• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.863-874
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the future climate change impact on stream aquatic ecology health of Han River watershed ($34,148km^2$) using SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and random forest. The 8 years (2008~2015) spring (April to June) Aquatic ecology Health Indices (AHI) such as Trophic Diatom Index (TDI), Benthic Macroinvertebrate Index (BMI) and Fish Assessment Index (FAI) scored (0~100) and graded (A~E) by NIER (National Institute of Environmental Research) were used. The 8 years NIER indices with the water quality (T-N, $NH_4$, $NO_3$, T-P, $PO_4$) showed that the deviation of AHI score is large when the concentration of water quality is low, and AHI score had negative correlation when the concentration is high. By using random forest, one of the Machine Learning techniques for classification analysis, the classification results for the 3 indices grade showed that all of precision, recall, and f1-score were above 0.81. The future SWAT hydrology and water quality results under HadGEM3-RA RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) showed that the future nitrogen-related water quality in watershed average increased up to 43.2% by the baseflow increase effect and the phosphorus-related water quality decreased up to 18.9% by the surface runoff decrease effect. The future FAI and BMI showed a little better Index grade while the future TDI showed a little worse index grade. We can infer that the future TDI is more sensitive to nitrogen-related water quality and the future FAI and BMI are responded to phosphorus-related water quality.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2020

Land use in watersheds has been shown to be a major driving factor in determining the status of the water quality of streams. In this light, scientists have been investigating the roles of riparian vegetation on the relationships between land use in watersheds and the associated stream water quality. Numerous studies reported that riparian vegetation could alleviate the adverse effects caused by land use in watersheds and on stream water quality through various hydrological, biochemical and ecological mechanisms. However, this concept has been criticized as the true effects of riparian vegetation must be assessed by comprehensive models that mimic real environmental settings. This study aimed to estimate a comprehensive structural equation model integrating topography, land use, and characteristics of riparian vegetation. We used water quality data from the Nakdong River system monitored under the National Aquatic Ecosystem Monitoring Program (NAEMP) of the Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE). Also, riparian vegetation data and land use data were extracted from the Land Use/Land Cover map (LULC) produced by the MOE. The number of structural equation models (SEMs) were estimated in Amos of IBM SPSS. Study results revealed that land use was determined by elevation, and developed areas within a watershed significantly increased the concentration of Total Nitrogen (TN) in streams and LDI in riparian vegetation. On the contrary, developed areas significantly reduced LPI and PLAND. At the same time, PLAND and LDI significantly reduced the concentration of TN in streams. Thus, it was clear that developed areas in watersheds had both a direct and an indirect impact on the concentration of TN in streams, and spatial pattern and the amount of vegetation of riparian vegetation could significantly alleviate the negative impacts of developed areas on TN concentration in streams. To enhance stream water quality, reducing developed areas in a watershed is critical for long-term watershed management plans, restoration patterns for riparian vegetation could be immediately implemented since riparian areas were less developed than most other watersheds.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.19-32
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• 2007

In Korea, there have been various methods of estimating groundwater recharge which generally can be subdivided into three types: baseflow separation method by means of groundwater recession curve, water budget analysis based on lumped conceptual model in watershed, and water table fluctuation method (WTF) by using the data from groundwater monitoring wells. However, groundwater recharge rate shows the spatial-temporal variability due to climatic condition, land use and hydrogeological heterogeneity, so these methods have various limits to deal with these characteristics. To overcome these limitations, we present a new method of estimating recharge based on water balance components from the SWAT-MODFLOW which is an integrated surface-ground water model. Groundwater levels in the interest area close to the stream have dynamics similar to stream flow, whereas levels further upslope respond to precipitation with a delay. As these behaviours are related to the physical process of recharge, it is needed to account for the time delay in aquifer recharge once the water exits the soil profile to represent these features. In SWAT, a single linear reservoir storage module with an exponential decay weighting function is used to compute the recharge from soil to aquifer on a given day. However, this module has some limitations expressing recharge variation when the delay time is too long and transient recharge trend does not match to the groundwater table time series, the multi-reservoir storage routing module which represents more realistic time delay through vadose zone is newly suggested in this study. In this module, the parameter related to the delay time should be optimized by checking the correlation between simulated recharge and observed groundwater levels. The final step of this procedure is to compare simulated groundwater table with observed one as well as to compare simulated watershed runoff with observed one. This method is applied to Mihocheon watershed in Korea for the purpose of testing the procedure of proper estimation of spatio-temporal groundwater recharge distribution. As the newly suggested method of estimating recharge has the advantages of effectiveness of watershed model as well as the accuracy of WTF method, the estimated daily recharge rate would be an advanced quantity reflecting the heterogeneity of hydrogeology, climatic condition, land use as well as physical behaviour of water in soil layers and aquifers.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.1-11
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• 2012

This study focused on establishing a natural rainwater circulation system using rainwater meant for relatively large urban development projects such as a new town development. In particular, when the location selection techniques for individual elements of a natural rainwater circulation system are developed for the integrated rainwater management, changes in hydrological environment will be minimized and the natural water circulation would be restored to realize the low impact development (LID). In that case, not only the excess will be reduced but water space and green areas in a city would also increase to improve the urban sustainability. First of all, there were five elements selected for the location selection of a rainwater circulation system intended for the integrated rainwater management: rainwater collection, infiltration, filtration, retention and movement spaces. After generating these items, the location selection items and criteria were defined for each of the five elements. For a technique to apply the generated evaluation items and criteria, a grid cell analysis was conducted based m the suitability index theory, and thematic maps were overlapped through suitability assessment of each element and graded based on the suitability index. The priority areas were identified for each element. The developed technique was applied to a site where Gim-cheon Innovation City development is planned to review its feasibility and limitations. The combined score of the overlapped map for each element was separated into five levels: very low, low, moderate, high and very high. Finally, it was concluded that creating a rainwater circulation system conceptual map m the current land use plan based on the outcome of the application would be useful in building a water circulation system at the de1ailed space planning stage after environmental and ecological planning. Furthermore, we use the results of this study as a means for environment-friendly urban planning for sustainable urban development.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.307-316
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• 2010

Complex terrain refers to irregular surface properties of the earth that influence gradients in climate, lateral transfer of materials, landscape distribution in soils properties, habitat selection of organisms, and via human preferences, the patterning in development of land use. Complex terrain of mountainous areas represents ca. 20% of the Earth's terrestrial surface; and such regions provide fresh water to at least half of humankind. Most major river systems originate in such terrain, and their resources are often associated with socio-economic competition and political disputes. The goals of the TERRECO-IRTG focus on building a bridge between ecosystem understanding in complex terrain and spatial assessments of ecosystem performance with respect to derived ecosystem services. More specifically, a coordinated assessment framework will be developed from landscape to regional scale applications to quantify trade-offs and will be applied to determine how shifts in climate and land use in complex terrain influence naturally derived ecosystem services. Within the scope of TERRECO, the abiotic and biotic studies of water yield and quality, production and biodiversity, soil processing of materials and trace gas emissions in complex terrain are merged. There is a need to quantitatively understand 1) the ecosystem services derived in regions of complex terrain, 2) the process regulation occurred to maintain those services, and 3) the sensitivities defining thresholds critical in stability of these systems. The TERRECO-IRTG is dedicated to joint study of ecosystems in complex terrain from landscape to regional scales. Our objectives are to reveal the spatial patterns in driving variables of essential ecosystem processes involved in ecosystem services of complex terrain region and hence, to evaluate the resulting ecosystem services, and further to provide new tools for understanding and managing such areas.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.731-745
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• 2021

In this study, the monthly temperature of the Han River basin was predicted by statistical multiple regression models that use global climate indices and weather data of the target region as predictors. The optimal predictors were selected through teleconnection analysis between the monthly temperature and the preceding patterns of each climate index, and forecast models capable of predicting up to 12 months in advance were constructed by combining the selected predictors and cross-validating the past period. Fore each target month, 1000 optimized models were derived and forecast ranges were presented. As a result of analyzing the predictability of monthly temperature from January 1992 to December 2020, PBIAS was -1.4 to -0.7%, RSR was 0.15 to 0.16, NSE was 0.98, and r was 0.99, indicating a high goodness-of-fit. The probability of each monthly observation being included in the forecast range was about 64.4% on average, and by month, the predictability was relatively high in September, December, February, and January, and low in April, August, and March. The predicted range and median were in good agreement with the observations, except for some periods when temperature was dramatically lower or higher than in normal years. The quantitative temperature forecast information derived from this study will be useful not only for forecasting changes in temperature in the future period (1 to 12 months in advance), but also in predicting changes in the hydro-ecological environment, including evapotranspiration highly correlated with temperature.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.1 s.89
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• pp.51-60
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• 2000

In order to understand the trend and assessment of water pollution, seasonal water quality was determined in the main river and the tributaries from midstream to downstream of the Kum River from March 1998 to June 1999. Among environmental factors, the variation of nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a was distinctive on an aspect of increase and decrease relatively to others, and particularly the impact of inorganic N ${\cdot}$ P inflowing into the main river was observed to be more significant at the Kapchon, Mihochon and Soksongchon among the tributaries. Water quality was highly related to hydrologic factor, and it was more deteriorated when water discharge maintains for a long time below normal flow or relatively at low condition of minimum and drought flow. These phenomena were remarkablee from December to March of the next year. $NH_4$ and SRP were decreased dramatically flowing toward the lower part of the river and chl-a was increased exponentially. While, the variations of $NO_3$ and $BOD_5$ were regular from midstream to downstream and there was no significant difference between the stations. Limiting nutrient for Phytoplankton growth seemed to be P than N because the ratio of TN/TP or DIN/SRP was relatively high as 42 or 544 in the main river, respectively. The main river and tributaries were ranked to be third grade, based on the assessment of BOD as an indirect indicator of organics, but particularly Kapchon was ranked to be over fifth grade. In addition, the inflow of high N ${\cdot}$ P nutrients from tributaries including Kapchon and Mihochon seemed to be major factor of the development of water pollution of the Kum River. On the other hand, persistent bloom of phytoplankton in lower part of the river was observed. As a conclusion, management of water quality for main source of pollution is urgent.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.158-164
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• 2006

Yongdam Lake is the fifth largest artificial lake in Korea newly formed by the first impounding the Yongdam Multi-purpose Dam on December, 2002. Yongdam Lake, with her total water storage of 820 million M/T, is located at the roof-top region of the streams flowing into the just-constructed new Saemankeum Lake. Seasonal succession of phytoplakton in Yongdam Lake might affect cyanobacterial blooms in Saemankeum Lake by inoculating seasonal dominants. During 2002-2003 when the first impounding after the construction of Yongdam Multi-purpose Dam was still undergoing, summer cyanobacterial blooms by Anabaena, Microcystis, and Aphanizomenon were observed. Among these three, filamentous Anabaena is well known to have its species with $N_2-fixing$ ability and special cells such as heterocysts and akinetes as well as the vegetative cells. We established a clonal culture of Anabaena spiroides v. crasse (KNU-YD0310) from the live water samples collected at the bloom site of Yongdam Lake. The N- and P-nutrient requirement of the KNU-YD0310 was explored by the experimental cultivation of the laboratory strain. Ratio of heterocysts to vegetative cells increased as N-deficiency extended with its maximum at $N_2-fixing$ condition. The strain KNU-YD0310 exhibited considerable growth under N-limiting conditions while its growth was proportional to the initial phosphate-P concentration under P-deficient conditions. Under P-limiting conditions akinete density increased, which could be interpreted as an adaptation strategy to survive severe environment by transforming into resting stage. The above eco-physiological characteristics of Anabaena spiroides v. crassa might be useful as an ecological criterion in controlling cyanobacterial blooms at Shaemankeum Lake in near future.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.295-303
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• 2018

Inland wetlands in the Republic of Korea provide key breeding and wintering habitats, while coastal wetlands provide nutrient-rich habitats for stopover sites for East Asia/Australasia Flyway(EAAF) migrants. However, since the 1960's, Korea has reclaimed these coastal wetlands gradually for agriculture and urban expansion. The habitat loss has rippled across global populations of migrant shorebirds in EAAF. To protect a similar loss, the United States, specifically Missouri, developed the moist-soil management technique. Wetland impoundments are constructed from levees with water-flow control gates with specific soils, topography, available water sources, and target goals. The impoundments are subjected to a combination of carefully timed and regulated flooding and drawdown regimes with occasional soil disturbance. This serves a dual purpose of removing undesirable vegetation, while maximizing habitat and forage for wildlife. Flooding and drawdown schedules must be dynamic with constantly shifting climate conditions. Korea's latitude ($N33^{\circ}25^{\prime}{\sim}N38^{\circ}37^{\prime}$) is comparable to Missouri ($N36^{\circ}69^{\prime}{\sim}N40^{\circ}41^{\prime}$); as such, moist-soil management could prove to be an effective wetland restoration technique for Korea. In order to meet specific conservation goals (i.e. shorebird staging site restoration), it is necessary to test the proposed methodology on a site that can meet the required specifications for moist-soil management. Moist-soil management has the potential to not only create key habitat for endangered wildlife, but also provide valuable ecosystem services, including water filtration.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 2021

Because active interactions occur among vegetation, hydrology, and geomorphology in riparian systems, any changes in one of these factors can significantly affect the other two. In this study, we evaluated these interactions at four sites (two in Gajeong and two in Hahan) along the Seomjin-gang River that was substantially devastated by an extreme flood in 2020. We examined the relationship between the riparian vegetation and the hydraulic characteristics of the flood using remote sensing, hydraulic modeling, and field surveys combined. The evaluation results showed that the floods caused a record-breaking rise of up to 43.1 m above sea level at the Yeseong-bridge stage gauge station (zero elevation 27.4 m) located between the Gajeong and Hahan sites, with the shear stress being four times higher in Hahan than in Gajeong. Additionally, the water level during the flood was estimated to be a maximum of 1 m higher depending on the location in the presence of riparian plants. Furthermore, both sites underwent extensive biological damage due to the flood, with 78-80% loss in vegetation, with preferential damage observed in large willow species, compared to Quercus acutissima. The above findings imply that all plant species exhibit different vulnerabilities towards extreme floods and do not induce similar behavior towards events causing a disturbance. In conclusion, we developed strategies for effectively managing riparian trees by minimizing flood hazards that could inevitably cause damage.