatures, relative humidity, precipitation and hours of sunshine. From these monthly estimtes, 17 weather variables such as warmth index, coldness index, index of aridity etc. which affect the diameter growth were computed for each of site types. The periodic annual increment of diameter was then correlated with and regressed on the 17 weather variables to examine effects of microclimatic conditions on the diameter growth by site types. From the correlation analysis, it was found that the diameter growth by site types was positively correlated with all of 17 weather variables except the warmth index. Especially, the conditions such as high relative humidity and large amount of sunshine hours provide favorable environment for the growth of diameter. On the other hand, it was also found that diameter growth was negatively iufluenced by warmth index. According to the regression analysis, the periodic annual increment of diameter could be well predicted by index of aridity and mean relative humidity for the growing season.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.551-563
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• 2016

According to the 4th and 5th assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global climate has been rapidly changing because of the human activities since Industrial Revolution. The perceived changes were appeared strongly in temperature and concentration of carbon dioxide ($CO_2$). Global average temperature has increased about $0.74^{\circ}C$ over last 100 years (IPCC, 2007) and concentration of $CO_2$ is unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years (IPCC, 2014). These phenomena influence precipitation, evapotranspiration and soil moisture which have an important role in hydrology, and that is the reason why there is a necessity to study climate change. In this study, Asia region was selected to simulate primary energy index from 1951 to 2100. To predict future climate change effect, Common Land Model (CLM) which is used for various fields across the world was employed. The forcing data was Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) data which is the newest greenhouse gas emission scenario published in IPCC 5th assessment. Validation of net radiation ($R_n$), sensible heat flux (H), latent heat flux (LE) for historical period was performed with 5 flux tower site-data in the region of AsiaFlux and the monthly trends of simulation results were almost equaled to observation data. The simulation results for 2006-2100 showed almost stable net radiation, slightly decreasing sensible heat flux and quite increasing latent heat flux. Especially the uptrend for RCP 8.5 has been about doubled compared to RCP 4.5 and since late 2060s, variations of net radiation and sensible heat flux would be significantly risen becoming an extreme climate condition. In a follow-up study, a simulation for energy index and hydrological index under the detailed condition will be conducted with various scenario established from this study.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2000

To analyze the relationship between climatic factors (monthly temperatures and precipitations) and the radial growths or Pinus densiflora with different topographical settings in Worak National Park, Korea, 20 stands were chosen and 10 trees were selected from each stand. After crossdating, each ring-width series was double detrended (standardized) by fitting first a negative exponential or straight regression line and secondly a 60-year cubic spline. The growth patterns coud be categorized by four groups using cluster analysis. Cluster Ⅰ stand has north aspect, but others have south or southwest aspects. Cluster Ⅰ (one), cluster Ⅱ (ten), and cluster Ⅲ (two) stands are located in lower. elevation (305∼580 m), however, cluster Ⅳ (seven) stands are located in higher elevation, mostly in 560～870 m. Cluster Ⅱ and Ⅲ stands are located at similar elevation with the same aspect, however, cluster Ⅱ stands are located on more rocky and stiff slope with shallow soil depth. The response functions were used to examine the difference in the relationships between climatic factors and tree growths among the 4 cluster chronologies. The climatic factors are not limiting the growth in the cluster Ⅰ stand as highly as in other cluster plots because of rather mesic conditions in the north slope. The precipitation in the spring appears to be the main limiting factor in the cluster Ⅱ stands. The topographical characteristics of the sites of cluster Ⅱ, shallow soil depths on the rocky slope in the south aspect at lower elevation, may enhance the sensitivity of growth to moisture stress. In cluster Ⅲ and cluster Ⅳ, winter and spring temperature prior to the growth become more important than for cluster Ⅱ. This pattern is com-mon for Pinus densiflora trees growing in higher. elevation (equation omitted 800 m) in South Korea. It nay be re-lated with preconditioning effects of temperature as the temperature decreases with increasing elevation (cluster Ⅳ) or in the valley (cluster Ⅲ). The results obtained by tree-ring analysis were digitalized by GIS and spatio-temporal information on tree-ring data and topographic setting were analyzed and displayed simultaneously. The results of this study can be used to predict the future change of Pinus densiflora ecosystem to climate change expected in central Korea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.467-480
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• 2011

Spatial and temporal variabilities of NPP(Net Primary Production) retrieved from two satellite instruments, AVHRR(Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, 1981-2000) and MODIS(MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, 2000-2006), were investigated. The range of mean NPP from A VHRR and MODIS were estimated to be 894-1068 $g{\cdot}C/m^2$/yr and 610-694.90 $g{\cdot}C/m^2$/yr, respectively. The discrepancy of NPP between the two instruments is about 325 $g{\cdot}C/m^2$/yr, and MODIS product is generally closer to the ground measurement than AVHRR despite the limitation in direct comparison such as spatial resolution and vegetation classification. The higher NPP values over South Korea are related to the regions with higher biomass (e.g., mountains) and higher annual temperature. The interannual NPP trends from the two satellite products were computed, and both mean annual trends show continuous NPP increase; 2.14 $g{\cdot}C/m^2$/yr from AVHRR(1981-2000) and 6.08 $g{\cdot}C/m^2$/yr from MODIS (2000-2006) over South Korea. Specifically, the higher increasing trends over the Southwestern region are likely due to the increasing productivity of crop fields from sufficient irrigation and fertilizer use. The retrieved NPP shows a closer relationship between monthly temperature and precipitation, which results in maximum correlation during summer monsoons. The difference in the detection wavelength and model schemes during the retrieval can make a significant difference in the satellite products, and a better accuracy in the meterological and land use data and modeling applications will be necessary to improve the satellite-based NPP data.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.145-159
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• 2014

This study is to evaluate the future climate change impact on turbidity water and eutrophication for Chungju Lake by using CE-QUAL-W2 reservoir water quality model coupled with SWAT watershed model. The SWAT was calibrated and validated using 11 years (2000~2010) daily streamflow data at three locations and monthly stream water quality data at two locations. The CE-QUAL-W2 was calibrated and validated for 2 years (2008 and 2010) water temperature, suspended solid, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and Chl-a. For the future assessment, the SWAT results were used as boundary conditions for CE-QUAL-W2 model run. To evaluate the future water quality variation in reservoir, the climate data predicted by MM5 RCM(Regional Climate Model) of Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B for three periods (2013~2040, 2041~2070 and 2071~2100) were downscaled by Artificial Neural Networks method to consider Typhoon effect. The RCM temperature and precipitation outputs and historical records were used to generate pollutants loading from the watershed. By the future temperature increase, the lake water temperature showed $0.5^{\circ}C$ increase in shallow depth while $-0.9^{\circ}C$ in deep depth. The future annual maximum sediment concentration into the lake from the watershed showed 17% increase in wet years. The future lake residence time above 10 mg/L suspended solids (SS) showed increases of 6 and 17 days in wet and dry years respectively comparing with normal year. The SS occupying rate of the lake also showed increases of 24% and 26% in both wet and dry year respectively. In summary, the future lake turbidity showed longer lasting with high concentration comparing with present behavior. Under the future lake environment by the watershed and within lake, the future maximum Chl-a concentration showed increases of 19 % in wet year and 3% in dry year respectively.