• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.95-120
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• 2023

Methane (CH₄) is a key greenhouse gas in the atmosphere with 85 times greater greenhouse potent relative to carbon dioxide (CO₂). The atmospheric concentration of CH₄ is rapidly increasing due to the intensive usage of CH₄ and the thawing of the cryosphere. Additionally, with the current warming of ocean water, the dissociation of gas hydrates, an ice-like compound and the largest reservoir of CH₄ on Earth, is expected to occur, resulting in the release of CH₄ from the seafloor into the overlying water and atmosphere. Moreover, bottom water hypoxia is another concern that potentially introduces greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. With ongoing global warming and eutrophication, the size and duration of bottom water hypoxia are rapidly increasing. These low-oxygen conditions would relocate the redox zone shallower in sediment or in the water column, causing the release of CH₄ into the atmosphere and thereby intensifying global warming. However, there exists a gap in the understanding of CH₄ dynamics including its generation in relation to bottom water hypoxia. Therefore, this review article aims to understand the relationship between CH₄ and bottom water hypoxia and to draw attention to CH₄ investigation in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.65-72
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiologic features of juxtafacet cyst and determine the correlation between these features and clinical outcome. Materials and Methods: We analyzed a total of 23 patients. The degree of facet joint degeneration was classified using the Fujiwara method. The facet joint angles were measured with an magnetic resonance imaging to determine whether there was a difference between the cystic lesion that was occupied and the cystic lesion that was not occupied. Disc degeneration was measured by the Pfirrmann classification method. The clinical result was evaluated using the Oswestry disability index score and visual analogue scale. Results: The L4-5 level of juxtafacet cyst was mostly affected, as found in previous studies. Facet joint arthritis was more severe within the side with the cystic lesion. Significant correlation was found between disc degeneration and juxtafacet joint cyst. All patients underwent wide decompression and fusion. Clinical result was excellent. No patients had signs of recurrence during the follow-up periods. Conclusion: Juxtafacet cyst has a significant correlation with facet joint degeneration. Therefore, aggressive surgical treatment-not just simple cyst excision-should be considered as the treatment option for juxtafacet cyst associated with degenerative lumbar disease.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.291-304
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• 2023

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have become an increasing concern in terms of human health risks as well as aesthetic impairment due to their toxicity. The reduction of water pollutants, especially nutrients from non-point sources in a reservoir watershed, is fundamental for HABs prevention. We investigated the pollutant removal efficiencies of a constructed wetland to evaluate its feasibility as a method for controlling non-point sources located in the Annaecheon stream within the Daecheong Reservoir watershed. The overall removal efficiencies of pollutants were as follows: BOD 14.3%, COD 17.9%, SS 50.0%, T-N 19.0%, and T-P 35.4%. These results indicate that constructed wetlands are effective in controlling pollutants from non-point sources. The seasonal variation in removal efficiency depended on the specific pollutants. The removal efficiencies of BOD, COD, and T-N were stable throughout the year, except during winter, which might have been influenced by lower microorganism activity. In contrast, T-P showed a consistent removal efficiency even during the winter season, suggesting that the wetland can reduce external phosphorus loading to the reservoir. Regarding the effects of pollutant loadings on removal efficiency, the effluent concentrations of all pollutants were significantly decreased compared to those in the influent in case of middle and high loadings. This demonstrates that constructed wetlands can handle high pollutant loads, including the initial runoff during rainfall, to prevent reservoir eutrophication. Despite the various strengths of wetland water purification, there are limitations as passive treatment. Therefore, more case studies should be conducted to suggest optimum operational conditions for constructed wetlands, taking into consideration reservoir-specific characteristics.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.157-164
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• 2023

The estuary dam is a structure installed and operated in a closed state except when flood event occurs to prevent inland saltwater intrusion and secure freshwater supply. However, the closed state of dam leads to issues such as eutrophication, so it is necessary to examine the extent of saltwater intrusion resulting from the opening of sluice gates. Groundwater, due to its subsurface conditions and slow flow characteristics, is widely analyzed using numerical models. OpenGeoSys, an open-source software capable of simulating Thermal- Hydraulic- Mechanical- Chemical phenomena, was adopted for this study. Simulations were conducted assuming natural flow conditions without dam and operating considering busy farming season, mostly from March to September. Verification of the model through analytical solutions showed error of 3.7%, confirming that OpenGeoSys is capable of simulating saltwater intrusion for these cases. From results simulated for 10 years, considering for the busy farming season, resulted in about 46% reduction in saltwater intrusion length compared to natural flow conditions, approximately 74.36 m. It may be helpful to make choices to use groundwater as a water resource.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.370-385
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• 2023

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (Cyano-HABs) are an international environmental problem that negatively affects the ecosystem as well as the safety of water resources by discharging cyanotoxins. In particular, the discharge of microcystins (MCs), a highly toxic substance, has been studied most actively, and various water treatment methods have been proposed for this purpose. In this paper, we reviewed adsorption technology, which is recognized as the most feasible, economical, and efficient method among suggested treatment methods for removing MCs. Activated carbons (AC) are widely used adsorbents for MCs removal, and excellent MCs adsorption performance has been reported. Research on alternative adsorption materials for AC such as biochar and biosorbents has been conducted, however, their performance was lower compared to activated carbon. The impacts of adsorbent properties(characteristics of pore surface chemistry) and environmental factors (solution pH, temperature, natural organic matter, and ionic strength) on the MCs adsorption performance were also discussed. In addition, toward effective control of MCs, the possibility of the direct removal of harmful cyanobacteria as well as the removal of dissolved MCs using adsorption strategy was examined. However, to fully utilize the adsorption for the removal of MCs, the application and optimization under actual environmental conditions are still required, thereby meeting the environmental and economic standards. From this study, crucial insights could be provided for the development and selection of effective adsorbent and subsequent adsorption processes for the removal of MCs from water resources.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.236-241
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• 2023

Water quality problems in rivers, lakes, and estuaries have become serious in Korea. In order to overcome eutrophication of freshwater lakes and river basins, systematic management of water quality is necessary. To manage water quality in freshwater lakes and basins, apply hydrological models suitable for the basin and water quality models such as rivers and lakes to reduce water pollution based on the prediction results of these models. Improvement measures must be presented. In order to apply appropriate water pollution improvement measures in the watershed, accurate pollution sources must be identified and pollution loads must be predicted and presented. Based on GIS, the connection between the pollutant database and the hydrological and water quality prediction model will be integrated based on spatial location, making it possible to provide systematic support to improve watershed water quality by comprehensively including the water quality modeling process. In this paper, in order to accurately predict water pollution in freshwater lakes and river basins, a water quality model system is established using GIS-based spatial information to present a comprehensive water quality management method for freshwater lake basins in the future, and to systematically manage pollution sources through water quality modeling. This study was conducted to easily and efficiently operate hydrological and water quality models using automated spatial information.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.57 no.7
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• pp.461-470
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• 2024

This study aimed to predict total phosphorus (T-P) to address early eutrophication caused by nutrient influx from various human activities. Traditional T-P monitoring systems are labor-intensive and time-consuming, leading to a global trend of using direct reading sensors. Therefore, this study utilized water quality parameters obtained from direct reading sensors in a two-stage T-P prediction process. The importance of turbidity (Tur) in T-P prediction was examined, and an analysis was conducted to determine if T-P prediction is possible using only direct reading sensor parameters by adding automatic water quality analyzer parameters. The study found that T-P concentrations were higher in the mid-lower reaches of the Nakdong River basin compared to the upper reaches. Pearson correlation analysis identified water quality parameters highly correlated with T-P at each site, which were then used in multiple linear regression analysis to predict T-P. The analysis was conducted with and without the inclusion of Tur, and the performance of models incorporating automatic water quality analyzer parameters was compared with those using only direct reading sensor parameters. The results confirmed the significance of Tur in T-P prediction, suggesting that it can be used as a foundational element in the development of measures to prevent eutrophication.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2003

The suitability of the life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to analyze the environmental impact of rice cultivation with different fertilizing systems is investigated. The arst part of an LCA is an inventory of parameters used and emissions released due to the system under investigation. In the following step, the Life Cycle Impact Assessment the inventory data were analyzed and aggregated in order to finally get one index representing the total environmental burden. For the life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) the Eco-indicator 95 method has been chosen because this is well documented and regularly applied impact assessment method. The resulting index is called Eco-indicator value. The higher the Eco-indicator value the stronger is the total environmental impact of an analyzed fertilizing system. The rice field experiment conducted in middle parts of korea was chosen as an example for the life cycle impact analysis. In this experiment the treatments were consisted of none fertilizer plot (NF), standard fertilizer plot (SF) applied chemical fertilizers based on soil chemical analysis before rice transplanting, and efflux fertilized plot (EF) applied with pig wastes fermented as the same rates of SF plot as basis on total nitrogen content. The obtained Eco-indicator values were clearly different among the treatments in the rice trial. The total Eco-indicator values for SF and EF have been observed 58 and 38% relative to the NF, respectively. For all the treatments the environmental effects of eutrophication contributed most to the total Eco-indicator value. The results appeared that the LCA methodology is basically suitable to assess the environmental impact associated with different fertilizer applications for rice cultivation. A comparative analysis of the fertilizing system's contribution to global warming and eutrophication is possible.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.1 s.93
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• pp.30-44
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• 2001

In this study limnological characteristics of Lake Juam was surveyed from June 1993 to May 1994 in order to provides important information regarding water resources. Secchi disc transparency, epilimnetic chlorophyll a (chi-a), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) concentration and primary productivity were in the range of $2.0{\sim}4.5\;m$, $0.9{\sim}13.6\;mgChl/m^3$, 0.78$\{sim}$2.32 mgN/l, $11{\sim}56\;mgP/m^3$, $270{\sim}2.160\;mgCm^{-2}\;day^{-1}$, respectively. On the basis of TP, Chl-a and Secchi disc depth, the trophic state of Lake Juam can be classied as mesotrophic lake. The phosphorus inputs from non-point sources are concentrated in heavy rain episodes during the monsoon season. As a result, phosphorus concentration are higher in summer than in winter. TP loading from the watershed were estimated to be $0.9\;gPm^{-2}yr^{-1}$, which correspond to a boundary of the critical loading ($1.0\;gPm^{-2}yr^{-1}$) for eutrophication. From the results of the algal assay, both phosphous and nitrogen act as limiting nutrients in algal growth. The seasonal succession of phytoplankton community structure in Lake Juam was similar to that observed in other temperate lakes. Diatoms (Asterionella formosa and Aulacoseira granulate var. angustissima)fujacofeira BraHuJafa uar. aHgusHrsiaia) weredominant in spring and winter, cyanobacteria) were dominant in warm season. The organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content of lake sediment were $9.5{\sim}14.0\;mgC/g$, $1.01{\sim}1.82\;mgN/g$ and $0.51{\sim}0.65\;mgP/g$, respectively. The allochthonous organic carbon loading from the watershed and autochthonous organic carbon loading by primary production of phytoplankton were determined to be 1,122 tC/yr and 6,718 tC/yr, respectively. To prevent eutrophication of Lake Juam, nutrient management of watershed should be focus on reduction of fertilizer application, proper treatment of manure, and conservation of topsoil as well as point source.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.1 s.106
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• pp.78-86
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• 2004

In order to reveal the relationship between the concentration of chlorophyll- a and the environmental factors affecting eutrophication, the present study was biweekly conducted at G stations in the lower part of the Han river during the period from Feb. 24,2001 to Feb. 9,2002. Water temperature was changed from $0.5^{\circ}C$ to $26.4^{\circ}C$, pH was 5.77${\sim}$8.99, DO 3.15${\sim}$14,36 mg $L^{-1}$, BOD 0.90${\sim}$7.45 mg $L^{-1}$, and COD 1.16${\sim}$9.13 mg $L^{-1}$. TN and TP were ranged from 1.68${\sim}$20.96 mg $L^{-1}$, and 0.02 ${\sim}$ 1.17 mg $L^{-1}$, respectively. $NH_4\;^+$-N, $NO_3\;^-$-N, and $PO_4\;^{3-}$-P were ranged from 0.56${\sim}$3.60 mg $L^{-1}$, 0.03${\sim}$7.29 mg $L^{-1}$, and 0.002${\sim}$0.754 mg $L^{-1}$. Chlorophyll- a was extensively changed from 2.29 ${\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ to 136.28 ${\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ by month and stations. Results of nutrients indicated the eutrophic level in this area and water quality was the gradual worsening in the lower stations than those of upper stations during the period studied. The Pearson correlation analysis between the concentration of chlorophyll- a and the environmental factors indicated that BOD, COD, pH, $NH_4\;^+$-N, TP, TN, conductivity and $PO_4\;^{3-}$-P were positive correlation, but $NO_3\;^-$-N was negative. The environmental factors investigated using the principal component method could be triparted. The first factor group included conductivity, BOD, COD, TN, TP, $NH_4\;^+$-N, $PO_4\;^{3-}$-P and SS, the second WT and DO, and the third pH and $NO_3\;^-$-N. Using the stepwise regression analysis, chlorophyll- a was under the influence of conductivity, $PO_4\;^{3-}$-P, $>NO_3\;^-$-N and $NH_4\;^+$-N Chlorophyll-a = 0.3661 ${\times}$ (Conductivity) - 0.3592 ${\times}$ ($PO_4\;^{3-}$-P) - 0.3449 ${\times}$ ($NO_3\;^-$-N)+0.4362 ${\times}$ ($NH_4\;^+$-N.