• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1-16
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• 2010

Phytoliths, silica microfossil that produced within and between cells and tissues of plants are especially yielded in Gramineae with many different forms and can attribute to the reconstruction of climatic and environmental changes and agriculture activity of the Quaternary. The phytoliths in soil can remain for long periods of time, because of strong resistance to physical and chemical weathering. The spatial range of study is too small due to deposition of phytoliths directly to the soil. There are difficulties of phytoliths identification because of multiplicity and redundancy, so far uniform and exact classification scheme has not been adopted. Therefore we attempted phytolith classification system applied to Korea. The paleoenvironmental reconstruction research using phytholith are applicated in many parts of studies. Also high-resolution paleoclimatic reconstruction expected to be possible using phytolith indices of Iph and Ic as well as climatic indicator of phytolith morphology.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2008

The present study has focused on the environmental changes and evidences for sedimentation in the Lake Khuvsgul catchment during the Holocene period, inferred from short core sediment (BO03) from the eastern shore of Borsog Bay, which were analyzed in order to review records of the Holocene climatic evolution and Holocene history in Northern Mongolia. For the purpose of reconstruction of natural phenomenon that occurred in the lake catchment system during the Holocene, physical and chemical properties including HCl-soluble material, biogenic silica, organic matter and grain size distribution of minerals in the core sediments have been analyzed in this study. The vertical variations in composition for these properties show distinctly that five lines of paleoenvironmental evidence occurred in the lake catchment during the Holocene. A modified age model resulting from AMS carbon dating for the BO03 core sediment shows timings of these environmental events at 9.5 Kyr BP, 8.0 Kyr BP, 5.6 Kyr BP and 3.2 Kyr BP, respectively. Paleoenvironmental changes in the Lake Khuvsgul catchment system during the Holocene highlight distinctive features of the hydrological regime and geomorphologic evolution in the lake catchment due to regional landscape and global climatic changes corresponding with the Holocene optimum and thermal optimum. In particular, the change of hydrologic regime based on the sedimentological evidence has been caused by not only overland flow due to melting water, but also base flow due to thick permafrost around Khuvsgul region.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.179-192
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• 2012

Paleo-environments such as vegetation and climate changes from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene are reconstructed by the results of pollen analysis in the floodplain of Cheonan River, Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan-si, Chungnam Province. In the pollen zone I (approximately 23,000-15,000 yr BP), the area studied was covered by the extensive grassland with sparse wood. The climatic conditions were very cold, but it might not be so severe compared to the intermontane area in the Yeongnam area. This zone corresponds to the 'very cold' stage of Woldstedt(1962) and Yoon and Jo(1996). No pollen horizon(pollen zone II) deposited between approximately 15,000 and 10,000 yr BP corresponds to the transitional stage from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene. The horizon consists of the dark gray brown sand deposits different from the other horizons dominated by the silty deposits and these sedimentary properties may be attributed to the dramatic climate changes between the very cold stage and warm stage. The pollen zone III formed between approximately 10,000 and 6,000 yr BP shows clearly different pollen compositions indicative of temperate climate conditions.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.47-57
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• 2010

To understand day-to-day fluctuations in soil moisture content in Seoul, I simulated daily soil moisture content from 1908 to 2009 using long-term climatic precipitation and temperature data collected at the Surface Synoptic Meteorological Station in Seoul for the last 98 years with a hydrological simulation model, BROOK. The output data set from the BROOK model allowed me to examine day-to-day fluctuations and the severity and duration of droughts in the Seoul area. Although the soil moisture content is highly dependent on the occurrence of precipitation, the pattern of changes in daily soil moisture content was clearly quite different from that of precipitation. Generally, there were several phases in the dynamics of daily soil moisture content. The period from mid-May to late June can be categorized as the initial period of decreasing soil moisture content. With the initiation of the monsoon season in late June, soil moisture content sharply increases until mid-July. From the termination of the rainy season in mid-July, daily soil moisture content decreases again. Highly stochastic events of typhoons from late June to October bring large amount of rain to the Korean peninsula, culminating in late August, and increase the soil moisture content again from late August to early September. From early September until early October, another sharp decrease in soil moisture content was observed. The period from early October to mid-May of the next year can be categorized as a recharging period when soil moisture content shows an increasing trend. It is interesting to note that no statistically significant increase in mean annual soil moisture content in Seoul, Korea was observed over the last 98 years. By simulating daily soil moisture content, I was also able to reconstruct drought phenomena to understand the severity and duration of droughts in Seoul area. During the period from 1908 to 2009, droughts in the years 1913, 1979, 1939, and 2006 were categorized as 'severe' and those in 1988 and 1982 were categorized as 'extreme'. This information provides ecologists with further potential to interpret natural phenomenon, including tree growth and the decline of tree species in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.396-412
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• 2011

Multi-proxy analysis was used to produce a high-resolution paleoclimatic record from a thick section of the Holocene alluvial fan deposit in Gatap-ri, Buyeo. According to ${\delta}^{13}C$ analyses, five minor climate fluctuations can be determined. From the stage I to stage VI, climate changes are as follows: cool-dry, warm-humid, cool-dry, warm humid, drier than stage IV, and finally more humid environment than stage V. According to magnetic susceptibility records, four different stages can be identified, among which stage ii shows the highest susceptibility. Stage-i deposit is derived from sediments of back marsh-type wetland. Stage-ii and stage-iii deposits, however, show higher magnetic susceptibility because magnetite-enriched soil from weathered upland was transported to the area to form an alluvial fan deposits. Stage-iv deposit is comparable to the modern plow horizon.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: The changes in the climatic conditions have brought potentially significant new challenges, most critical are likely to be its impact on local livelihoods, agriculture, biodiversity and environments. Water induced disasters such as landslides, floods, erratic rain etc., are very common in developing countries which lead to changes in biological, geophysical and socioeconomic elements. The extent of damages caused by natural disasters is more sever in least developing countries. However, disasters affect women and men differently. In most of the cases women have to carry more burden as compared to their male counterpart during the period of disasters. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study examines the impact of disasters on the local livelihood especially agriculture and income generating activities of women in three districts of Nepal. The study uses the primary data collected following an exploratory approach, based on an intensive field study. The general findings of the study revealed that women had to experience hard time as compared to their male counterpart both during and after the disaster happen. Women are responsible for caring their children, collecting firewood, fetching water, collecting grass for livestock and performing household chores. Whereas, men are mainly involved in out-migration and remained out-side home most of the time. After the disaster occurred, most of the women had to struggle to support their lives as well as had to work longer hours than men during reconstruction period. Nepal follows patriarchal system and men can afford more leisure time as compared to women. During the disaster period, some of the households lost their agricultural lands, livestock and other properties. These losses created some additional workload to women respondent, however at the same time; they learn to build confidence, self-respect, self-esteem, and self-dependency.Although Nepal is predominantly agriculture, majority of the farmers are at subsistence level. In addition, men and women have different roles which differ with the variation in agro-production systems. Moreover women are extensively involved in agricultural activities though their importances were not recognized. Denial of land ownership and denial of access to resources as well as migration of male counterparts are some of the major reasons for affecting the agricultural environments for women in Nepal. CONCLUSION: The shelter reconstruction program has definitely brought positive change in women's access to decision making. The gradual increase in number of women respondent in access to decision making in different areas is a positive change and this has also provided them with a unique opportunity to change their gendered status in society.Furthermore, the exodus out-flow of male counterparts accelerated the additional burden and workload on women.