• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.90-102
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• 2018

Background: We sought to understand the relationship between the seed bank and vegetation in abandoned rice paddies in South Korea, in order to guide management of these sites. We investigated the floristic composition and species richness of the soil seed bank and ground vegetation in former paddies along three seral gradients (wet meadow, young forest, and mature forest) in Gwangneung Forest Biosphere Reserve. Results: Seed bank samples contained 59 species, of which the dominant families were Cyperaceae, Gramineae, and Polygonaceae. Species richness and seedling density (59 taxa and 19,121 germinants from all samples) were high. Carex spp. (11, 921 germinants) were the dominant taxa. The species composition in the seed bank changed gradually as the land transitioned from wet meadow to mature forest. Sørensen's index of similarity between above- and below-ground vegetation was 29.3% for wet meadow, 10.8% for young forest, and 2.1% for mature forest. Germinant density also declined, with 10, 256 germinants for wet meadow, 6445 germinants for young forest, and 2420 germinants for mature forest. Conclusions: Changes in aboveground environment and life history traits such as amphicarpic plants, likely affect the composition of soil seed bank species. Abandoned paddy fields may be good sites for restoration of wetland forest and conservation of wetland habitat. Some intervention may be required to promote the recovery of a natural species assemblage.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.63-73
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• 2018

Rice is a staple food source in Asian countries. In paddy field, rice plant can take up toxic elements through its roots from contaminated soils, and its leaves and grain can absorb the toxic elements deposited on the soil surface. A totla of 40 soil and polished rice samples were collected around four abandoned metal mines in Korea and analyzed for As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The average contents of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in rice grain grown on the contaminated soils were 0.247, 0.174, 4.694, 0.804 and 16.78 mg/kg, respectively. These levels are higher than worldwide average concentrations. Assuming the rice consumption of 169 g/day by overall households in Korea, the estimated daily intakes from the rices were found to be 33, 48, and 63% for As, Cd, and Pb, respectively, of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) suggested by the FAO/WHO Joint Food Additive and Contaminants Committee.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.162-169
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• 1998

This study was carried out to assess the roles of soil and vegetation on the nutrient cycling in paddy ecosystem where excessive amounts of animal wastes were flowed in due to the rain. Experimental sites included one abandoned and four cropping paddy fields which were moderately terraced under a small farm village raising 90 milk cows and 35 deer under open-air condition. The watershed covered 4 ha with every 50% of uptown and fodder crops. Concentrations of $NH_4-N$ and $P_2O_5$ in waste water flowed into the abandoned paddy field, enforced by the rain of $56.4mm\;day^{-1}$, were $8.3mg\;{\ell}^{-1}$ and $1.8mg\;{\ell}^{-1}$, respectively. Total mass of rainfall inflow to abandoned field during rice growing period (1 May to 30 Sept.) was $20,900Mg\;ha^{-1}$. Total amounts of $NH_4-N$ and $P_2O_5$ contained in that inflow were estimated as 173 kg and 38 kg, respectively. Concentrations in the outflow water through one abandoned and four rice paddy fields were reduced by 92% for $NH_4-N$ and 95% for $P_2O_5$, as compared to those in the inflows. The reserved portions of nutrients in the abandoned paddy field ecosystem, which were the summation of the uptake by weed and residues in soil, were 29% of the inflow amount for $NH_4-N$ and 30% for $P_2O_5$. These results demonstrated that soil and vegetation in paddy field ecosystem reduced the excessive nutrients from the animal waste inflow to the extents that might be suitable not only for the better growth of rice plant, located at the lower paddy fields, but also for preservation of the downstream from eutrophication.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2003

This research aims to classify wetland types and evaluate functions of a wetland created by abandoned rice paddies. The case study area is Ja-un wetland in Daejeon Metropolitan City. In this study, wetland types were classified based on the basic elements of wetlands such as hydrology, vegetation, and soil conditions. This study was carried out based upon field surveys, drawing maps and publication, and modified-RAM which can evaluate the general functions and conservation values of wetlands. The analysis shows that several types of wetlands were identified, such as Palustrine/ Perennial/ Hydrophytes, Palustrine/ Perennial/ Openwater, Palustrine/ Seasonal/Herbal, Palustrine/ Seasonal/ Shrub and Scrub, Palustrine/ Seasonal/ Hydrophye, and Riparian/ Seasonal/ Shrub and Scrub in the Ja-un wetland. The average level of functions of the wetlands is very "HIGH", and it is recommended that prompt conservation measures should be taken.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.123-135
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• 1997

In order to investigate the dispersion patterns and contamination level of heavy metals in the soil-ecosystem and to evaluate the efficiency of soil remediation by reversed soil method, soils and plants were collected from the Dongjin Au-Ag-Cu mine area and analysed for heavy metals. The dispersion patterns of heavy metals in soils and plants show that heavy metal pollutions caused by waste rump around Dongjin mine are mainly found in the vicinity of the waste rump and in the southward slanting of mine. Toxic metallic pollutants from the mine influence heavy metal contents in paddy soils in downstream area, and may be a potential sources of heavy metal pollution on crop plants. Soil samples collected from the remediated rice farming field by reversed method show similar levels of heavy metal content to those from the polluted rice farming field, but topsoil enrichment of heavy metals are not found. Heavy metal contents of the rice plants collected from remediated rice farming field are significantly lower than those from polluted rice farming field, and it suggests that the reversed soil method is effective for the reduction of bioavailability of heavy metals.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.329-338
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• 2013

The objective of this study is to investigate the contents and seasonal variation of arsenic in soils and crop plant(rice) in paddy fields around the abandoned metal mines in Korea. The soils were extracted by various methods including aqua regia, 1 M $MgCl_2$, 0.01 M $CaCl_2$ and 0.05 M EDTA to evaluate the relationships between soils and crop plants(rice). According to correlation analysis, statistically significant correlation with the four methods(p<0.01) were found in soils extracted by various chemical solutions and arsenic contents in soils were decreased in the order of 1M $MgCl_2$ > 0.01M $CaCl_2$ > 0.05 M EDTA. Biological accumulation coefficients(BACs) of rice stalks were higher than those of rice grain, and the coefficients under reducing(August) environment were higher than those under oxidizing conditions(October). Assuming the rice consumption of 315 g/day by farm households in Korea, the amount of daily intake of arsenic were estimated to be 77.8 ${\mu}g/day$. The daily intake of arsenic from the rice estimates up to 65% of ADI(acceptable daily intake) that the FAO/WHO Joint Food Additive and Contaminants Committee has set to evaluate their safeties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.819-835
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• 2009

In order to investigate the field application of selected stabilization methods(cover soil method, surface and total interval treatment of embankment method) on rice paddies contaminated by heavy metals, column test was carried out with heavy metal-contaminated soils collected from rice paddies around abandoned mine site. Columns were made by acrylic and filled with untreated soil, treated soil mixed with amendments(lime stone and steel refining slag) and uncontaminated cover soil according to the design report. Distilled water was discharged into the columns with the velocity of 1 pore volume/day. During test, pH, EC, and heavy metal concentration were measured in the regular term. The column test result showed that the selected stabilization methods were effective remediation method to stabilize heavy metals in paddy soils, but it was also expected that application of surface treatment methods was required the careful observation on pH variation due to the lowest increment.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.7-18
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• 2015

The characteristics of As and heavy metals depend on the oxidation/reduction condition of the soil environment. The most heavy metals are immobilized by the reduction condition whereas As, Fe and Mn become more soluble. Therefore this study estimated the stabilization efficiency of the agricultural paddy soil in the vicinity of the abandoned mine using a flooded column test including analysis of the soil solution, contaminants fractionation and rice grain. Limestone and steelmaking slag were used as amendments for stabilization of the contaminated soil. In an analysis of the soil solution, the mobile characteristics of Fe and Mn, which were used as electron acceptors of the microorganisms, were controlled by increasing the pH by adding alkali amendments. This means that the contaminants combined with Fe and Mn can be stable under flooded reduction condition. However, the concentrations of cationic heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn) were also decreased without amendments because the carbonates produced from microbial respiration increased the pH of the soil solution. In the amended soil, the specific sorbed fraction of As and carbonates fraction of heavy metals were increased when compared to the control soil at the end of the column test. Especially in heavy metals, the increase of carbonates fraction seems to be influenced by alkali amendments rather than microbial respiration. Because of the stabilization effect in the flooded paddy soil, the contents of As and Zn in rice grain from amended soil were lower than that of the control soil. But additional research is needed because of the relatively higher Pb content identified in the rice grain from the amended.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.483-494
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• 2021

This study was carried out to investigate the feasibility of reducing clean cover soil using a flooded column test in arsenic-contaminated farmland reclamation of abandoned coal mine area that shows generally low or about worrisome level (25 mg/kg) of Korea soil environment conservation act unlike abandoned metal mine. During the monitoring period of soil solution for 4 months, chemical properties (pH, EC, ORP, Fe, Mn, Ca, and As) in each layer (clean soil cover and contaminated/stabilized soil) showed different variation. This result revealed that soil solution in stabilized or contaminated soil rarely affected that in cover soil. Whether stabilized or not, arsenic concentrations in the rice roots grown in the soil covers with the thickness of 40 cm decreased by 98% in compared with the that grown in the control soil. In case of the soil covers with 20 cm thickness on stabilized soil, it decreased by 80% and this was 22 percentage point higher than when the soil of lower layer was not stabilized. Thus, reducing clean cover soil could be possible in contaminated farmland soil reclamation if appropriate stabilization of contaminated soil is carried.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.8-16
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• 2021

This study has evaluated the stabilization of As contaminated paddy and cultivated soils by pot experiments for rice and lettuce. Various ratios of limestone (L) and steel slag (S) were mixed with the soils in each pot. The soils were taken from before and after pot experiments, and analyzed for As extracted by sequentially (Wenzel method) and totally (aqua regia method).. Paddy soils amended with L (0.5%) and L (1.0%) + S (1.0%) showed increasing fraction 2 (specifically bound As) compared with control soil. Arsenic concentrations in rice grain grown on the amended soils decreased 14% and 12% compared with those on the control soil, respectively. According to sequential extraction of As in cultivated soils, the fractions 1~3 were decreased due to stabilization of As by the soil amendment, especially for S (1.0%), S (3.0%) and L (1.0%) + S (1.0%). In addition, relatively low As concentrations were found in lettuce grown on amended soils with L (0.5%) and L (1.0%) + S (1.0%). Therefore, it can be suggested that soil amendments with L (0.5%) or L (1.0%) + S (1.0%) were suitable for enhancing stabilization of As in the study area.