• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.313-320
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• 2019

Increasing the concentration of nitrate ions in the soil solution and then leaching it to underground aquifers increases the concentration of nitrate in the water, and can cause many health and ecological problems. This study was conducted to evaluate the vulnerability of Meymeh aquifer to nitrate pollution. In this research, sampling of 10 wells was performed according to standard sampling principles and analyzed in the laboratory by spectrophotometric method, then; the nitrate concentration zonation map was drawn by using intermediate models. In the drastic model, the effective parameters for assessing the vulnerability of groundwater aquifers, including the depth of ground water, pure feeding, aquifer environment, soil type, topography slope, non-saturated area and hydraulic conductivity. Which were prepared in the form of seven layers in the ARC GIS software, and by weighting and ranking and integrating these seven layers, the final map of groundwater vulnerability to contamination was prepared. Drastic index estimated for the region between 75-128. For verification of the model, nitrate concentration data in groundwater of the region were used, which showed a relative correlation between the concentration of nitrate and the prepared version of the model. A combination of two vulnerability map and nitrate concentration zonation was provided a qualitative aquifer classification map. According to this map, most of the study areas are within safe and low risk, and only a small portion of the Meymeh Aquifer, which has a nitrate concentration of more than 50 mg / L in groundwater, is classified in a hazardous area.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 2011

Health risk assessments for the abandoned asbestos mine were usually performed with activity-based sampling (ABS) method, which was not a effective tool for indexing health risk on an exact small area of mine. A newly proposed potential index of health risk (PIHR) was applied with proper spatial determination of geographical information system (GIS) to assess quantitatively health risks. A new trial was applied to a certain abandoned mine in Boryong as follows: A high grade area of PIHR was estimated 7.8% of the whole area of the mine (about 27.3 ha). Based on US EPA IRIS (integrated risk information system) model considering lifetime excess cancer risk (LECR), the health risk assessment indicated that the high grade area increased from 3.0 ha through 12.9 ha to 19.5 ha with an increase of asbestos contents in soil from 0.36% (1E-04 level) through 0.1% (3E-05 level) to 0.04% (1E-05 level). These results can be effectively applied to determine reclamation area of the abandoned asbestos mine.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.279-289
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• 2012

This study conducted a comparative analysis of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the Fosu and Benya lagoons in Ghana, based on the anthropogenic effect on the two lagoons. Salinity, oxygen, temperature, conductivity, turbidity and pH were measured, invertebrate richness and species densities were determined. The AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) and multivariate statistics were used to determine the different responses of fauna to pollution. The fauna were categorized into five ecological groups based on the degree of tolerance of the different species to pollution: disturbance-sensitive species; disturbance-indifferent species, disturbance-tolerant species, second-order opportunistic species; and first-order opportunistic species. The Fosu Lagoon supported more pollution tolerant species, whereas the Benya Lagoon had more species that were sensitive to organic enrichment under relatively unpolluted conditions. Chironomus sp., which is adapted to virtually anoxic conditions, was the most abundant in the Fosu Lagoon whereas Nemertea sp. was the most abundant in the Benya Lagoon. The numerical and relative abundance (%) of all 7 taxa in the Fosu Lagoon was 1,359 and 92.35%, respectively. The numerical and relative abundance (%) of all 34 taxa in the Benya Lagoon was 2,459 and 87.52%, respectively. Expectedly, the level of dissolved oxygen in the less saline Fosu Lagoon was higher than that in the more saline Benya Lagoon. The reduced photoperiod and photosynthetic activities of aquatic plants might account for this trend. There is a need to implement comprehensive monitoring and management initiatives for sustaining the ecological health of coastal lagoons in Ghana in order to support the many people that depend upon these ecosystems for their livelihood.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.21-27
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution and characteristics of heavy metals in the fallout dust deposits at the middle and high schools. We collected the samples at 60 schools in Kongju, Incheon and Daejeon on from September to November, 2001, and analyzed Cadmium(Cd), Copper(Cu), Lead(Pb) and Zinc(Zn) from them. Zn was the highest level as 551 $\pm$ 79.9 ppm, and the next order were Pb, Cu, and Cd as 146.0 $\pm$ 15.2 ppm, 98.7 $\pm$ 14.4 ppm and 5.21 $\pm$ 0.76 ppm, respectively. The rates of schools exceeding the soil environmental standards were 56.3% in Cd, 53.3% in Zn, 51.5% in Pb, and 31.7% in Cu, respectively. Cd and Pb were the highest levels at schools in Daejeon as 6.30 $\pm$ 0.87 ppm and 171 $\pm$ 26.1 ppm, respectively. Cu and Zn were the highest levels at schools in Incheon as 176.2 $\pm$ 55.8 ppm and 919.8 $\pm$ 185.7 ppm, respectively. At Incheon, Cu and Zn levels were significantly higher than Kongju(p=0.04l), and Daejeon(p=0.016), respectively. Total pollution index(PI) of heavy metals was 1.51 $\pm$ 0.16. PI was 2.00 $\pm$ 0.51 on Incheon, 1.50 $\pm$ 0.13 on Daejeon, and 0.92 $\pm$ 0.24 on Kongju. Correlations were 0.675 (p<0.05) between Cu and Cd, 0.663(p<0.05) between Cu and Zn, and 0.477 between Cd and Pb. In conclusion, Among heavy metals in the fallout dust deposits at schools, Cu and Zn were the highest levels at Incheon, Cd and Pb were the highest levels at Daejeon.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.287-295
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• 2010

Dust samples have been collected from streets, schools, subway stations and households in Daegu metropolitan city. Samples were sieved through a 100 ${\mu}m$ mesh and the concentration of 14 elements have been determined using by ICP after acid extraction. Results showed that Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and V were influenced by natural sources while Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were influenced by anthropogenic sources. The measured values were remarkably higher in components from natural sources than in components from anthropogenic sources. In particular, school dust had higher levels of Ca and Pb and subway station dust had higher levels of Cu and Zn. The percentage composition of chemicals from subway stations, households, and schools were remarkably higher in components from anthropogenic sources than that from streets. It is well recognized that anthropogenic sources were affected by indoor dust. Results of pollution index of hazardous heavy metals indicated that schools, households, and subway stations were more contaminated than streets and urban areas typically had higher pollution index than rural areas. The correlation analysis among trace elements seem to suggest that there were correlations between components of soil/road dust resuspension, and components of waste incineration and fuel combustion.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.93-111
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• 2005

Defining soil quality in scopes and applications is one of the prerequisite for the sustainable management of soil environment to orient researches, strategies and policies. However, definition of soil quality is controversial depending upon a viewpoint of soil science or soil environment. Soil quality can be, irrespective of the disciplines, defined as the capacity of a soil to function within ecosystem boundaries to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality and promote plant and animal health. Common to all of the soil quality concepts can be summarized as the capacity of soil to function effectively at present and in the future. The OECD includes soil quality as one of the agri-environment indicators. This article intends to i) summarize the current soil quality research, and ii) provide information on protocol of soil quality assessment. A framework for soil quality was divided into three steps: indicator selection as minimum data set (MDS), scoring of the selected indicators, and integration of scores into soil quality index. Korean government suggested possible physical and chemical indicators such as bulk density and organic matter for paddy and upland soils to OECD. The framework of soil quality assessment is not yet implemented in Korea. Countries such as USA, Canada and New Zealand have constructed the framework on soil quality assessment and developed a user-friendly version of soil quality assessment tools to evaluate the integrated effects of various soil management practices. The protocol provided in this review might help policymakers, scientists, and administrators improve awareness about soil quality and understand the way of soil environment management.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.12-18
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• 2010

This study was carried out in order to propose a planning index for improved school forests in Gyeonggido. For the purpose of this study we selected 42 out of 75 school forests established during 2005 in Gyeonggido. All 42 school forests were surveyed and analyzed by frequency, cross tabulation, and group average analysis with SPSS 12.0 version. The present condition of the school forests was analyzed with in conjunction with items such as the surrounding environment, centralization, and locational characteristics as nominal points. Other items: trees, shrubs, pavement, fruit trees, transplantation, evergreen trees, and recreation facility content percentage were analyzed as a proportion point. After reviewing the literature and analyzing the present condition of school forests, we constructed a conceptual framework and formulated a hypothesis for this research. Data were obtained through a questionnaire, given to 98 students majoring in landscape architecture at Hankyong University in 2007. Results showed that the primary variables for tree health were soil compaction and the depth of soil filling. They were the most serious factors that deteriorate the health of trees. Based on the relationship between tree health and growing conditions, trees inside the school forest should be managed to provide more growing space and less abuse. The minimum area for trees inside the school forest for good growth conditions should be within the drip lines. We have found that the minimum percentage of tree content is 0.13, which means that more than 130 trees need to be planted over $1,000m^2$ green space. More than 3,580 shrubs need to be planted over $1,000m^2$ green space. The pavement area should be controlled to less than 19% of the total size of the school forest area. Finally, more than 39 trees out of 100 trees planted should be evergreen. The research results suggest that the construction planning index of Gyeonggido school forest be recommended in the planning and development process of the construction project carried out every year.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.497-507
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• 2011

This research studied human health risk assessment of benzene from industrial complexes of Chungcheong Province (Seosan industrial complex) and Jeonla Province (Iksan industrial complex and Yeosoo industrial complex). The residents near the industrial complexes areas can be often exposed to volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylenes) through a number of exposure pathways, including inhalation of the organic pollutant via various environmental matrices (air, water and soil), contaminated water, and soil intake. Benzene is well known to be a common carcinogenic and toxic compound that is produced from industrial and oil refinery complexes. In this study, a number of samples from water, air, and soil were taken from the residential settings and public school zones located near the industrial complex sites. Based on the carcinogenic risk assessment, the risk estimates were slightly above $10{\times}10^{-6}$ at all three industrial sites. According to deterministic risk assessment, inhalation was the most important route. The distribution of benzene in the environment would be dependent on vapor pressure, and the physical property influencing the extent of the potential risks. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of benzene shows that the values of Hazard Index(HI) were much lower than 1.0 at all industrial complexes. Therefore, benzene was not a cause of concern in terms of non-carcinogenic risk posed to the residents near the sites. When compared to probabilistic risk assessment, the CTE(central tendency exposure) cancer risk values of deterministic risk assessment were close to the mean values predicted by the probabilistic risk assessment. The RME(reasonable maximum exposure) values fell within the range of 95% to 99.9% estimated by the probabilistic risk assessment. Since the values of carcinogenic risk assessment were higher than $10{\times}10^{-6}$, further detailed monitoring and refined risk assessment for benzene may be warranted to estimate more reliable and potential inhalation risks to receptors near the industrial complexes.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.863-874
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the future climate change impact on stream aquatic ecology health of Han River watershed ($34,148km^2$) using SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and random forest. The 8 years (2008~2015) spring (April to June) Aquatic ecology Health Indices (AHI) such as Trophic Diatom Index (TDI), Benthic Macroinvertebrate Index (BMI) and Fish Assessment Index (FAI) scored (0~100) and graded (A~E) by NIER (National Institute of Environmental Research) were used. The 8 years NIER indices with the water quality (T-N, $NH_4$, $NO_3$, T-P, $PO_4$) showed that the deviation of AHI score is large when the concentration of water quality is low, and AHI score had negative correlation when the concentration is high. By using random forest, one of the Machine Learning techniques for classification analysis, the classification results for the 3 indices grade showed that all of precision, recall, and f1-score were above 0.81. The future SWAT hydrology and water quality results under HadGEM3-RA RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) showed that the future nitrogen-related water quality in watershed average increased up to 43.2% by the baseflow increase effect and the phosphorus-related water quality decreased up to 18.9% by the surface runoff decrease effect. The future FAI and BMI showed a little better Index grade while the future TDI showed a little worse index grade. We can infer that the future TDI is more sensitive to nitrogen-related water quality and the future FAI and BMI are responded to phosphorus-related water quality.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1-14
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• 2022

Recently, the risk of water disasters are increasing due to climate change and the aging of river levees. Existing conventional river embankment inspections have many limitations due to the consumption of a lot of manpower and budget. Thus, it is necessary to establish a new monitoring and forecast/warning method for effective flood response. This study proposes the river levee health monitoring system by analyzing the relationship between river levee deformation and hydrological factors using Sentinel-1. The variance index calculated in this study was classified into 4 grades. And the levees collapse section was judged to be a high vulnerable point in which the variance rapidly increased based on the result of the rapid increase in soil moisture. In the future, it is expected that it will be possible to advance levee maintenance technology and improve national disaster management through the advancement of the existing levee management system and automated monitoring through the forensic method that combines remote technology.