• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2016.05a
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• pp.1-1
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• 2016

Many of the world's large ecosystems are severely stressed due to population growth, water quality and quantity problems, vulnerability to flood and drought, and the loss of native species and cultural resources. Consequences of climate change further increase uncertainties about the future. These major societal challenges must be addressed through innovations in governance, policy, and ways of implementing management strategies. Science and engineering play a critical role in helping define possible alternative futures that could be achieved and the possible consequences to economic development, quality of life, and sustainability of ecosystem services. Science has advanced rapidly during the past decade with the emergence of science communities coalescing around 'Grand Challenges' and the maturation of how these communities function has resulted in large interdisciplinary research networks. An example is the River Experiment Center of KICT that engages researchers from throughout Korea and the world. This trend has been complemented by major advances in sensor technologies and data synthesis to accelerate knowledge discovery. These factors combine to allow scientific debate to occur in a more open and transparent manner. The availability of information and improved communication of scientific and engineering issues is raising the level of dialogue at the science-policy interface. However, severe challenges persist since scientific discovery does not occur on the same timeframe as management actions, policy decisions or at the pace sometimes expected by elected officials. Common challenges include the need to make decisions in the face of considerable uncertainty, ensuring research results are actionable and preventing science being used by special interests to delay or obsfucate decisions. These challenges are explored in the context of examples from the United States, including the California Bay-Delta system. California transfers water from the wetter northern part of the state to the drier southern part of the state through the Central Valley Project since 1940 and this was supplemented by the State Water Project in 1973. The scale of these activities is remarkable: approximately two thirds of the population of Californians rely on water from the Delta, these waters also irrigate up to 45% of the fruits & vegetables produced in the US, and about 80% of California's commercial fishery species live in or migrate through the Bay-Delta. This Delta region is a global hotspot for biodiversity that provides habitat for over 700 species, but is also a hotspot for the loss of biodiversity with more than 25 species currently listed by the Endangered Species Act. Understanding the decline of the fragile ecosystem of the Bay-Delta system and the potential consequences to economic growth if water transfers are reduced for the environment, the California State Legislature passed landmark legislation in 2009 (CA Water Code SS 85054) that established "Coequal goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem". The legislation also stated that "The coequal goals shall be achieved in a manner that protects and enhances the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource, and agricultural values of the Delta as an evolving place." The challenges of integrating policy, management and scientific research will be described through this and other international examples.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.286-293
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• 2012

Korean government is enforcing 'Greenhouse gas target management' in order to achieve Greenhouse gas reduction target. To attain Greenhouse gas reduction target, companies in Korea must establish their GHG inventory system and analysis their GHG emissions characteristics for deduction of mitigation measures. LMDI(Log Mean Divisia Index) decomposition analysis is widely used to understand characteristics of GHG emission and energy consumption. In this paper, the characteristics of GHG emission from the line of railroad in Korea is respectively analyzed in terms of conversion effect, intensity effect, production effect and distance effect. Data of railroad GHG emission from 2000 to 2007 are used. As a result, total effect of railroad's GHG emission is $96,813tCO_2eq$. Production effect ($39,865tCO_2eq$) and distance effect ($327,923tCO_2eq$) affect increase of railroad GHG emissions while Conversion effect ($-158,161tCO_2eq$) and intensity effect ($-112,814tCO_2eq$) influence decrease of the emissions.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.26-49
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to verify the reliability of the solar radiation model and discuss its applicability to the urban area of Seoul for summer heat stress mitigation. We extended the study area closer to the city scale and enhanced the spatial resolution sufficiently to determine pedestrian-level urban radiance. The domain was a $4km^2$ residential area with high-rise building sites. Radiance modelling (SOLWEIG) was performed with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)-based detailed geomorphological land cover shape. The radiance model was evaluated using surface energy balance (SEB) observations. The model showed the highest accuracy on a clear day in summer. When the mean radiation temperature (MRT) was simulated, the highest value was for a low-rise building area and road surface with a low shadow effect. On the other hand, for high-rise buildings and vegetated areas, the effect of shadows was large and showed a relatively low value of mean radiation temperature. The method proposed in this study exhibits high reliability for the management of heat stress in urban areas at pedestrian height. It is applicable for many urban micro-climate management functions related to natural and artificial urban settings; for example, when a new urban infrastructure is planned.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.1119-1130
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• 2020

Flood disasters have been recently increasing worldwide due to climate change and extreme weather events. Since flood damage recovery has been conducted as a common coping strategy to flood disasters in the Republic of Korea, it is necessary to predict the regional flood damage costs by rainfall characteristics for a preventative measure to flood damage. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to present the regression functions for human and economic flood damage assessments for the 7 metropolises in the Republic of Korea. A comprehensive regression analysis was performed through the total 48 simple regression models on the two types of flood damage records for human and economic costs over the past two decades from 1998 to 2017 using the four kinds of nonlinear equations with each of the six rainfall variables. The damage assessment functions for each metropolis were finally selected by the evaluation of the regression results with the coefficient of determination and the statistical significance test, and then used for the human and economic flood damage assessments for 100-year rainfall in the 7 metropolises. The results of this study are expected to provide the basic information on flood damage cost assessments for flood damage mitigation measures.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.184-194
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• 2022

Triplochiton scleroxylon K. Schum is the plant species most affected by logging activities in the East Region of Cameroon due to its market value. This logging has impacted the ecological niche of the fern plant for which limited research has been done. The aim of this study is to contribute towards improving knowledge of fern richness and biomass on T. scleroxylon within the Central African sub-region. Fern data collection was done on 20 felled/harvested T. scleroxylon where, in addition to fern inventory, fern biomass was collected by the destructive method. The diameter and height of T. scleroxylon measured were used as explanatory variables in allometric equations for fern biomass estimation. Fern inventory was characterized using diversity index. Eight fern species were recorded on T. scleroxylon (≈5 species/T. scleroxylon). The minimum diameter where fern could be found is 59.4 cm. The average fern biomass found was 23.62 kg/T. scleroxylon. Pearson correlation coefficient showed a positive correlation (r>0.55) between fern biomass and T. scleroxylon diameter. For allometric equation, the logarithmic model improved better the adjustment than the non-logarithmic model. However, the quality of the adjustment is improved more when only the diameter is considered as an explanatory variable. Fern biomass is estimated to 90.08 kg/ha^-1 with 76.02 kg/ha^-1 being lost due to T. scleroxylon exploitation in the study area. This study is a contribution towards increasing knowledge of fern diversity specific to T. scleroxylon, and also fern biomass contribution to climate change mitigation and the potential carbon loss due to T. scleroxylon exploitation.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.115-125
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• 2020

Housing issues such as mushrooming slums remain as chronic in most developing countries. Due to the state's restrained capacity, the housing-vulnerable's self-help approaches have been increasingly inevitable and vital for addressing the housing issues. However, there are still two challenges: securing good quality with economic efficiency, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. This study aims at doing an architectural experiment by developing and educating the production of eco-friendly interlocking stabilized soil bricks (ISSB) by employing vernacular materials and technologies for housing-vulnerable communities in Indonesia. In collaboration with a local architectural NGO, the study features a co-creation workshop in which 40 evicted households participate in the whole process. Soil analysis, mixed design, compression tests, and economic analysis are carried out. This paper illustrates that ISSB also has a high potential as an alternative to a burned brick or a cement block. The application of ISSB to self-help housing is expected to have socioeconomic and environmental effects, thereby facilitating the housing-vulnerable's self-help approaches and contributing to addressing the housing challenges in Indonesia.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.30-41
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• 2022

This study investigates the heat mitigation effects and thermal comfort improvement due to urban parks during summer. Self-developed monitoring devices to measure long-term microclimate data were installed in three spots, including the park plaza, waterside, and roadside in Seoul Forest Park, and measurements were taken from July 9 to July 30. The results of the measurement are as follows. The daily temperature of the park plaza and waterside were found to be 2.7℃ and 2.9℃ lower than the roadside and 5.5℃ and 7.4℃ lower than the roadside from 10:00 to 16:00. In addition, the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) measurement was applied to measure the thermal comfort at each point. In the average daily analysis, a significant difference was found between the park plaza, the waterside, and the roadside, and a greater difference was found between 10:00 to 16:00. Also, although there was no significant difference due to the weather condition, a statistically significant difference was also found in the average PM₁₀ and CO₂ concentrations. It is found to be higher in the order from the roadside, park plaza, and waterside for PM₁₀ concentration and park plaza, roadside, and waterside for CO₂. In sum, although the difference in measured microclimate data and thermal comfort index results were different depending on the time and weather conditions at the three points, the park plaza and waterside, which are located inside the park, showed improved thermal comfort conditions and lower temperatures than the roadside outside the park.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.271-280
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• 2024

This study examines the European Union (EU)'s policies on managing nitrate contamination in groundwater and provides implications for the future groundwater management in South Korea. Initiated by the 1991 Nitrate Directive, the EU has pursued a multifaceted approach to reduce agricultural nitrate pollution through sustainable ('good') farming practices, regular nitrate level monitoring, and designating Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. Further policy integrations, like the Water Framework Directive and Groundwater Directive, have established comprehensive protection strategies, including the use of pollutant threshold values. Recently, the 2019 Green Deal escalated efforts against nitrates, aligning with broader environmental and climate objectives. This review aims to explore these developments, highlighting key mitigation strategies against nitrate pollution, and providing valuable insights for the future sustainable groundwater nitrate management in South Korea, emphasizing the importance of preventive measures and collaborative efforts to restore and improve groundwater quality.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.10-20
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• 2024

The conservation and restoration of wetlands are essential tasks for the sustainable development of human society and the environment, providing vital benefits such as biodiversity maintenance, natural disaster mitigation, and climate change alleviation. This study aims to analyze the strategic interactions and interests among various stakeholders using game theory and to provide significant grounds for policy decisions related to wetland restoration and development. In this study, hypothetical scenarios were set up for three types of cities: large, medium, and small. Stakeholders such as governments, development companies, environmental groups, and local residents were identified. Strategic options for each stakeholder were developed, and a payoff matrix was established through discussions among wetland ecology experts. Subsequently, non-cooperative game theory was applied to analyze Nash equilibria and Pareto efficiency. In large cities, strategies of 'Wetland Conservation' and 'Eco-Friendly Development' were found beneficial for all stakeholders. In medium cities, various strategies were identified, while in small cities, 'Eco-Friendly Development' emerged as the optimal solution for all parties involved. The Pareto efficiency analysis revealed how the optimal solutions for wetland management could vary across different city types. The study highlighted the importance of wetland conservation, eco-friendly development, and wetland restoration projects for each city type. Accordingly, policymakers should establish regulations and incentives that harmonize environmental protection and urban development and consider programs that promote community participation. Understanding the roles and strategies of stakeholders and the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy is crucial for making more effective policy decisions.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.61-77
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to develop a method for rapidly diagnosing urban thermal comfort using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based data. The research was conducted at Changwon National University's College of Engineering site and Yongji Park, both located in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do. Baseline data were collected using field measurements and UAVs. Specifically, the study calculated field measurement-based thermal comfort indices PET and UTCI, and used UAVs to create and analyze vegetation index (NDVI), sky view factor (SVF), and land surface temperature (LST) images. The results showed that UAV-predicted PET and UTCI had high correlations of 0.662 and 0.721, respectively, within a 1% significance level. The explanatory power of the prediction model was 43.8% for PET and 52.6% for UTCI, with RMSE values of 6.32℃ for PET and 3.16℃ for UTCI, indicating that UTCI is more suitable for UAV-based thermal comfort evaluation. The developed method offers significant time-saving advantages over traditional approaches and can be utilized for real-time urban thermal comfort assessment and mitigation planning