• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.26-38
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• 2013

In this study, priority for groundwater contamination management was assessed based on regional vulnerability in Goyang-si area, Gyonggi-do, Korea using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information system (GIS). We proposed a concept for regional vulnerability to groundwater contamination with using socio-environmental vulnerability factors, which can be classified into three properties including regional hydrogeological property, contamination property, and groundwater use property. This concept is applied to Goyang-si area. For AHP analysis, an expertise-targeted survey was conducted. Based on the survey, a total of 10 factors (criteria) and corresponding weights for regional vulnerability assessment were determined. The result shows that regional contamination property is the most weighted factor among the three property groups (hydrogeological property: contamination property: groundwater use property = 0.3: 0.4: 0.3). Then, database layers for those factors were constructed, and regional vulnerability to groundwater contamination was assessed by weighted superposition using GIS. Results show that estimated regional vulnerability score is ranged from 22.7 to 94.5. Central and western areas of Goyang-si which have groundwater tables at shallow depths and are mainly occupied by industrial and residential areas are estimated to be relatively highly vulnerable to groundwater contamination. Based on assessed regional vulnerability, we classified areas into 4 categories. Category 1 areas, which are ranked at the top 25% of vulnerability score, take about 2.8% area in Goyang-si and give a high priority for groundwater contamination management. The results can provide useful information when the groundwater management authority decide which areas should be inspected with a high priority for efficient contamination management.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.335-348
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to classify the cities on sustainability assessment score studied in advance using cluster analysis, to present efficient management and policy direction based on analysis of sustainability index in 45 cities of all over Gyeongsangnam and Gyeongsangbuk-do. According to the results of cluster analysis, 45 cities were classed into 4 clusters by "livable-welfare city", "environmental -ecological city", "scientific-technological city", and "industrial-economic city". The livable-welfare cities must keep superior environmental sustainability, promote small and medium sized business on regional characteristic. The environmental-ecological cities have to change agriculture into future environmental industry such as ecotourism, bio-industry and landscape agriculture. The scientific-technological cities are going to need support of government scale such as income enlargement of citizen and stable job security. Finally, the industrial-economic cities must increase environmental management plants and improve quality of life through securing green spaces, maintaining public peace and applying UIS because of low quality of environment and life.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.266-276
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• 2017

A life cycle impact assessment was applied in an industrial waste incineration plant to evaluate the direct and indirect environmental impacts based on toxicity and non-toxicity categories. The detailed life cycle inventory of material and energy inputs and emission outputs was compiled based on the realistic data collected from a local industrial waste incineration plant, and the Korean life cycle inventory and ecoinvent database. The functional unit was the treatment of 1 tonne of industrial waste by incineration and the system boundary included the incineration plant and landfilling of ash. The result on the variation of the impact by the unit processes showed that the direct impact was decreased by 79.3, 71.6, and 90.1% for the processes in a semi dry reactor, bag filter, and wet scrubber, respectively. Considering the final impact produced from stack, the toxicity categories comprised 91.7% of the total impact. Among the toxicity impact categories, the impact in the eco-toxicity category was most significant. A separate estimation of the impact due to direct and indirect emissions showed that the direct impact was 97.7% of the total impact. The steam recovered from the waste heat of the incineration plant resulted in a negative environmental burden.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.3-29
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• 2010

This paper explores how effectively the newly introduced planning process - California Senate Bill No. 375 will achieve the regional GHG emissions target under the California policy and planning framework and how well incentive based environmental policy might perform. The new legislation creates a future growth scenario to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with incentives as means of implementation of AB 32 - the Global Warming Solution Act of 2006 and includes five important policy and planning aspects: 1) the role of sustainable communities strategies (SCS) as one of the key elements in their regional transportation plans; 2) planning for transportation and housing; 3) specified incentives for the implementation of SCS; 4) the regional planning approach toward reducing GHG emissions; and the role of the California Air Resources Board to establish the regional GHG emissions target. This has significant implications for regional and environmental planning with incentives - resources allocation and approval process.

• Architectural research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2001

Concern about global environment has been increasing in recent years. Efforts to minimize the environmental impact to the globe as well as human beings have increased, especially in the late twentieth century. The study researches one of the solutions for the environmentally friendly building construction, which can contribute to sustaining the world environment. Assessment and proposals are made for high-rise apartments, one of the most popular construction types nowadays in Korea. Since the volume of high-rise apartment construction is so great, a small improvement in each building will make a great contribution. Assessments are made over the life-span of apartment buildings. A tool named EIAHA (Environmental Impact Assessment for High-rise Apartment) has been made through references from western examples, mainly in the UK. The components of EIAHA include passive design strategies, building materials, energy consumption during building operation and management/maintenance. Although the issues are on a global scale, solutions are sought on regional scale. Korean high-rise apartments are assessed with the tool and suggestions for sustainable development are made mainly for improvement of embodied energy of building materials and the life of buildings.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.609-626
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• 2013

Air quality models have been widely used to study and simulate many air quality issues. In the simulation, it is important to raise the accuracy of meteorological predicted data because the results of air quality modeling is deeply connected with meteorological fields. Therefore in this study, we analyzed the effects of meteorological fields on the air quality simulation. This study was designed to evaluate MM5 predictions by using different initial condition data and different observations utilized in the data assimilation. Among meteorological scenarios according to these input data, the results of meteorological simulation using National Centers for Environmental Prediction (Final) Operational Global Analysis data were in closer agreement with the observations and resulted in better prediction on ozone concentration. And in Seoul, observations from Regional Meteorological Office for data assimilations of MM5 were suitable to predict ozone concentration. In other areas, data assimilation using both observations from Regional Meteorological Office and Automatical Weather System provided valid method to simulate the trends of meteorological fields and ozone concentrations. However, it is necessary to vertify the accuracy of AWS data in advance because slightly overestimated wind speed used in the data assimilation with AWS data could result in underestimation of high ozone concentrations.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.15-24
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• 1994

The goal of impact studies (e.g., as mandated by NEPA in the USA) is to ensure that the full implications of development proposals (ecologic, economic, and social) are taken into account before decisions are made and projects are allowed to proceed. In other words, the aim is to ensure that impact assessment is integrated into planning and policy processes. Today. nearly 25 years after the enactment of NEPA, it is appropriate to inquire regarding the extent of progress toward such integration. This paper examines the role of impact assessment in planning and policy processes with specific reference to resource development projects in the Great Plains region of the USA. The author gives special attention to the socioeconomic impacts associated with energy resource extraction and conversion projects and the role of impact assessment in project evaluation, in local and regional planning, and in state policy development.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.312-323
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• 2023

Background: Environmental concentrations of substances can be estimated by K-CHESAR based on main, industrial, and use categories (MC/IC/UC) and ECETOC TRA based on environmental or specific environmental categories (ERC or spERC). Objectives: Three different systems for estimating environmental concentrations were compared to figure out their order with possible reasons along with relationship of regional predicted environmental concentrations (PEC_regional) and final PEC_local for various uses of a substance. Methods: Typical uses of the case substance and their corresponding ERCs were selected from the webpage of the European Chemical Agency. Proper MC/IC/UC and spERC were assigned to each ERC. Emission fractions were compared for each assessment code from the available database. PECs were calculated by three estimating systems: K-CHESAR using MC/IC/UC, ECETOC TRA using ERC, and ECETOC TRA using spERC with their default values for input parameters. Percentage of PEC_regional to PEC_local were manually calculated for each use. Results: Emission factors decreased in the order of ERC > MC/IC/UC > spERC. Values of the final PEC_local derived as sum of PEC_regional and Clocal decreased in the order of calculations using ECETOC TRA-ERC>KCHESAR with MC/IC/UC>ECETOC TRA-spERC for all environmental media. Percentages of PEC_{regional,water} to PEC_local,water ranged from 0 to 10.3% in industrial uses calculated with MC/IC/UC and ERC but 96.3 to 100% in wide dispersive uses of ERC and spERC where values of C_local,water are estimated to be very low. Conclusions: ECETOC TRA generated the most refined PNEC values with spERC and the least with ERC, while K-CHESAR with MC/IC/UC generated values between the two results. The ratio of PEC_regional to PEC_local can be a good measure for performing suitable estimation of PNECs according to use.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2000

As a part of natural hazard assessment, regional slope stability analysis was conducted using Geoscientific Information System (GIS) in the northern area of Chungju Lake. Selected factors which affect the slope stability in the study area were lithology, soil, density of lineament, groundwater level, dip of slope, aspect of slope, and geological engineering properties. Geological structural domains were determined by collected data of joint orientation from about 200 sites in order to produce a slope instability map. Potential type of failure and its direction could be expected through the domains. And a slope instability map was produced, comparing the representative orientations of the domains with the orientations of the slopes which were made through TIN module in ARC/INFO. Under the consideration of environmental geological characteristics of the study area, rating and weighting of each factor of slope stability analysis were decided and spatial analysis of regional slope stability was couducted through overlaying technique of GIS. The result of areal distribution of slope stability showed that the most unstable area was the area between Mt. Pudae and Mt. Jubong, and the northern area of the railway station, Samtan.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.50-60
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• 2009

A spatial decision making process is needed when a local government tries to make polices and plans for eco-tourism in urban and regional site scale. This study aimed to suggest an assessment model to support spatial decision making on planning and making polices for eco-tourism. The model composes 6 stages of 'setting up ecogeographic territories'. 'value analysis method as ecotourism resources' 'synthetic assessing', 'grading values', 'selecting main resources for ecotourism' and 'spatial decision making support'. Applying the model to Shiheung city in Kyounggi province, validity was secured. By using the model, it was possible to make some decisions effectively such as selection of ecotourism resources, decision of the priorities of polices for ecotourism, and setting up the type of ecotourism to be introduced. In addition, by visualizing high valued resources and areas for ecotourism it w possible to support to make plans and policies effectively.