• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.6_1
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• pp.1047-1056
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• 2022

Sea ice, frozen sea water, in the Artic is a primary indicator of global warming. Due to its importance to the climate system, shipping-route navigation, and fisheries, Arctic sea ice prediction has gained increased attention in various disciplines. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), motivated by a desire to develop more autonomous and efficient future predictions, have led to the development of new sea ice prediction models as alternatives to conventional numerical and statistical prediction models. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the two-stream convolutional long-and short-term memory (TS-ConvLSTM) AI model, which is designed for learning both global and local characteristics of the Arctic sea ice changes, for the minimum September Arctic sea ice from 2001 to 2021, and to show the possibility for an operational prediction system. Although the TS-ConvLSTM model generally increased the prediction performance as training data increased, predictability for the marginal ice zone, 5-50% concentration, showed a negative trend due to increasing first-year sea ice and warming. Additionally, a comparison of sea ice extent predicted by the TS-ConvLSTM with the median Sea Ice Outlooks (SIOs) submitted to the Sea Ice Prediction Network has been carried out. Unlike the TS-ConvLSTM, the median SIOs did not show notable improvements as time passed (i.e., the amount of training data increased). Although the TS-ConvLSTM model has shown the potential for the operational sea ice prediction system, learning more spatio-temporal patterns in the difficult-to-predict natural environment for the robust prediction system should be considered in future work.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.6_1
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• pp.1245-1255
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• 2022

Terra Nova Bay polynya (TNBP) is a representative coastal polynya in East Antarctica, which is formed by strong katabatic winds. As the TNBP is one of the major sea ice factory in East Antarctica and has a great impact on regional ocean circulation and surrounding marine ecosystem, it is very important to analyze its area change and development characteristics. In this study, we detected the TNBP from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical images obtained from April 2007 to April 2022 by visually analyzing the stripes caused by the Langmuir circulation effect and the boundary between the polynya and surrounding sea ice. Then, we analyzed the area change and development characteristics of the TNBP. The TNBP occurred frequently but in a small size during the Antarctic winter (April-July) when strong katabatic winds blow, whereas it developed in a large size in March and November when sea ice thickness is thin. The 12-hour mean wind speed before the satellite observations showed a correlation coefficient of 0.577 with the TNBP area. This represents that wind has a significant effect on the formation of TNBP, and that other environmental factors might also affect its development process. The direction of TNBP expansion was predominantly determined by the wind direction and was partially influenced by the local ocean current. The results of this study suggest that the influences of environmental factors related to wind, sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere should be analyzed in combination to identify the development characteristics of TNBP.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.741-749
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• 2022

Major space agencies are planning for the rover-based lunar exploration since water-ice was detected in permanently shadowed regions (PSR). Although sunlight does not directly reach the PSRs, it is expected that reflected sunlight sustains a certain level of low-light environment. In this research, the indoor testbed was made to simulate the PSR's lighting and topological conditions, to which low light enhancement methods (CLAHE, Dehaze, RetinexNet, GLADNet) were applied to restore image brightness and color as well as to investigate their influences on the performance of feature extraction and matching methods (SIFT, SURF, ORB, AKAZE). The experiment results show that GLADNet and Dehaze images in order significantly improve image brightness and color. However, the performance of the feature extraction and matching methods were improved by Dehaze and GLADNet images in order, especially for ORB and AKAZE. Thus, in the lunar exploration, Dehaze is appropriate for building 3D topographic map whereas GLADNet is adequate for geological investigation.

• Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.160-177
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• 2021

The Solar and Space Environment Division of the Korean Space Science Society investigated the use and possession of ground and satellite observations and models of solar and planetary data operated by domestic research institutes and universities. Based on the findings, we would like to introduce observational instruments, data, and models in solar and interplanetary fields in this paper to improve understanding and use of each data and explore opportunities for interdisciplinary research. The ground and satellite observations, which require a lot of investment, were mainly held by research institutes (National Meteorological Satellite Center, Polar Research Institute, Korean Space Weather, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and KAIST Satellite Research Institute), and model development was overwhelmingly carried out at Kyung Hee University. In solar and interplanetary fields, we introduce Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph (FISS), neutron monitors, and the analysis models [for the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) and Hinode/X-Ray Telescope (XRT) observations] in nonequilibrium ionization state as representatives. Survey on solar and interplanetary fields can be downloaded from the website of the Korean Space Science Society (http://ksss.or.kr/). The paper makes know the importance of long-term and continuous management of space science-related materials, and hopes to contribute to enhancing the status of domestic space science data by utilizing locally produced data by various personnel participating in space science research.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.144-157
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• 2022

Noble gases, which are chemically inert and behave conservatively in marine environments, have been used as tracers of physical processes such as air-sea gas exchange, mixing of water masses, and distribution of glacial meltwater in the ocean. For precise measurements of Ne, Ar, and Kr, we developed a mass spectrometric system consisting of a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS), a high vacuum preparation line, an activated charcoal cryogenic trap (ACC), and a set of isotope standard gases. The high vacuum line consists of three sections: (1) a sample extraction section that extracts the dissolved gases in the sample and mixes them with the standard gases, (2) a gas preparation section that removes reactive gases using getters and separates the noble gases according to their evaporation points with the ACC, and (3) a gas analysis section that measures concentrations of each noble gas. The ACC attached to the gas preparation section markedly lowered the partial pressures of Ar and CO₂ in the QMS, which resulted in a reduced uncertainty of Ne isotope analysis. The isotope standard gases were prepared by mixing ²²Ne, ³⁶Ar, and ⁸⁶Kr. The amounts of each element in the mixed standard gases were determined by the reverse isotope dilution method with repeated measurements of the atmosphere. The analytical system achieved precisions for Ne, Ar, and Kr concentrations of 0.7%, 0.7%, and 0.4%, respectively. The accuracies confirmed by the analyses of air-equilibrated water were 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.7% for Ne, Ar, and Kr, respectively.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2023

This study applied a metagenomic analysis of the penguins' gut microbiome from fecal samples of Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) living along the Ross Sea, Antarctica. As a result of taxonomic analysis, 7 phyla and 18 families were mainly present in the gut microbiome of Adélie and Emperor penguins. To assess microbial diversity, we performed alpha diversity and OTU abundance analyses. It was confirmed that the Adélie Penguin's gut microbial species had a higher diversity than Emperor Penguin's. Based on the Beta diversity analysis using PCoA, differences were observed in the clustering between Adélie and Emperor penguins, respectively. Through the KEGG pathway analysis using PICRUSt, the nucleoside and nucleotide biosynthesis pathway was the most prevalent in Adélie and Emperor penguins. This study enabled a comparison and analysis of the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome in Adélie and Emperor Penguins. It could be utilized for future research related to penguin feeding habits and could serve as a foundation for analyzing the gut microbiomes of various other Antarctic organisms.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.364-374
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• 2008

Antarctic Environmental Monitoring Handbook' was published by COMNAP/SCAR in 2000. The standardized method described in this handbook is recommended for monitoring of antarctic environment. High pressure bomb technique in this guide was used to decompose soil samples. In compliance with this guide book, high pressure bomb technique was applied to decompose the antarctic soil sampled at the King Sejong Station. An Isotope Dilution-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS) was applied to determine mass concentrations of Pb, Cu and Zn in the soil. The accuracy in this method was verified by the analysis of certified reference materials (CRM) of NIST 2702 (marine sediment). The analytical results agreed with certified value within the range from 99.5~100.8%. Matrix separation was necessitated for the determination of Cu and Zn by Chelex 100 ion exchange resin. As a result, the average mass concentrations of Pb, Cu and Zn which are suspected to be caused by anthropogenic pollution were 332.9 mg/kg, 95.6 mg/kg and 115.3 mg/kg, respectively. Those for the metals sampled in the soils of the remote regions from the station were 28.1 mg/kg, 101.8 mg/kg and 115.6 mg/kg, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.199-212
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• 2023

Diffusion is a powerful tool to understand geological processes recorded in terrestrial rocks as well as extraterrestrial materials. Since the diffusive exchange of elements or isotopes may have occurred differently in the solar nebula (high temperature and rapid cooling) and on the parent bodies (fluid-assisted thermal metamorphism at relatively low temperature), it is particularly important to model elemental or isotopic diffusion profiles within the mineral grains to better understand the evolution of the early solar system. A numerical model with the finite difference method for the fast grain boundary diffusion was established for the exchange of elements or isotopes between constituent minerals in a closed system. The fast grain boundary diffusion numerical model was applied to 1) ²⁶Mg variation in plagioclase of an amoeboid olivine aggregate (AOA) from a CH chondrite and 2) Fe-Mg interdiffusion between chondrules, AOA, and matrix minerals in a CO chondrite. Equilibrium isotopic fractionation and equilibrium partitioning were also included in the numerical model, based on the assumption that equilibrium can be reached at the interfaces of mineral crystals. The numerical model showed that diffusion profiles observed in chondrite samples likely resulted from the diffusive exchange of elements or isotopes between the constituent minerals. This study also showed that the closure temperature is determined not only by the mineral with the slowest diffusivity in the system, but also strongly depends on the constituent mineral abundances.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.24-31
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• 2007

Global fates of polychlorinated biphenyl(PCB) were investigated with a fugacity based multimedia transport and fate model, Globe-POP(persistent organic pollutant). The accumulation of PCB was directly affected by the emission patterns of PCB into the atmosphere and surface areas of environmental compartments. Partition coefficients and reaction rates also influenced on the accumulation patterns of PCB. The emission patterns of PCB in 10 climate zones were consistent for the past 70 years, while the contribution of PCB in high-latitude zones to the globe has increased by cold condensation. Considering the amounts of emission and accumulation of PCB, the North temperature zone is regarded as an important source and sink of PCB. Meanwhile, in spite of no significant sources, POPs accumulate in Antarctic environments mainly due to extremely low temperature. Finally we suggested that a global water balance accounting for snow/ice should be incorporated into multimedia environmental models for high-latitude zones and polar regions with the seasonal snow pack and/or permanent ice caps. The modified model will be useful to evaluate the influence of climate change on the fate of POPs.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2009

Stable carbon isotope analysis was used to investigate the autotrophic carbon sources supporting fisheries in three coastal bay systems of the southern coast of Korea. Carbon isotope ratios (${\delta}^{13}C$) of 31 fish species were analysed and compared with those of a range of potential primary food sources [e.g., seagrass (Zostera marina), seagrass epiphytes, benthic microalgae, macroalgae, marine particulate organic matter (marine POM), marsh plant (Phragmites australis) and terrestrial POM]. ${\delta}^{13}C$ values (range, -16.2${\sim}$-8.3‰) of fishes from the coastal embayment systems were overlapped with those of seagrass (-8.3${\pm}$1.9‰), seagrass epiphytes (-12.4${\pm}$0.6‰), benthic microalgae (-15.4${\pm}$1.6‰) and macroalgae (-16.0${\pm}$1.8‰). In addition, fishes (-12.9${\pm}$1.5‰) from the study area had distinctly higher ${\delta}^{13}C$ values compared to those collected in offshore sites (-17.3${\pm}$0.8‰) of the southern sea of Korea and Nakdong River (-23.2${\pm}$1.6‰). This result indicates that carbon supporting fish communities of these coastal bay systems is mainly derived from the local benthic producers.