• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1523-1536
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• 2014

Restoration is the process of reducing or reversing damage to an ecosystem so that it can function in its original manner. However, many restoration programs do not achieve this. In the Nakdong Estuary, the largest migratory nesting site in the center of the East Asian-Australasian flyway, an estuarine barrage was constructed in the 1980s that required site restoration following its completion in 1987 and the expansion of several large industrial complexes(Noksan and Jangrim) and a residential development(Myeongji). The goal of the restoration was to restore the function of the wetland to its pre-disturbance state. To achieve this, a restoration program was designed consisting of three stages. The first stage(1993-1995), saw the construction of three artificial wetlands(Shinhori, Daemadeung, and Eulsuk), the second(2003-2005) involved the dredging and returning of farmed lands to their natural state, and the third(2008-2012) focused on the rehabilitation and vegetation development of the wetlands. However, the project has not achieved all of the desired goals, and it is an example of the lapses in ecological restoration following anthropogenic disturbance. Issues that resulted in an incomplete restoration included the timing of the stages, noncompliance with the restoration plan, not directly monitoring the restoration or continuing the monitoring following completion of the development project, and the political subversion of the restoration plan. For the success of the restoration plan, it is necessary to avoid mistakes such as inconsistent monitoring, unequal levels of stakeholder involvement, and political interference.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2018

The intensive habitats loss of natural organisms as a consequence of anthropogenic activities has lead to the use of alternative habitats for species conservation. We reviewed the current status of alternative habitats and suggest the improvement of alternative habitats. Most of alternative habitats regarded in this study are not following the pre-arranged consultation at environmental impact assessment. These alternative habitats are rendered useless due to the insufficient consideration of ecological characteristics of species and lack of detailed plans. A number of alternative habitats are influenced by disturbance such as environmental pollution and construction. Post-monitoring of alternative habitats are needed to estimate immigration rate of species. Post management is also needed to assess the status of population stability. Overall, low effectiveness of alternative habitats is presented in this study. According to the status survey, methods for improvement of alternative habitats are required such as detailed guidelines, establishment of post-monitoring system, improvement of habitat restoration techniques, and guidelines for management and operation of alternative habitats.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.41-50
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• 2015

Hydrogeologic environment of the Mega City such as Seoul, suffers from rapid changes caused by urbanization, construction of underground subway or buildings, and contaminant loading by diverse anthropogenic activities. Understanding the present condition of groundwater environment and water budget is necessary to prevent natural and manmade disasters and to prepare for sustainable water resource management of urban environment. In this study, regional groundwater flow and water budget status of Seoul was analyzed using numerical simulation. Modeling result indicated that groundwater level distribution of Seoul generally followed the topography, but the significant decreases in groundwater level were observed around the subway network. Steady-state water balance analysis showed groundwater recharge by rainfall and leakage from the water supply network was about 550,495 m³/day. Surface water inflow and baseflow rate via Han River and major streams accounted for 799,689 m³/day and 1,103,906 m³/day, respectively. Groundwater usage was 60,945 m³/day, and the total groundwater leakage along the subway lines amounted to 114,746 m³/day. Modeling results revealed that the subway could decrease net groundwater baseflow by 40%. Our study result demonstrated that the subway system can have a significant influence on the groundwater environment of Seoul.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.12-25
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• 2015

The tributaries of Daechung Lake play an important role in controlling eutrophication in the lake, which is used for agricultural purposes and as potable water. However, water quality properties were not extensively studied in the tributaries of Daechung Lake. The objectives of this study are to investigate spatial and temporal properties of water quality and to characterize streams which could threaten water quality of Daechung Lake. For this study, water samples were weekly or monthly collected from February 2014 to October 2014 in 9 streams. Water quality parameters analyzed in this study include biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen and phosphorus (TN and TP), suspended solids (SS), and chlorophyll a. Based on temporal distribution and principal component analysis, BOD, COD, TOC, SS, and TP were controlled by not only river discharge that increased during summer due to heavy rain fall, but also due to anthropogenic input (e.g., bridge construction and/or agricultural activity). Dilution is also one of the factors explaining TN and conductivity, both of which decreased with increased discharge. Generally, concentrations of contaminants (BOD, COD, TOC, TN and TP) in the tributaries were higher than those of Daechung Lake. However, pollution load indicated that only the main channel of Geum River and Sook Stream may largely influence lake waters, attributed mostly to their large volumes. This implies that the main channel and Sook Stream are the major influences on the water quality of Daechung Lake.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.159-164
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• 2008

In order to understand the spatio-temporal distribution of geochemical parametrs in surface sediments of the artificial Lake Shihwa in the vicinity of Kyunggi Hay in Korea, surface sediments were sampled at 14 sites in July 2007 and analyzed by CHN analyzer and ICP/MS. Metal concentrations in the sediments tended to be decreasing from the head to the mouth of the Lake Shihwa because of extreme pollutant discharge from various kinds of anthropogenic sources such as the Banweol and Shihwa Industrial Complex and cities. With the deposition of fine-grained sediments, high metal concentrations were also observed in the central part of lake. Although various programs(improvement of wastewater collection and treatment system, sea-lake water exchange etc) to improve the environmental conditions around the Lake Shihwa after dike construction were carried out, it was not dear to reach a good environmental quality. Therefore, further environmental programs should be conducted continuously for environmental improvement.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.678-687
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to understand the unique and complicated feature of urban stream receiving various inflows. The Yangjae stream, the second tier of the Han River, runs through the southern parts of Seoul, Korea and its middle part flows on the boundary of Seoul where land use is actively changing. Stream flow was greatly influenced by rainfall. Other than rainfall events, effluent discharge from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) comprised 51 % of stream flux. As a result, majority ions water chemistry was changed at the receiving zone of the discharged effluent (Zone A). Its contribution increased to 69.9 % at the second sampling period with low stream flow. In the middle zone, inflows from the northern area, recently developed to a residential district showed low $NO_3-N$ and high $HCO_3$, Ca, $SO_4$, and $SiO_2$ indicating the effects of groundwater and concrete. One inflow (T-8), with extremely high Na and Cl, median $SiO_2$, was assessed to have anthropogenic influence, however its contribution to main stream was under 1 %. Road construction near Y-13 also affected water chemistry leading to the highest Na and Cl concentration. These hydro chemical changes can be critically used to evaluate the changes in water budget and fate of chemicals in a peri-urban watershed occasioned by human activities on the Yangjae.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2024

This study employed field measurements and biogeochemical analysis to examine the effects of seasonal conditions (e.g., temperature and precipitation) and human intervention (e.g., dam or weir construction) on the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter, flocculation kinetics of suspended particulate matter, and formation of the fluid mud layer on riverbeds. The results indicated that a water environment with a substantial amount of biopolymers offered favorable conditions for flocculation kinetics during an algal bloom period in summer; a thick fluid mud layer was found to be predominated with cohesive materials during this period. However, after high rainfall, a substantial influx of terrigenous humic substances led to enhanced stabilization of the particulate matter, thereby decreasing flocculation and deposition, and the reduced biopolymer composition served to weaken the erosion resistance of the fluid mud on the riverbed. Moreover, a high-turbulence condition disaggregated the flocs and the fluid mud layer and resuspended the suspended particulate matter in the water column. This study demonstrates the mutual relationship that exists between biogeochemistry, flocculation kinetics, and the formation of the fluid mud layer on the riverine area during different seasons and under varying hydrological conditions. These findings are expected to eventually help inform the more optimal management of water resources, which is an urgent task in the face of anthropogenic stressors and climate change.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2013

This study investigates the design parameters for riverbed filtration (RBF) based on the geochemistry of river water and groundwater. The study area consists of alluvium, and the area is readily affected by non-point sources of chemical contaminants in the surface environment; this is expected to affect the design parameters for RBF. River and groundwater samples were collected at three points along the river flow and at nine points along a transect normal to the river, respectively. The geochemical data indicate that the sources of individual chemical contaminants are industrial facilities and agricultural activity near the study area. In addition, The samples are mainly Ca-Na-$HCO_3$, Ca-Cl, and Ca-$HCO_3$-Cl type waters. The design parameters of RBF in the study area should consider K, $HCO_3$, $NO_3$, and Cl. We divided the study area into three regions based on the concentrations of stable nitrogen isotopes: Region A, the origin of the river and denitrification; Region B, denitrification in the flow direction of tributaries; and Region C, the origin of natural soil, sewage, and anthropogenic pollution.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2020

A river bed which is submerged in water at high flow and becomes part of the river at low flow, serves as a bridge between the river and the land. The channel bar creates a unique ecosystem with vegetation adapted to the particular environment and the water pool forms a wetland that plays a very important role in the environment. To evaluate anthropogenic impacts on the river bed in the Middle Yeongsangang River, the fluvial landforms in the stream channel were analyzed using multi-temporal remotely-sensed images. In the aerial photograph of 2005 taken before the construction of the large weirs, oxbow lakes, mid-channel bars, point bars, and natural wetlands between the artificial levees were identified. Multiple bars divided the flow of stream water to cause the braided pattern in a particular section. After the construction of the Seungchon weir, aerial photographs of 2013 and 2015 revealed that most of the fluvial landforms disappeared due to the dredging of its riverbed and water level control(maintenance at 7.5El.m). Sentinel-2 images were analyzed to identify differences between before and after the opening of weir gate. Change detection was performed with the near infrared and shortwave infrared spectral bands to effectively distinguish water surfaces from land. As a result, water surface area of the main stream of the Yeongsangang River decreased by 40% from 1.144km² to 0.692km². A large mid-channel bar that has been deposited upstream of the weir was exposed during low water levels, which shows the obvious influence of weir on the river bed. Newly formed unvegetated point bars that were deposited on the inside of a meander bend were identified from the remotely sensed images. As the maintenance period of the weir gate opening was extended, various habitats were created by creating pools and riffles around the channel bars. Considering the ecological and hydrological functions of the river bed, it is expected that the increase in bar areas through weir gate opening will reduce the artificial interference effect of the weir.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.375-383
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• 2023

To determine the cause of the population decline in Gobiobotia naktongensis, substrate preference and burying behaviour were investigated in this study. In general, the species was shown to prefer a substrate size of 1 mm or less, depending on the flow. In addition, the burying depth varied according to the size of the fish and increased with a decrease in water temperature. Our findings showed that the main cause of the population reduction was the physical changes in the substrate structure due to the dams or barrages construction. Notably, the accumulation of silt and mud in the substrate upon the formation of an upstream lentic water region for structural construction and bed armouring caused by scouring and reduced downstream inflow of fine sediment were deterministic in the fish habitat changes, causing problems in burying. As sand substrate structure is critical for the survival and inhabitation of psammophilous species, efficient strategies should be developed with proper habitat management to reduce the anthropogenic damage