• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.61-93
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• 2019

This study is to apply Hedonic Price Method in analyzing residents' preferences for three types of urban green space (UGS, rivers, urban parks, and forests) near the apartment complexes in Seoul. Based on hedonic price function estimation results, residents in Seoul preferred for the urban amenity that was provided by the view and accessibility (in terms of both within 10 minutes and distance) of rivers and urban parks near the apartment complexes, but not forests. The annual benefits calculated using the shadow prices are about 550~600 thousand won for the urban park views and about 800 thousand won for the accessibility, which is 2-3 times higher than river views and accessibility. On the other hand, forest views and accessibility did not have significant effects on apartment prices, except the view of Bukhan mountain for the residents of Gangbuk area. Based on the empirical results, Seoul residents' preferences for urban parks would have important implications for the urban park sunset program that will be initiated from July 2020.

• 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 Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.687-700
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• 2022

For comprehensively assessment the water resources performance of multi-purpose dams and water supply dams in South Korea, a methodology was proposed to utilize the durational reliability along with the integrated auxiliary indicators including resiliency, dimensionless vulnerability, water resource efficiency, specific inflow, and specific water supply. In addition, for the purpose of sustainable dam operation in the future, a plan to grade the water resources performance was presented to periodically evaluate the performance and determine the priority of each dam's structural or non-structural planning according to the evaluation results. As major results, in the case of Sumjingang Dam, the durational reliability was 99.0%, but the integrated auxiliary index was the lowest of 44 points, which was 5th grade. This means that despite the current high reliability, hydrological changes due to future climate change or regional change of water demand-supply balance can have significant impacts on the water resources performances. In contrast, the Chungju Dam with a durational reliability of 93.0%, which is below the average among all multi-purpose dams, shows the 76 points of the integrated auxiliary index, which is 3^rd highest following the Soyanggang Dam and the Namgang Dam. Nevertheless, due to the size of the basin, the specific inflow is sufficiently high as 185%, so the actual performance could be evaluated relatively high. The water supply dams designed for a single purpose tend to be evaluated relatively high because they have a high proportion of industrial and municipal water supply and have enough room for the supply capacity.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.381-395
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• 2023

This paper presents a GIS-based site suitability analysis for a smart hydrogen energy plant in the Gangwon-Do region, South Korea. A GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was implemented in this study to identify the most suitable sites for the development of smart hydrogen energy plants. The study utilizes various spatial data layers, including hydrogen generation potential and climatic conditions, environmental and topographic conditions, and natural catastrophic conditions, to evaluate the suitability of potential sites for the hydrogen energy plant. The spatial data layers were then used to rank and prioritize the sites based on suitability. The findings revealed that 4.26% of the study area, or 712.14 km², was suitable for constructing smart hydrogen energy plants. Some regions of Cheorwon-gun, Chuncheon-si, Wonju-si, Yanggu-gun, Gangneung-si, Hoengseong-gun, and near the coastal region along the east coast were found to be suitable for solar and wind energy utilization. The proposed MCDA provides a valuable tool for decision-makers and stakeholders to make informed decisions on the location of smart hydrogen energy plants and supports the transition to a sustainable and low-carbon energy system. Decision-makers can use the results of this study to select suitable sites for constructing smart hydrogen energy plants.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.107-121
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• 2023

The assessment of perceived naturalness aims to elucidate the human perception and explain the interaction between natural environments and humans. The perception of ecological assets that exhibit distinct characteristics within a specific region can manifest in various representations. Based on the users' perceptions and interviews regarding ecological assets, this study assessed the perceived naturalness from a cultural services perspective. Specifically, the discussions on Ansan City's ecological assets and revolved around the inherent value of naturalness in dimensions, such as the necessity for conservation and the sustainable development of ecological assets, the perception of ecosystem benefits, the representativeness as a local asset, and usability. Subsequently, the Q method was employed to present 25 representative ecological assets to 25 users. As a result, user groups with different value systems for each question were identified, and hypothetical personas for cultural service enjoyment were distinguished. The most representative persona among the 25 users was identified as AWP (a type that values the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, prefers waterfront landscapes, and enjoys walking). Since perceived naturalness is conceptually similar to the "benefits perceived by users" in evaluating ecosystem services, it can provide more practical evaluation criteria for cultural services.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.267-273
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• 2023

Algae are an important component of the ecosystem. However, the excessive growth of cyanobacteria has various harmful effects on river environments, and diatoms affect the management of water supply processes. Algal monitoring is essential for sustainable and efficient algae management. In this study, an object detection model was developed that detects and classifies images of four types of harmful cyanobacteria used for the criteria of the algae alert system, and one diatom, Synedra sp.. You Only Look Once(YOLO) v8, the latest version of the YOLO model, was used for the development of the model. The mean average precision (mAP) of the base model was analyzed as 64.4. Five models were created to increase the diversity of the input images used for model training by performing rotation, magnification, and reduction of original images. Changes in model performance were compared according to the composition of the input images. As a result of the analysis, the model that applied rotation, magnification, and reduction showed the best performance with mAP 86.5. The mAP of the model that only used image rotation, combined rotation and magnification, and combined image rotation and reduction were analyzed as 85.3, 82.3, and 83.8, respectively.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.117-136
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• 2024

Deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste is imperative to national safety and environmental protection and it relies on establishing siting criteria suited to the geological and social conditions of each country. This paper compares the various geological and social criteria applied by different countries in the process of securing sites for the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The present comparative analysis considers the siting criteria established by the worlds leading countries in high-level radioactive waste disposal with the aims of establishing detailed criteria appropriate to Korea's conditions and applying the criteria to explore safe and suitable sites for deep geological disposal. The findings of this research are expected to serve as a foundation for establishing criteria for the selection of disposal sites for high-level radioactive waste in Korea and are anticipated to contribute significantly to sustainable national development and environmental protection.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.165-179
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• 2024

It is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of inundation and water cycle in urban areas for mitigating flood risks and sustainable water resources management. In this study, we developed a Cellular Automata-based integrated Water cycle model (CAW). A comparative analysis with physics-based and conventional cellular automata-based models was performed in an urban watershed in Portland, USA, to evaluate the adequacy of spatiotemporal inundation simulation in the context of a high-resolution setup. A high similarity was found in the maximum inundation maps by CAW and Weighted Cellular Automata 2 Dimension (WCA2D) model presumably due to the same diffuse wave assumption, showing an average Root-Mean-Square-Error (RMSE) value of 1.3 cm and high scores of binary pattern indices (HR 0.91, FAR 0.02, CSI 0.90). Furthermore, through multiple simulation experiments estimating the effects of land cover and soil conditions on inundation and infiltration, as the impermeability rate increased by 41%, the infiltration decreased by 54% (4.16 mm/m²) while the maximum inundation depth increased by 10% (2.19 mm/m²). It was expected that high-resolution integrated inundation and water cycle analysis considering various land cover and soil conditions in urban areas would be feasible using CAW.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.43-58
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• 2015

The greenhouse gas emission caused by rapid economic growth and population is increasing in Korea. Also, climate change from greenhouse gases emission is accelerated. IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report projects an increase of greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from the year 2000 to 2030(SRES, 2000). Within this context, establishing countermeasures on climate adaptation and mitigation is becoming increasingly important to reduce the negative effect of climate change at a global level. Along with global efforts to tackle climate change, Korean government has incorporated 'Low Carbon Green Growth'strategies into its national policy agenda. Local governments have also conducted a number of studies to devise plans for environmentally friendly and sustainable city development. In this paper, the land-use equilibrium model, which reflects economic and geographical characteristics, is used to analyze the change in residential land use and population density. The target area for study is Jeju island in Korea. With an application of land use equilibrium model, it derived three types of scenarios of the land use change: (1) dispersion scenario-reflecting present-day conditions (2) adaptation scenario-applying adaptation measures to climate change and (3) combined scenario-integrating both adaptation and mitigation measures in model to climate change. By applying dispersion to combined scenario, the general trend shows a downward shift in population density. Subsequently, energy consumption and expected cost associated with casualties were calculated on the basis of the findings of respective scenario. The results show a descending trend in energy consumption and expected casualtie. Therefore, understanding for residential land use and population density of each scenario that analyzed land use equilibrium model in the study is expected to devise a environmental city plan for climate change stabilization and climate adaptation and mitigation.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.12-23
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• 2023

The goal of international development projects is to assist sustainable development in recipient countries through foreign aid from donor countries. However, despite the need for both countries to negotiate and work together from the initial stages to maintain sustainability after the project, clear guidelines or standards have not been established. Additionally, despite the need for donor countries, which are relatively advanced, to understand the situation of recipient countries, many projects are donor-centric and fail to prioritize the value of sustainability. Therefore, this study extracted economic, social, and environmental risks that threaten sustainability through literature review and proposed a sustainability framework based on these criteria. To validate framework, actual international development cases conducted by advanced donor countries such as Australia, the United States, and Japan, in collaboration with South Korea, were analyzed by applying content analysis with the reports, which covers the overall contents from the planning stage to the operation stage. Analysis of sustainability perspectives focused on economy, society and the environment, advanced donor countries emphasized (1) the importance of pre-assessment, (2) the need for coordination with the local population and communities despite the existence of donor-specific values, and (3) addressing economic considerations such as pre-operational and maintenance costs, social communication with the local population, and environmental considerations starting from the initial stages of construction regarding the treatment of pollutants as values to be improved. Compared to other advanced donor countries, the Republic of Korea should also focus on consultation with local residents to achieve social integration, and improve sustainability by deployment the managers in local sites for better negotiation.The proposed framework in this study will serve as a tool to enhance communication among the countries and the locals, with the expectation of increasing project efficiency and sustainability.