• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.435-445
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• 2023

A delta is a depositional landform that is formed when sediment transported by a river is deposited in a relatively low-energy environment, such as a lake, sea, or a main channel. Among these, a delta formed at the confluence of rivers has a great importance in river management and research because it has a significant impact on the hydraulic and sedimentological characteristics of the river. Recently, the equilibrium state of the confluence area has been disrupted by large-scale dredging and construction of levees in the Nakdong River. However, due to the natural recovery of the river, the confluence area is returning to its pre-dredging natural state through ongoing sedimentation. The time-series data show that the confluence delta has been steadily growing since the dredging, but once it reaches a certain size, it repeats growth and retreat, and the overall size does not change significantly. In this study, we developed a model to explain the sedimentation-erosion processes in the confluence area based on the assumption that the confluence delta reaches a dynamic equilibrium. The model is based on two fundamental principles: sedimentation due to supply from the tributary and erosion due to the main channel. The erosion coefficient that represents the Nakdong River confluence areas, was obtained using data from the tributaries of the Nakdong River. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using the developed model to understand how the confluence delta responds to changes in the sediment and water discharges of the tributary and the main channel, respectively. We then used annual average discharge of the Nakdong River's tributaries to predict the dynamic equilibrium positions of the confluence deltas. Finally, we conducted a simulation experiment on the development of the Gamcheon-Nakdong River delta using recorded daily discharge. The results showed that even though it is a simple model, it accurately predicted the dynamic equilibrium positions of the confluence deltas in the Nakdong River, including the areas where the delta had not formed, and those where the delta had already formed and predicted the trend of the response of the Gamcheon-Nakdong River delta. However, the actual retreat in the Gamcheon-Nakdong River delta was not captured fully due to errors and limitations in the simplification process. The insights through this study provide basic information on the sediment supply of the Nakdong River through the confluence areas, which can be implemented as a basic model for river maintenance and management.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2024

This study analyzed the effect of warming on PM_2.5 aerosol production in mid-latitude East Asia during June 2020 using PM_2.5 aerosol anomalies, which were identified by incorporating meteorological and climate data into the Weather Research Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model. The decadal temperature change trend over a 30-year period (1991-2020) in East Asia showed that recent warming has been greater in summer than in winter. Summer warming in East Asia generated low and high pressure in the lower and upper troposphere, respectively, over China. The boundary between the lower tropospheric low and upper tropospheric high pressure sloped along the terrain from the Tibetan Plateau to Korea. The eastern China, Yellow Sea, and Korean regions experienced a convergence of warm and humid southwesterly airflows originating from the East China Sea with the development of a northwesterly Pacific high pressure. In June 2020, the highest temperatures were observed since 1973 in Korea. Meanwhile, enhanced warming in East Asia increased the production of PM_2.5 aerosols that travelled long distances from eastern China to Korea. PM_2.5 anomalies, which were derived solely by inputting meteorological and climatic data (1991-2020) into the WRF-Chem model and excluding emission variations, showed a positive distribution extending from eastern China to South Korea across the Yellow Sea as well as over the Pacific Northwest. Thus, the contribution of warming to PM_2.5 aerosols in East Asia during June 2020 was more than 50%. In particular, PM_2.5 aerosols were transported from eastern China to Korea through the Yellow Sea, where the warm and humid southwesterly airflows implied wet scavenging of sulfate but promoted nitrate production.