• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.105-119
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• 2023

Water supply is decreasing due to climate change, and coastal and island regions are highly dependent on groundwater, reducing the amount of available water. For sustainable water supply in coastal and island regions, it is necessary to accurately diagnose the current condition and efficiently distribute and manage water. For a precise analysis of the groundwater flow in the coastal island region, submarine fresh groundwater discharge was calculated for the Seongsan basin in the eastern part of Jeju Island. Two methods were used to estimate the thickness of the fresh groundwater. One method employed vertical interpolation of measured electrical conductivity in a multi depth monitoring well; the other used theoretical Ghyben-Herzberg ratio. The value using the Ghyben-Herzberg ratio makes it impossible to accurately estimate the changing salt-saltwater interface, and the value analyzed by electrical conductivity can represent the current state of the freshwater-saltwater interface. Observed parameter was distributed on a virtual grid. The average of submarine fresh groundwater discharge fluxes for the virtual grid was determined as the watershed's representative flux. The submarine fresh groundwater discharge and flux distribution by year were also calculated at the basin scale. The method using electrical conductivity estimated the submarine fresh groundwater discharge from 2018 to 2020 to be 6.27 × 10⁶ m³/year; the method using the Ghyben-Herzberg ratio estimated a discharge of 10.87 × 10⁶ m³/year. The results presented in this study can be used as basis data for policies that determine sustainable water supply by using precise water budget analysis in coastal and island areas.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.399-408
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• 2022

There has been much debate on the morphometric divergence between the recently identified Apis cerana koreana and Apis cerana honey bees. The aim of this study was to obtain phenotypic information that can be used to compare A. c. koreana data with other A. cerana subspecies data from open resources and determine breeding results on the basis of morphometric traits. To differentiate A. c. koreana, we investigated 22 classic morphological characteristics; royal jelly secretion; and the weight of workers, queens, and drones of A. c. koreana bred in Korea. To define the selection results, we used the geometric morphometric method. The artificially selected A. c. koreana secreted significantly more royal jelly (1.18 times) than the naturally selected A. c. koreana, which positively influenced the health of the colonies. These honey bees were identified more clearly with the geometric morphometric method than with the classic morphometric method, which is traditionally used to determine the subspecies. Large trends were noted for A. c. koreana on the basis of our results and literature from the 1980s regarding A. cerana sizes in Korea (tarsal index, length of forewing, and cubital index were measured). The cluster analysis revealed the proximity of A. c. koreana, A. cerana in China, and A. c. indica on the basis of eight classic characters, which, perhaps, relay the origin of the honey bees. The results of this study defined the morphometric responses of A. c. koreana honey bees to geographic isolation, climate change, and selection, which are important to identify, protect, and preserve honey bee stock in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2023

We analyzed the distribution area of debris slopes in Mudeungsan (Mt. Mudeung) National Park by comparing aerial photos of the past (1966) and the present (2017) and identified the vegetation characteristics that affect the change in the area of the debris slopes by investigating the vegetation status of the debris slopes and the surrounding areas. The area of debris slopes in Mt. Mudeung appears to have been reduced to a quarter of what it used to be. Debris slopes here have decreased at an average rate of 2.3 ha/yr over 51 years by vegetation covers. Notably, most of the small-area debris slopes in the low-inclination slopes disappeared due to active vegetation coverage. However, there are still west-facing, south-west-facing, south-facing, and large-area debris slopes remaining because the sun's radiant heat rapidly raises the surface temperature of rock blocks and dries moisture, making tree growth unfavorable. Because of these locational characteristics, the small-scale vegetation in the middle of Deoksan Stony Slope, which is the broadest area, showed distinct characteristics from the adjacent forest areas. Sunny places and tree species with excellent drying resistance were observed frequently in Deoksan Stony Slope. However, tree species with high hygropreference that grow well in valleys with good soil conditions also prevailed. In some of these places, the soil layer has been well developed due to the accumulation of fine materials and organic matter between the crevices of the rock blocks, which is likely to have provided favorable conditions for such tree species to settle and grow. At the top of Mt. Mudeung, on the other hand, the forest covered the debris slopes, where Mongolian oaks (Quercus mongolica) and royal azaleas (Rhododendron schlippenbachii), which typically grow in the highlands, prevailed. This area was considered favorable for the development of vegetation for the highlands because the density of rock blocks was lower than in Deoksan Stony Slope, and the soil was exposed. Moreover, ash trees (Fraxinus rhynchophylla) and Korean maple trees (Acer pseudosieboldianum) that commonly appear in the valley areas were dominant here. It is probably due to the increased moisture content in the soil, which resulted from creating a depressive landform with a concave shape that is easy to collect rainwater as rock blocks in some areas fell and piled up in the lower region. In conclusion, the area, density of the rock blocks, and distribution pattern of rock block slopes would have affected the vegetation development and species composition in the debris slope landform.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.68-81
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• 2023

This study aims to establish a scenario based on the spacing and arrangement of the roadside trees to reduce heat waves and fine dust in cities that occurred during the urbanization process and to quantitatively analyze the degree of reduction. The ENVI-met 5.0.2v model, a micro-climate simulation program, was used to analyze the degree of improvement in the thermal environment and fine dust according to the roadside tree scenario. As a result of temperature analysis according to street tree spacing, the narrower the distance between roadside trees, the lower the temperature during the day as the number of planted trees increased, and a similar pattern was shown regardless of the distance between roadside trees in the morning and evening. In the case of fine dust emitted from the road, the concentration of fine dust increased slightly due to the increase in roadside trees, but the concentration of sidewalks where people walk increased slightly or there was no difference because of blocking fine dust on trees. The temperature according to the arrangement of street trees tended to decrease as the number of planted trees increased as the arrangement increased. However, not only the amount of trees but also the crown projected area was judged to have a significant impact on the temperature reduction because the temperature reduction was greater in the scenario of planting the same amount of trees and widening the interval of arrangement. In terms of the arrangement, the fine dust concentration showed a difference from the results according to the interval, suggesting that the fine dust concentration may change depending on the relationship between the main wind direction and the tree planting direction. By quantitatively analyzing the degree of thermal environment and fine dust improvement caused by roadside trees, this study is expected to promote policies and projects to improve the roadside environment efficiently, such as a basic plan for roadside trees and a project for wind corridor forests.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.287-316
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• 2023

As global energy crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have emerged as social issues, there is a growing demand for companies to move away from profit-centric business models and embrace sustainable management that balances environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. ESG activities of companies vary across industries, and industry-specific weights are applied in ESG evaluations. Therefore, it is important to develop strategic management approaches that reflect the characteristics of each industry and the importance of each ESG factor. Additionally, with the stance of strengthened focus on ESG disclosures, specific guidelines are needed to identify and report on sustainable management activities of domestic companies. To understand corporate sustainability strategies, analyzing ESG reports and news articles by industry can help identify strategic characteristics in specific industries. However, each company has its own unique strategies and report structures, making it difficult to grasp detailed trends or action items. In our study, we analyzed ESG reports (2019-2021) and news articles (2019-2022) of six companies in the 'Finance,' 'Manufacturing,' and 'IT' sectors to examine the sustainability strategies of leading domestic ESG companies. Text mining techniques such as keyword frequency analysis and topic modeling were applied to identify industry-specific, ESG element-specific management strategies and issues. The analysis revealed that in the 'Finance' sector, customer-centric management strategies and efforts to promote an inclusive culture within and outside the company were prominent. Strategies addressing climate change, such as carbon neutrality and expanding green finance, were also emphasized. In the 'Manufacturing' sector, the focus was on creating sustainable communities through occupational health and safety issues, sustainable supply chain management, low-carbon technology development, and eco-friendly investments to achieve carbon neutrality. In the 'IT' sector, there was a tendency to focus on technological innovation and digital responsibility to enhance social value through technology. Furthermore, the key issues identified in the ESG factors were as follows: under the 'Environmental' element, issues such as greenhouse gas and carbon emission management, industry-specific eco-friendly activities, and green partnerships were identified. Under the 'Social' element, key issues included social contribution activities through stakeholder engagement, supporting the growth and coexistence of members and partner companies, and enhancing customer value through stable service provision. Under the 'Governance' element, key issues were identified as strengthening board independence through the appointment of outside directors, risk management and communication for sustainable growth, and establishing transparent governance structures. The exploration of the relationship between ESG disclosures in reports and ESG issues in news articles revealed that the sustainability strategies disclosed in reports were aligned with the issues related to ESG disclosed in news articles. However, there was a tendency to strengthen ESG activities for prevention and improvement after negative media coverage that could have a negative impact on corporate image. Additionally, environmental issues were mentioned more frequently in news articles compared to ESG reports, with environmental-related keywords being emphasized in the 'Finance' sector in the reports. Thus, ESG reports and news articles shared some similarities in content due to the sharing of information sources. However, the impact of media coverage influenced the emphasis on specific sustainability strategies, and the extent of mentioning environmental issues varied across documents. Based on our study, the following contributions were derived. From a practical perspective, companies need to consider their characteristics and establish sustainability strategies that align with their capabilities and situations. From an academic perspective, unlike previous studies on ESG strategies, we present a subdivided methodology through analysis considering the industry-specific characteristics of companies.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.85-96
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• 2023

The study involved the categorization of domestic lakes located in South Korea into three groups based on their salinity levels: upstream reservoirs with salinity less than 0.3 psu, estuarine reservoirs with salinity ranging from 0.3 to 2 psu, and brackish lagoons with salinity exceeding 2 psu. Subsequently, the research assessed variations in the concentrations of total nitrogen (T-N) and total phosphorus (T-P) in the sediment of these lakes using statistical analysis, specifically one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Additionally, a laboratory core incubation test was conducted to investigate the benthic nutrient fluxes in Songji lagoon (salinity: 11.80 psu), Ganwol reservoir (salinity: 0.73 psu), and Janggun reservoir (salinity: 0.08 psu) under both aerobic and anoxic conditions. The findings revealed statistically significant differences in the concentrations of T-N and T-P among sediments in the lakes with varying salinity levels (p<0.05). Further post-hoc analysis confirmed significant distinctions in T-N between upstream reservoirs and estuarine reservoirs (p<0.001), as well as between upstream reservoirs and brackish lagoons (p<0.01). For T-P, a significant difference was observed between upstream reservoirs and brackish lagoons (p<0.01). Regarding benthic nutrient fluxes, Ganwol Lake exhibited the highest diffusive flux of NH₄⁺-N, primarily due to its physical characteristics and the inhibition of nitrification resulting from its relatively high salinity. The flux of NO₃^--N was lower at higher salinity levels under aerobic conditions but increased under anoxic conditions, attributed to the impact of salinity on nitrification and denitrification. Additionally, the flux of PO₄^3--P was highest in Songji Lake, followed by Ganwol Lake and Janggun Reservoir, indicating that salinity promotes the diffusive flux of phosphate through anion adsorption competition. It's important to consider the influence of salinity on microbial communities, growth rates, oxidation-reduction processes, and nutrient binding forms when studying benthic diffusive nutrient fluxes from lake sediments.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.259-272
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• 2023

This study set up 49 survey areas with an area of about 400 square meters in Abies koreana natural habitat to identify the species composition and vegetation structure of the A. koreana forest in the Mt. Jiri Nation Park, conducted field surveys using phytosociological methods, and performed the cluster analysis using the Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) and Table manipulation. Subsequently, species composition analysis using the importance value, species diversity analysis, DBH analysis, sapling analysis, and similarity analysis was conducted by each cluster type. The cluster analysis classified the A. koreana forest in Mt. Jiri into five clusters, A, B, C, D, and E. The forest was divided into two clusters, Magnolia sieboldii-Dryopteris crassirhizoma-Sasa borealis and Betula ermanii-Solidago virgaurea-Calamagrostis arundinacea. The former was classified as type A and B by Cornus controversa-Hydrangea macrophylla, and the latter was classified as type E, a typical community, and a Sorbus commixta-Rhododendron mucronulatum cluster. And the S. commixta-R. mucronulatum cluster was divided into C type and D type by Picea jezoensis-Ligularia fischeri and Ainsliaea acerifolia. Through vegetation analysis, the importance value of A. koreana, Quercus mongolica, Acer pseudosieboldianum, Fraxinus sieboldiana, and B. ermanii was highly expressed in the A. koreana forest in Mt. Jiri. Regarding species diversity, the results were similar to those reported in other studies of A. koreana forests in Mt. Jiri. The analysis of diameter at breast height (DBH) showed that A. koreana dominated all layers, and the growth of saplings was also good, indicating that the dominance of A. koreana is expected to continue for a while. However, when considering the value of biodiversity that is expected to increase and threats caused by climate change, systematic preservation and management are required to respond to various threats based on continuous monitoring.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.417-426
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• 2023

Rapid climate change has resulted in glacial retreat and increased meltwater inputs in the Antarctic Peninsula, including King George Island where Marian Cove is located. Consequently, these phenomena are expected to induce changes in the water column light properties, which in turn will affect phytoplankton communities. To comprehend the effects of glacial retreat on the marine ecosystem in Marian Cove, we investigated on phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a, chl-a) and various environment parameters in this area in December 2021 and January 2022. The average temperature at the euphotic depth in January 2022 (1.41 ± 0.13 ℃) was higher than that in December 2021 (0.87 ± 0.17 ℃). Contrastingly, the average salinity was lower in January 2022 (33.9 ± 0.10 psu) than in December 2021 (34.1 ± 0.12 psu). Major nutrients, including dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphate, and silicate, were sufficiently high, and thus, did not act as limiting factors for phytoplankton biomass. In December 2021 and January 2022, the mean chl-a concentrations were 1.03 ± 0.64 and 0.66 ± 0.15㎍ L^-1, respectively. The mean concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) was 24.9 ± 3.54 mgL^-1 during the study period, with elevated values observed in the vicinity of the inner glacier. However, relative lower chl-a concentrations were observed near the inner glacier, possibly due to high SPM load from the glacier, resulting in reduced light attenuation by SPM shading. Furthermore, the proportion of nanophytoplankton exceeded 70% in the inner cove, contributing to elevated mean fractions of nanophytoplankton in the glacier retreat marine ecosystem. Overall, our study indicated that freshwater and SPM inputs from glacial meltwater may possibly act as main factors controlling the dynamics of phytoplankton communities in glacier retreat areas. The findings may also serve as fundamental data for better understanding the carbon cycle in Marian Cove.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.37-53
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• 2014

The purpose of this research is to find what difficulties the agricultural successors, the Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries (KNCAF) graduates, face with in implementing eco-friendly agriculture in Jeju, and what solutions they can be provided with. This research, a case study on the basis of open-ended survey questions, has 6 cases out of 8 graduates who have or had implemented eco-friendly citrus farming. In Jeju, 24 graduates have involved in citrus farming. According to the case study, only one case was environment-friendly farming method at the pesticide-free level, and the others at organic farming level. All the cases have tried to alter main crops or to diversify management for coping with global climate change and market-opening. On analyzing operating cost to gain product of merchantable quality, it revealed that the environment-friendly farming method needs much more managing efforts than the conventional farming does. But to the contrary, the materials cost in the environment-friendly farming method was lower than in the conventional farming method. In the total production and the price, the environment-friendly farming was 20~50% lower and 10~50% higher than the conventional farming, respectively. Difficulties which the graduates confronted with in implementing the environment-friendly agriculture are as below. Firstly, many of the difficulties have resulted from lack of the environment-friendly farming techniques, and the high cost of farm scale improvement due to high price of land and topographical features of Jeju. Secondly, the agricultural successors, the KNCAF graduates, have trouble in obtaining approval of their parents to changeover from the conventional farming to the environment-friendly farming. Lastly, there is no advisory organizations and experts for environment-friendly farming in the given area. For shift to the environment-friendly farming, followings are needed. Agricultural Technology & Extension center, with cooperation of leading farms in environment-friendly farming, should have a key role in offering education and consults on the environment-friendly farming techniques. Also, this organization should inform rapidly the research results to the farmers, and their feed-back should be involved in the next research. Therefore, it is suggested that the forum called 'Environment-friendly Organic Farming Forum in Jeju' tentatively is organized.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.671-687
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• 2022

It has been reported that about 47% of groundwater wells within 10 km from the coastline in the western/southern coastal areas of Korea were affected by seawater. It has been interpreted that the cause of groundwater salinization is seawater intrusion. The Gilsan stream in the Seocheon area was a tidal stream until the Geumgang estuary dam was constructed and operated. Therefore, it is likely that the Gilsan stream catchment was deposited with sediments containing high-saline formation water prior to the use of landfill farmland at this catchment area. The groundwater in this study area showed EC values ranging from 111 to 21,000 µS/cm, and the water quality types were diverse including Ca(or Na)-HCO₃, Ca(or Na)-HCO₃(Cl), Na-Cl(HCO₃), Na-Cl types. It is believed that this diversity of water quality is due to the mixing of seawater and fresh groundwater generated by infiltration of precipitation and surface water through soil and weathered part. In this study, we discussed whether this water quality diversity and the presence of saline groundwater are due to present seawater intrusion or to remnant high-saline pore water in sediments during flushing out process. For this, rain water, surface water, seawater, and groundwater were compared regarding the water quality characteristics, tritium content, oxygen/hydrogen stable isotopic composition, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio. The oxygen/hydrogen stable isotopic compositions indicated that water composition of saline groundwaters with large EC values are composed of a mixture of those of fresh groundwater and surface water. Also, the young groundwater estimated by tritium content has generally higher NO₃ content. All these characteristics showed that fresh groundwater and surface water have continued to affect the high-saline groundwater quality in the study area. In addition, considering the deviation pattern in the diagrams of Na/Cl ratio versus Cl content and SAR (sodium adsorption ratio) versus Cl content, in which two end members of fresh surface-ground water and seawater are assumed, it is interpreted that the groundwater in the study area is not experiencing present seawater intrusion, but flush out and retreating from ancient saline formation water.