• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.68-77
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• 2022

The human thermal environment in an apartment complex located in Seoul was quantitatively analyzed to devise methods to modify human heat-related stresses in landscape and urban planning. Microclimatic data (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and short- and long-wave radiation) were collected at 6 locations [Apt-center, roof (cement), roof (grass), ground, playground, and a tree-lined road] in the late spring and summer, and the data were used to estimate the human thermal sensation, physiological equivalent temperature (PET) and universal thermal climate index (UTCI). As a result, the playground location had the highest thermal environment, and the roof (grass) location had the lowest. The mean difference between the two locations was 0.8-1.1℃ in air temperature, 1.8-4.0% in relative humidity, and 7.5-8.0℃ in mean radiant temperature. In open space locations, the wind speed was 0.4-0.5 ms-1 higher than others. Also, a wind tunnel effect happened at the Apt-center location during the afternoon. For the human thermal sensation, PET and UTCI, the mean differences between the playground and roof (grass) locations were: 5.2℃ (Max. 11.7℃) in late spring and 5.4℃ (Max. 18.1℃) in summer in PET; and 3.0℃ (Max. 6.1℃) in late spring and 2.6℃ (Max. 9.8℃) in summer in UTCI. The mean differences indicated a level change in PET and 1/2 level in UTCI, and the maximum differences showed greater changes, 2-3 levels in PET, and 1-1.5 levels in UTCI. Moreover, the roof (grass) location gave 4.6℃ PET reduction and a 2.5℃ UTCI reduction in late spring, and a 4.4℃ PET reduction and a 2.0℃ UTCI reduction in the summer when compared with the roof (cement) location, which results in a 2/3 level change in PET and a 1/3 level in UTCI. Green infrastructure locations [roof (grass), ground, and a tree-lined road] were not statistically significant in the reduction of PET and UTCI in thermal environment modifying effects. The implementation of green infrastructure, such as rooftop gardens, grass pavement, and street tree planting, should be adopted in landscape planning and be employed for human thermal environment modification.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.389-401
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• 2023

Climate, weather, insolation (solar radiation), and solar energy in major cities of Tajikistan were investigated prior to construction of infrastructure for the Dushanbe Solar Station. In Dushanbe city there was a 70% probability of sunny days from May 16 to October 23, a period of 5.2 months. August had the most sunny days of in the year, with 99% probability of a sunny, the cloudiest month was February with a 41% chance of being sunny. In major cities of the Sughd and Gorno-Badakhshan states, the average number of cloudy days per month was ~3.3, with Dzhauz having 53 day and Fedchnko Glacier 79 days. For the 18 major cities of Tajikistan, the average annual total solar radiation was 2,429 W/m², and the average monthly solar radiation was 202 W/m². The city with the lowest annual total and monthly average solar radiation was Shartuz in Sughd state, with values ~2.7% less than the national average. The cities with the highest annual total and monthly average solar radiation were Khorog and Jirgatol in Gorno-Badakhshan state, with values ~10% above the national average. The daily average incident shortwave solar energy in the cities Dushanbe, Karakul, and Jirgatol was ~7.8 kWh per 2.4 m² during summer (May-August), and 2.7 kWh during winter (November-February), or ~35% that of summer.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.105-112
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• 2017

In order to analyze the effect of street trees on human thermal sensation(thermal comfort) in summer, microclimatic data were measured and analyzed at sunny and shaded locations of two deciduous broadleaf and three broadleaf evergreen species of street trees. As a result, the mean differences by species in air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed were small: $0.2{\sim}1.5^{\circ}C$, 0.9~5.3% and $0.1{\sim}0.5 ms^{-1}$, respectively, but the mean difference in the mean radiant temperature was great, $27.1^{\circ}C$. In the results of physiological equivalent temperature(PET) and universal thermal climate index(UTCI), which are human thermal sensation(thermal comfort) indexes, the shaded locations by the trees showed mean reduction rates of 21.2~31.3% in the PET compared with the sunny location, which are equivalent to 1.5~2.5 levels of thermal perception. Also, 12.7~20.0% in the UTCI was reduced by the trees' shadows, which is equivalent to 1~1.5 levels of heat stress. In addition, although the broadleaf evergreen trees had 5% greater mean reduction in PET than that of the deciduous broadleaf trees, the Zelkova serrata that belonged to the deciduous broadleaf trees showed the equivalent thermal reduction effect as the broadleaf evergreen trees because of the high density of branches and leaves. Therefore, the mean radiant temperature and the density of the crown(branches and leaves) were the main influences in thermal modification by these street trees in summer.

• Atmosphere
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2022

Corona Virus Disease 19 pandemic (COVID-19) causes many deaths worldwide, and has enormous impacts on society and economy. The COVID-19 was caused by a new type of coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Cornonavirus 2; SARS-CoV-2), which has been found that these viruses can be effectively inactivated by ultraviolet (UV) radiation of 290~315 nm. In this study, 90% inactivation time of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was analyzed using ground observation data from Brewer spectrophotometer at Yonsei University, Seoul and simulation data from UVSPEC for the period of 2015~2017 and 2020. Based on 12:00-13:00 noon time, the shortest virus inactivation time were estimated as 13.5 minutes in June and 4.8 minutes in July/August, respectively, under all sky and clear sky conditions. In the diurnal and seasonal variations, SARS-CoV-2 could be inactivated by 90% when exposed to UV radiation within 60 minutes from 10:00 to 14:00, for the period of spring to autumn. However, in winter season, the natural prevention effect was meaningless because the intensity of UV radiation weakened, and the time required for virus inactivation increased. The spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 is related to various and complex interactions of several variables, but the natural inactivation of viruses by UV radiation presented in this study, especially seasonal differences, need to be considered as major variables.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.603-616
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• 2016

In this study, the effects of differential heating by land-use types on flow and air temperature at an Seoul Automated Synoptic Observing Systems (ASOS) located at Songwol-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul was analyzed. For this, a computation fluid dynamics (CFD) model was coupled to the local data assimilation and prediction system (LDAPS) for reflecting the local meteorological characteristics at the boundaries of the CFD model domain. Time variation of temperatures on solid surfaces was calculated using observation data at El-Oued, Algeria of which latitude is similar to that of the target area. Considering land-use type and shadow, surface temperatures were prescribed in the LDAPS-CFD coupled model. The LDAPS overestimated wind speeds and underestimated air temperature compared to the observations. However, a coupled LDAPS-CFD model relatively well reproduced the observed wind speeds and air temperature, considering complicated flows and surface temperatures in the urban area. In the morning when the easterly was dominant around the target area, both the LDAPS and coupled LDAPS-CFD model underestimated the observed temperatures at the Seoul ASOS. This is because the Kyunghee Palace located at the upwind region was composed of green area and its surface temperature was relatively low. However, in the afternoon when the southeasterly was dominant, the LDAPS still underestimated, on the while, the coupled LDAPS-CFD model well reproduced the observed temperatures at the Seoul ASOS by considering the building-surface heating.