• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.194-207
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• 2021

It is necessary to assess and manage the different elements of the marine ecosystem, such as climate change, habitat, primary and secondary production, energy flow, food web, potential yield, and fishing, to maintain the health of the ecosystem as well as support sustainable development of fishery. We set up an ecosystem model around the Korean peninsula to produce scientific predictions necessary for the assessment and management of marine ecosystems and presented the usability of the model with scenario experiments. We used the Atlantis ecosystem model based on the marine food web; Atlantis is a three-dimensional end-to-end model that includes the information and processes within an entire system, from an abiotic environment to human activity. We input the ecological and biological parameters, such as growth, mortality, spawning, recruitment, and migration, to the Atlantis model via functional groups using existing research and local measurements. During the simulation period (2018-2019), we confirmed that the model reproduced the observed data reasonably and reflected the actual ecosystem characteristics appropriately. We thus identified the usability of a marine ecosystem model with experiments on different environmental change scenarios.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.319-326
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• 2007

Coastal marine ecosystems continue to suffer unrelenting pressures from human population growth, increased development, and climate change. Moreover, these systems' capacity for self-repair is declining with such increases in anthropogenic production of various pollutants. What is the present health status or condition of the coastal ecosystem? If our coastal areas are unhealthy, which conditions are considered serious? To answer such questions, the United States, Canada, and Australia are currently assessing coastal ecosystem health using systematic monitoring programs as well as identifying and implementing management plans to improve the health of degraded coastal ecosystems. To evaluate marine environments, Korea is currently using a limited number of factors to estimate water quality. In fact, we are ill-prepared for assessing coastal ecosystem health because no biologically specific criteria are in place to measure the responses to various pollutants. We should select ecosystem-specific indicators from physicochemical stressors and evaluate the subsequent biological responses within each ecosystem. Furthermore, a set of practical indicators should be generated by considering the characteristics and uses of a local coastal area and the key issues at hand. The values of indicators should be presented as indices that allow understanding by the general public as well as by practitioners, policy makers, environmental managers and other stakeholders.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.201-211
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• 2008

According to IPCC fourth assessment report in 2007, global mean temperatures have risen by 0.74 degrees Celsius over the past 100 years. Moreover, in the recent 25 years, global mean temperatures have risen by 0.45 degrees Celsius, which is 2.4-times larger than those in the past 100 years. The evidences for climate change, such as sea level rise, arctic glacier melt, and desertification in Asia, have occurred and increased over the globe. In Korea, because regional climate has been changed, types of agriculture and fishery should be replaced. And as precipitation pattern behave differently from the past decades, water management would be more difficult, furthermore, atmospheric environment, related to concentrations for ozone, sulfate, etc., could be worse. Nevertheless, we have only focused on greenhouse gas reduction duty for the Convention of Climate Change. Fortunately, in the fourth plan on climate change, we have planned to manage climate change more actively since 2007. In Korea, the emission of carbon dioxide has increased about 1.9-times more, from 311million ton in 1990 to 591million ton in 2004. And also about 2 ppm rise every year for concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As a result, ecosystem, quality of water and atmosphere would be affected. Here, the emission of greenhouse gases over the globe is examined, and the effect of greenhouse gases for climate change is reviewed from the results of previous studies. In addition, the countermeasures of mitigation and adaptation on climate change were discussed for the understanding.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.159-169
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to assess the vulnerability of forest ecosystem to climate change in South Korea using socio-environmental indicators and the results of two vegetation models named as Hydrological and Thermal Analogy Group(HyTAG), and MAPSS-Century 1(MC1). The changing frequency and direction of biome types estimated by HyTAG model was used for quantifying sensitivity and adaptive capacity of forest distribution. Similarly, the variation and changing tendency of net primary production and soil carbon storage estimated by MC1 model was used for quantifying sensitivity and adaptive capacity of forest function. As socio-environmental indicators, many statistical data such as financial autonomy rate and the number of forestry officer was prepared. All indicators were standardized, and then calculated using the vulnerability assessment equation. The period of vulnerability assessment was divided into the past(1971-2000) and the future(2021-2050). To understand what policy has a priority to climate change, distribution maps of each indicators was depicted and the vulnerability results were compared among administrative districts. Evident differences could be found in entire study area. These differences were mostly derived from regionalspecific adaptive capacity. The result and methodology of this study would be helpful for the development of decision-making supporting system and policy making in forest management with respect to climate change.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.99-120
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• 2023

The community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates in Upo wetland was identified, and the biological water quality was evaluated. In addition, through statistical analysis of current and literature data, ecological changes over time were evaluated for each wetland. Benthos were quantitatively collected in March, June, and September of 2020 and 2021, and 4 phyla, 5 classes, 16 orders, 42 families, 81 species and 3,406 individuals were identified. In the functional feeding group of Upo wetland, predators were dominant with 34 species (45.95%) and 1,504 individuals (41.84%). In the habitual dwelling group, sprawlers and swimmers showed the highest proportion in the number of species and individuals. Average biological indices in Mokpo and Upo were the highest and lowest, respectively, and it is considered that Mokpo maintains the healthy ecosystem for benthic macroinvertebrates. Community stability was high in Upo, and other wetlands are thought to be stabilizing. The ecological score of benthic macroinvertebrate community is considered to be more suitable index among three biological water quality evaluation indices for the environmental evaluation of Upo wetland. The evaluation results on changes in environmental quality showed that Upo has stable ecosystem without significant change, Mokpo and Sajipo have significant increases in some indices.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.107-115
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• 2010

This study was surveyed to identify changes of flora during three years after restoration in Cheonggyecheon stream. There are four sections in Cheonggyecheon. One and two sections are upper streams and three and four sections are down streams. It was surveyed 328 species in 2006. In 2007 and 2008, 446 and 444 species were found, respectively. This result shows that Cheonggyecheon is unstable initial condition in restored stream ecosystem. Naturalized species were 58 species in 2006 and it was respectively 61 and 63 species in 2007 and 2008. Hazard species of ecosystem were three common species during survey period. In appearance of flora per section, three and four sections constituted by natural sites such as point bars, wide flood plains, riffles and ponds, marshes, etc. were surveyed more species than one and two constructed by concrete materials and narrow flow channel. Recently, as time goes by, introduced species are being increased. And succession has mainly been progressed by one year or binary herbs and perennial herbs. Compared with other restored streams, Cheonggyecheon showed more flora than Yangjaecheon and Anyangcheon. It is judged owing to length of surveyed site, various planted species and area of inhabitation space. To manage restored stream ecosystem, monitoring is essential. Further, because change of vegetation after restoration in Cheonggyecheon is very important, continuous monitoring about Flora and Naturalized species and Hazard species of ecosystem is also very important.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.683-696
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• 2023

The conservation of wetland ecosystems has a significant role in climate change. Notably, the Han River Protected Area, including the Siam-ri wetland and Janghang wetland, provides high biodiversity value. Thus, it is necessary to comprehensively evaluate the function and value of wetland ecosystems. This study evaluated the ecosystem services of Siam-ri and Janghang Wetlands located in the Han River Protected Area using the Rapid Assessment Wetland Ecosystem Services approach, a function-oriented ecosystem analysis. The results were calculated using the Ecosystem Services Index formula to analyze wetland ecosystem services. We also assessed the key ecosystem services based on a focus group interview. We identified that the supporting and cultural services index scores were relatively high in the study area. The results can provide helpful information for sustainable wetland conservation, conservation planning as primary data, and raising awareness for the Han River Protected Area.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.103-115
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• 2007

Risk assessment by living indicator species provides the information about the ecosystem disturbance, disapperance of symbiosis and change of living group. In the initial stage of this kind research, the degree of contamination was reported using the level of simple number, but simple number may not represent the risk itself which can be casued in the living organisms. Risk assessment using various indicator species overcomes these limitations and can be expanded to the DNA level. In many developed counties, the government has supervised the researches about the indicator species for the monitoring and its application to ecosystem restoration. Several living indicator species found in the vicinity of the abandoned Au mines such as fern, earthworm, bacteria, rhizosphere-rhizoplane, salamamdor and DNA change of these species are described in this paper.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.165-176
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• 2012

The objective of this study is to set urban ecosystem assessment indicators, assess the status of the urban ecosystems in 31 cities & counties in the capital region and based on which, to examine an improvement plan to resolve problems and raise quality and quantity of urban ecosystems. The study showed that the ecological base of 31 cities & counties was 48% on average, which indicates that their ecological property is the middle class. Their natural-ecological function was 63% and environmental-control function was 25%, showing that environment-control function was poor. Therefore, going forward, urban ecological base should be further improved. When securing an ecological base, creation techniques should be able to further enhance environmental-control function along with natural-ecological function. Also, additional effort should be made to conserve areas with high ecological value as much as possible and increase vegetation vitality by replacing tree species.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.53-64
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• 1998

This study was performed to build up the ecological guidelines to grasp the structure of the vegetation change which is due to river rehabilitation. Anyway, river ecosystem and function has been destroyed owing to river development. It is important that river vegetation supplies ecological corridor and biotope. Two survey sites(Wonsungcheon and Pungseocheon)were investigated in the aspect of plant ecosystem and structure to settle the practical concept of river ecosystem. Each survey site was subdivided to five plots. The site was surveyed through the belttransect method. Wonsungcheon gets more seriously polluted as it runs to the urban area. In other words, there are On the other hand, Pungseocheon has more naturality but its downstream is under the pressure of various wood plants in the upstream area, but downstream area is dominated by naturalized plants such as Bidens frondosa, Panicum dichotomiflorum, etc. Riverbank of downstream has been changed into farm and parking lot. development. It should be preserved definitely because it still has abundant naturality and wetland which formed a biotope. The objective of the research is to find out the river retrogression and maintenance methods based on the riparian vegetation structure. To manage the river ecologically, hydrophytes should be induced partly for natural purification after the riverside is rehabilitated. The vegetation should be induced step by step to restore natural river and steady monitoring and research are required.