• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.37-50
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• 2018

Local climate characteristics for both urban and rural areas can be attributed to multiple factors. Two factors affecting these characteristics include: 1) greenhouse gases related to global warming, and 2) urban heat island (UHI) effects caused by changes in surface land use and energy balances related to rapid urbanization. Because of the unique hydrological and climatological characteristics of cities compared with rural and forested areas, distinguishing the impacts of global warming urbanization is important. In this study, we analyzed anthropogenic climatic changes caused by rapid urbanization. Weather elements (maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation) over the last 60 years (1955-2016) are compared in urban areas (Seoul, Incheon, Pohang, Daegu, Jeonju, Ulsan, Gwangju, Busan) and rural/forested areas (Gangneung, Chupungnyeong, Mokpo, and Yeosu). Temperature differences between these areas reveal the effects of urbanization and global warming. The findings of this study can be used to analyze and forecast the impacts of climate change and urbanization in other urban and non-urban areas.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.140-140
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• 2022

Recently an accurate quantification of streamflow under various climatological and anthropogenic factors and separation of their relative contribution remains challenging, because variation in streamflow may result in hydrological disasters. In this study, we evaluated the factors responsible for variation in streamflow in Korean watersheds, quantified separately their contribution using different Budyko-based functions, and identified hydrological breakpoint points. After detecting that the hydrological break point in 1995 and time series were divided into natural period (1966-1995), and disturbed period (1996-2014). During the natural period variation in climate tended to increase change in streamflow. However, in the disturbed period both climate variation and anthropogenic activities tended to increase streamflow variation in the watershed. Subsequently, the findings acquired from different Budyko-based functions were observed sensitive to selection of function. The variation in streamflow was observed in the response of change in climatic parameters ranging 46 to 75% (average 60%). The effects of anthropogenic activities were observed less compared to climate variation accounts 25 to 54% (average 40%). Furthermore, the relative contribution was observed to be sensitive corresponding to Budyko-based functions utilized. Moreover, relative impacts of both factors have capability to enhance uncertainty in the management of water resources. Thus, this knowledge would be essential for the implementation of water management spatial and temporal scale to reduce the risk of hydrological disasters in the watershed.

• Atmosphere
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.215-223
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• 2006

Among observational, local-environmental, and large-scale factors causing significant changes in climate records, the site relocations and the replacement of the instruments are well-known nonclimatic factors for the analysis of climatic trends, climatic variability, and for the detection of anthropogenic climate change such as heat-island effect and global warming. Using dataset that were contaminated by these nonclimatic factors can affect seriously the assessment of climatic trends and variability, and the detection of the climatic change signal. In this paper, the inhomogeneities, which have been caused by relocation of the observation site, in the climate data of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) were examined using two-phase regression model. The observations of pan evaporation and wind speed are more sensitive to site relocations than those of other meteorological elements, such as daily mean, maximum and minimum temperatures, with regardless to region.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.281-294
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• 2017

Tropical forests constitute almost half of the global forest cover, account for 35% of the global net primary productivity and thereby have potential to contribute substantially to sequester atmospheric $CO_2$ and offset climate change impact. However, deforestation and degradation lead by unsustainable management of tropical forests contribute to the unprecedented species losses and limit ecosystem services including carbon sequestration. Sustainable forest management (SFM) in the tropics may tackle and rectify such deleterious impacts of anthropogenic disturbances and climatic changes. However, the existing dilemma on the definition of SFM and lack of understanding of how tropical forest sustainability can be achieved lead to increasing debate on whether climate change mitigation initiatives would be successful. We reviewed the available literature with a view to clarify the concept of sustainability and provide with a framework towards the sustainability of tropical forests for enhanced carbon stock and climate change mitigation. We argue that along with securing forest tenure and thereby reducing deforestation, application of reduced impact logging (RIL) and appropriate silvicultural system can enhance tropical forest carbon stock and help mitigate climate change.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2019.05a
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• pp.149-149
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• 2019

Gross Primary production (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) are the two critical components of carbon and water cycle respectively, linking the terrestrial surface and ecosystem with the atmosphere. The ratio between GPP to ET is called ecosystem water use efficiency (EWUE) and its quantification at the forest site helps to understand the impact of climate change due to large scale anthropogenic activities such as deforestation and irrigation. This study was conducted at the FLUXNET forest site CN-Qia (2003-2005) using Community land model (CLM 5.0). We simulated carbon and water fluxes including GPP, ecosystem respiration (ER), and ET using climatic variables as forcing dataset for 30 years (1981-2010). Model results were validated with the FLUXNET tower observations. The correlation showed better performance with values of 0.65, 0.77, and 0.63 for GPP, ER, and ET, respectively. The model underestimated the results with minimum bias of -0.04, -1.67, and -0.40 for GPP, ER, and ET, respectively. Effect of climate 'CLIM' and '$CO_2$' were analyzed based on EWUE and its trend was evaluated in the study period. The positive trend of EWUE was observed in the whole period from 1981-2010, and the trend showed further increase when simulated with rising $CO_2$. The time period were divided into two parts, from 1981-2000 and from 2001 to 2010, to identify the warming effect on EWUE. The first period showed the similar increasing trend of EWUE, but the second period showed slightly decreasing trend. This might be associated with the increase in ET in the wet temperate forest site due to increase in climate warming. Water use efficiency defined by transpiration (TR) (TWUE), and inherent-TR based WUE (IT-WUE) were also discussed. This research provides the evidence to climate warming and emphasized the importance of long term planning for management of water resources and evaporative demand in irrigation, deforestation and other anthropogenic activities.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.319-331
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• 2013

Recent climate change, which is mostly ascribed to anthropogenic activities, is believed to be a major factor leading to biodiversity decreases and ecosystem service deteriorations. I have reviewed recent studies on climate change effects for many ecological processes involved with plants, in order to improve our understanding of the nature of ecological complexity. Plants in general have better growth and productivity under high levels of $CO_2$, although the long term effects of such $CO_2$ fertilizers are still controversial. Over the last 30 years, the Earth has been greening, particularly at higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, perhaps due to a relaxation of climatic constraints. Human appropriation of net primary productivity (NPP), which corresponds up to 1/3 of global NPP, is ultimately responsible for climate change and biodiversity decreases. Climate change causes phenological variations in plants, especially in regards to spring flowering and fall leaf coloring. Many plants migrate polewards and towards higher altitudes to seek more appropriate climates. On the other hand, tree mortality and population declines have recently been reported in many continents. Landscape disturbance not only hinders the plant migration, but also makes it difficult to predict the plants' potential habitats. Plant and animal population declines, as well as local extinctions, are largely due to the disruption of species interactions through temporal mismatching. Temperature and $CO_2$ increase rates in Korea are higher than global means. The degree of landscape disturbances is also relatively high. Furthermore, long-term data on individual species responses and species interactions are lacking or quite limited in Korea. This review emphasizes the complex nature of species responses to climate change at both global and local scales. In order to keep pace with the direction and speed of climate change, it is urgently necessary to observe and analyze the patterns of phenology, migration, and trophic interactions of plants and animals in Korea's landscape.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.196-206
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• 2020

Background: The Himalayan forests are of great importance to sustain the nature and community resource demands. These forests are facing pressures both from anthropogenic activities and ongoing global climatic changes. Poor natural regeneration has been considered a major problem in mountainous forests. To understand the population structure and regeneration status of Larix (Larix griffithiana and Larix himalaica), we conducted systematic vegetation surveys in three high-altitude valleys namely Ghunsa (Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, KCA), Langtang (Langtang National Park, LNP), and Tsum (Manaslu Conservation Area, MCA) in Nepal Himalaya. The average values of diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and sapling height were compared for three sites and two species using Kruskal-Wallis test. Population structure was assessed in terms of proportion of seedlings, saplings, and trees. Regeneration was analyzed using graphical representation of frequencies of seedlings, saplings, and trees in histograms. Results: The results showed that the population structure of Larix in terms of the proportion of seedling, sapling, and tree varied greatly in the three study areas. KCA had the highest record of seedling, sapling, and tree compared to other two sites. Seedlings were the least among three forms and many plots were without seedlings. We found no seedling in MCA study plots. The plot level average DBH variation among sites was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 7.813, df = 2, p = 0.02) as was between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 5.9829, df = 1, p = 0.014). Similarly, the variation in average tree height was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 134.23, df = 2, p < 0.001) among sites as well as between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 128.01, df = 1, p < 0.001). All the sites showed reverse J-shaped curve but more pronounced for KCA and MCA. In comparing the two species, Larix griffithiana has clear reverse J-shaped diameter distribution but not Larix himalaica. Conclusion: The varied responses of Larix manifested through regeneration status from spatially distinct areas show that regeneration limitations might be more pronounced in the future. In all the three studied valleys, regeneration of Larix is found to be problematic and specifically for Larix griffithiana in MCA and Larix himalaica in LNP. To address the issues of disturbances, especially serious in LNP, management interventions are recommended to sustain the unique Himalayan endemic conifer.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.444-457
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• 2001

Present work aims to analyse the spatio-temporal distribution of Korean bamboos. The northern limit of Korean bamboo species occurs at Baekryung Island(124°10'E, 37°55'N), Hoochang(41°22'N) and Myungchon(129°41\`E, 41°10'N). The presence of bamboo fossils in Korea dates back from Tertiary, but widespread use of bamboos can be noticed since 1454. Reconstructed ranges and temporal changes of bamboo, based upon the eight historical records from 15th to 20th centuries, indicates that both climatic and anthropogenic factors were responsible for the changes of distributional range. The spread of bamboos was balanced by its disappearance due to regional development, and the total bamboo area showing little change. Due to the tendency to spread extensively by means of underground stems, bamboos often invade adjacent forests and disturb natural vegetation. Proper management and conservation strategies, therefore, are required for the maintenance of rural landscape.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.313-323
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• 2006

Forest Canopy Density is a dynamic process mediated by various natural and anthropogenic factors. It can be changed over time and locations in the same forest type and landscape. However, human dimensions are considered as the primary force of landscape change and subsequent forest canopy loss in tropical regions of the world. Many studies have been indicated that roads have a far greater impact on forests than simply allowing access for human use. Similarly, rivers have been used as means of transportation, hence illegal logging and felling further deplete forest canopy density. The main objective of this study was to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamic alterations of Forest Canopy Density (FCD) across with site associated factors such as biophysical, physical and human interferences in tropical region of Nepal from 1988 to 2001. Landsat TM and ETM+ of 1988 and 2001 were used to assess the spatial and temporal dynamic alterations of FCD. This analysis revealed that distance to human settlements at P=<0.01, rivers, human interferences (path and fire) and species composition had a statistically significance at P=<0.05 level. However, other factors did not show any significant relation. So, we concluded that understanding of dynamic alterations of FCD with respect to factors was quite complex phenomena. Other surrounding environment could also playa significant role. A comprehensive analysis could be required to understand such complexities. Therefore, additional factors such as climatic, biophysical, social, and institutional with respect to spatio-temporal variability should be considered for the better understanding of canopy dynamic.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.111 no.4
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• pp.461-472
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• 2022

Natural and anthropogenic factors cause forest types to continuously change. Since the ratio of forest area by forest type is important information for identifying the characteristics of national forest resources, an accurate understanding of the prospect of forest type change is required. The study aim was to use National Forest Inventory (NFI) time-series data to understand the characteristics of forest type change and to estimate future prospects of nationwide forest type change. We used forest type change information from the fifth and seventh NFI datasets, climate, topography, forest stand, and disturbance variables related to forest type change to analyze trends and characteristics of forest type change. The results showed that the forests in Korea are changing in the direction of decreasing coniferous forests and increasing mixed and broadleaf forests. The forest sites that were changing from coniferous to mixed forests or from mixed to broadleaf forests were mainly located in wet topographic environments and climatic conditions. The forest type changes occurred more frequently in sites with high disturbance potential (high temperature, young or sparse forest stands, and non-forest areas). We used a climate change scenario (RCP 8.5) to establish a forest type change model (SVM) to predict future changes. During the 40-year period from 2015 to 2055, the SVM predicted that coniferous forests will decrease from 38.1% to 28.5%, broadleaf forests will increase from 34.2% to 38.8%, and mixed forests will increase from 27.7% to 32.7%. These results can be used as basic data for establishing future forest management strategies.