• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.13-26
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• 2004

This paper examined the possibility of NET application for a relative weather stress index in Korea. The characteristic of NET distribution used temperature, relative humidity, wind speed which forecasting at Korean Meteorological Administration were analyzed. Regional critical values of daily maximum NET of stress index for summer resembled the distribution of daily maximum temperature because were not impacted wind and humidity but temperature. Regional critical values of daily minimum NET of stress index for winter distributed variously compared with summer. The highland region and the northern region of Seoul were impacted of low temperature and coastal region which strong wind. The occurrences of stressful days did not vary in summer, but obviously increased in winter after mid-1990s.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.1-14
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• 2019

North Korea has frequently suffered from extreme agricultural crop droughts, which have led to food shortages, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The increasing frequency of extreme droughts, due to global warming and climate change, has increased the importance of enhancing the national capacity for drought management. Historically, a meteorological drought index based on data collected from weather stations has been widely used. But it has limitations in terms of the distribution of weather stations and the spatial pattern of drought impacts. Satellite-based data can be obtained with the same accuracy and at regular intervals, and is useful for long-term change analysis and environmental monitoring and wide area access in time and space. The Evaporative Stress Index (ESI), a satellite-based drought index using the ratio of potential and actual evaporation, is being used to detect drought response as a index of the droughts occurring rapidly over short periods of time. It is more accurate and provides faster analysis of drought conditions compared to the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). In this study, we analyze drought events during 2015-2017 in North Korea using the ESI satellite-based drought index to determine drought response by comparing with it with the SPI and SPEI drought indices.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.1399-1405
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• 2017

We compared the spatial distribution of several heat stress indices (the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature(WBGT) index, Environmental Stress Index (ESI), and Modified Discomfort Index(MDI)) for the heat wave of June 6~August 26, 2016, in Daegu. We calculated the heat stress indices using data from the high density urban climate observation network in Daegu. The observation system was established in February. 2013. We used data from a total of 38 air temperature observation points (23 thermometers and 18 automatic weather stations). The values of the heat stress indices indicated that the danger level was very high from 0900-2000h in downtown Daegu. The daily maximum value of the WBGT was greater than or equal to $35^{\circ}C$. The differences in the heat stress indices from downtown and rural areas were higher in the daytime than at nighttime. The maximum difference was about 4 before and after 1400h, and the time variations of the heat stress indices corresponded well. Thus, we were able to confirm that the ESI and MDI can be substituted with the WBGT index.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2017

Objective: This paper presents a study to evaluate the WBGT index for assessing the effects of a wide range of outdoor weather conditions on human responses. Background: The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index was firstly developed for the assessment of hot outdoor conditions. It is a recognised index that is used world-wide. It may be useful over a range of outdoor conditions and not just for hot climates. Method: Four group experiments, involving people performing a light stepping activity, were conducted to determine human responses to outside conditions in the U.K. They were conducted in September 2007 (autumn), December 2007 (winter), March 2008 (spring) and June 2008 (summer). Environmental measurements included WBGT, air temperature, radiant temperature (including solar load), humidity and wind speed all measured at 1.2m above the ground, as well as weather data measured by a standard weather station at 3m to 4m above the ground. Participants' physiological and subjective responses were measured. When the overall results of the four seasons are considered, WBGT provided a strong prediction of physiological responses as well as subjective responses if aural temperature, heart rate and sweat production were measured. Results: WBGT is appropriate to predict thermal strain on a large group of ordinary people in moderate conditions. Consideration should be given to include the WBGT index in warning systems for a wide range of weather conditions. However, the WBGT overestimated physiological responses of subjects. In addition, tenfold Borg's RPE was significantly different with heart rate measured for the four conditions except autumn (p<0.05). Physiological and subjective responses over 60 minutes consistently showed a similar tendency in the relationships with the $WBGT_{head}$ and $WBGT_{abdomen}$. Conclusion: It was found that either $WBGT_{head}$ or $WBGT_{abdomen}$ could be measured if a measurement should be conducted at only one height. The relationship between the WBGT values and weather station data was also investigated. There was a significant relationship between WBGT values at the position of a person and weather station data. For UK daytime weather conditions ranging from an average air temperature of $6^{\circ}C$ to $21^{\circ}C$ with mean radiant temperatures of up to $57^{\circ}C$, the WBGT index could be used as a simple thermal index to indicate the effects of weather on people. Application: The result of evaluation of WBGT might help to develop the smart clothing for workers in industrial sites and improve the work environment in terms of considering workers' wellness.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.324-335
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• 2023

Korea, located in East Asia in the northern hemisphere, is experiencing severe climate changes. Specifically, the heat stress caused by global warming is negatively affecting the dairy sector, including milk production and reproductive performance, as the major dairy cattle Holstein-Friesian is particularly susceptible to heat stress. Here, we collected artificial insemination and pregnancy data of the Holstein and the Jersey cows from a dairy farm from 2014 to 2021 and analyzed the association between the conception rate and the temperature-humidity index, calculated using the data from the closest official weather station. As the temperature-humidity index threshold increased, the conception rate gradually decreased. However, this decrease was steeper in the Holstein breed than in the Jersey one at a temperature-humidity index threshold of 75. To evaluate the effects of heat stress on the oocyte quality, we examined the nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of Holstein (n = 158, obtained from six animals) and Jersey oocytes (n = 123, obtained from six animals), obtained by ovum pick-up. There were no differences in the nuclear maturation between the different conditions (heat stress: 40.5℃, non- heat stress: 37.5℃) or breeds, although the Holstein oocytes seemed to have a lower metaphase II development (p = 0.0521) after in vitro maturation under heat stress conditions. However, we found that the Holstein metaphase II oocytes exposed to heat stress presented more reactive oxygen species and a peripheral distribution of the mitochondria, compared to those of the Jersey cattle. Here, we show that weather information from local meteorological stations can be used to calculate the temperature-humidity index threshold at which heat stress influences the conception rate, and that the Jersey cows are more tolerant to heat stress in terms of their conception rate at a temperature-humidity index over 75. The lower fertility of the Holstein cows is likely attributed to impaired cytoplasmic maturation induced by heat stress. Thus, the Jersey cows can be a good breed for the sustainability of dairy farms for addressing climate changes in South Korea, as they are more resistant to hyperthermia.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.839-849
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• 2003

Drought is one of the major environmental disasters. Weather data, particularity rainfall, are currently the primary source of information widely used for drought monitoring. However, weather data are often from a very sparse meteorological network, incomplete and/or not always available in good time to enable relatively accurate and timely drought detection. Data from remote sensing platforms can be used to complements weather data in drought. Therefore, data obtained from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer(AVHRR) sensor on board the NOAA polar-orbiting satellites have been studied as a tool for drought monitoring. The normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)-based vegetation condition index(VCI) were used in this study These indices showed their excellent ability to detect vegetation stress due to drought. The results clearly show that temporal and spatial characteristics of drought in Korea can be detected and mapped by the VCI index.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.179-188
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• 2022

Global warming causes climate change and increases extreme weather events worldwide, and the occurrence of heatwaves and droughts is also increasing in Korea. For the monitoring of extreme weather, various satellite data such as LST (Land Surface Temperature), TCI (Temperature Condition Index), NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), VCI (Vegetation Condition Index), and VHI (Vegetation Health Index) have been used. VHI, the combination of TCI and VCI, represents the vegetation stress affected by meteorological factors like precipitation and temperature and is frequently used to assess droughts under climate change. TCI and VCI require historical reference values for the LST and NDVI for each date and location. So, it is complicated to produce the VHI from the recent satellite GK2A (Geostationary Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-2A). This study examined the retrieval of VHI using GK2A AMI (Advanced Meteorological Imager) by referencing the historical data from VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) NDVI and LST as a proxy data. We found a close relationship between GK2A and VIIRS data needed for the retrieval of VHI. We produced the TCI, VCI, and VHI for GK2A during 2020-2021 at intervals of 8 days and carried out the interpretations of recent extreme weather events in Korea. GK2A VHI could express the changes in vegetation stress in 2020 due to various extreme weather events such as heatwaves (in March and June) and low temperatures (in April and July), and heavy rainfall (in August), while NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) VHI could not well represent such characteristics. The GK2A VHI presented in this study can be utilized to monitor the vegetation stress due to heatwaves and droughts if the historical reference values of LST and NDVI can be adjusted in a more statistically significant way in the future work.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.112-120
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• 2000

We have compared the regulations of hot environment workpaces between Korea and ACGIH, then pointed out some insufficiences of Korean regulations for occupational hygiene and safety. And investigated the heat stress characteristics of laboratory, lathe and foundry working. The metabolic heat loads of those workplaces were obtained as 120, 300 및 660 kcal/hr based on WBGT index. WBGT index could be depended on weather condition, therefore useful for controlling working and rest times etc, but Belding-hatch index was represented by strength of working, definitely this would be convinient result for arranging countermeasures of workers in hot environments by estimating metabolic heat and signs of fatigue.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.85-91
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• 2020

In order to calculate the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI), it is necessary to collect weather data (air temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation) and canopy temperature. However, it is not always available to have necessary data sets for CWSI calculation. Therefore, this study was aimed to develop an easy and simple CWSI equation (CWSI_EE) using only two data, air and canopy temperatures. Infrared sensors and weather sensors were installed on apple and peach trees and nearby a study area and every ten-minute data were collected from June to October in 2018 and 2019, respectively. A relationship between air-canopy temperature difference and CWSI was statistically analyzed and used to develop CWSI_EE using the three dimensional Gaussian model. The performance of CWSI_EE against original CWSI showed R² and NSE to 0.780 and 0.710 for apple trees and R² and NSE to 0.884 and 0.866 for peach trees. This study found that the level of crop water stress could be easily calculated using CWSI_EE with only air and canopy temperature data.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.253-264
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• 2010

This study investigates the relationship between daily mortality and heat stress in Seoul, using perceived temperatures (PT) derived from a heat budget model. During the summer season, observed PT intensity showed the biggest magnitude of summer heat stress from the middle 10 days of July to the first 10 days of August. The elderly (65 and above) were found to be the most vulnerable to heat stress. The threshold PT, with a significant increase in excess mortality, was $38^{\circ}C$. No time lagged effect was observed with summer heat stress, while a high correlation was observed between anomalies in PT and relative deviation of mortality. A comparison of the heat index and the discomfort index with excess mortality revealed that the discomfort index underestimated excess mortality, whereas the heat index could not appropriately explain the increase in excess mortality correlated with the increase in excess heat. In contrast, PT was found to be the weather element that best represents excess mortality due to heat stress, and is thus expected to serve as a more reliable forecast index of human biometeorology.