• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.954-962
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to develop automatic event detection algorithm for groundwater level rise. The groundwater level data and rainfall data in July and August at 37 locations nationwide were analyzed to develop the algorithm for groundwater level rise due to rainfall. In addition, the algorithm for groundwater level rise by ice melting and ground freezing was developed through the analysis of groundwater level data in January. The algorithm for groundwater level rise by rainfall was composed of three parts, including correlation between previous rainfall and groundwater level, simple linear regression analysis between previous rainfall and groundwater level, and diagnosis of groundwater level rise due to new rainfall. About 49% of the analyzed data was successfully simulated for groundwater level rise by rainfall. The algorithm for groundwater level rise due to ice melting and ground freezing included graphic analysis for groundwater level versus time (day), simple linear regression analysis for groundwater level versus time, and diagnosis of groundwater level rise by new ice melting and ground freezing. Around 37% of the analyzed data was successfully simulated for groundwater level rise due to ice melting and ground freezing. The algorithms from this study would help develop strategies for sustainable development and conservation of groundwater resources.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.303-313
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• 2023

In this study, the hydraulic gradient was calculated using the groundwater level and rainfall observed in the Hyogyo-ri area for a year, and the change in the hydraulic gradient according to the rainfall was analyzed. It was found that the groundwater level increased as the rainfall increased in all groundwater wells in the research site, and the groundwater level rise decreased as the altitude of the groundwater well increased. The hydraulic gradient in the research site ranged from 0.016 to 0.048, decreasing during rainfall and increasing after the end of the rainfall. As the rainfall increased, the groundwater level rise in the low-altitude area was more than the high-altitude area, and the hydraulic gradient decreased due to the difference in groundwater level rise according to the altitude. Through this study, it was found that the influence of rainfall is dominant for the fluctuation of the hydraulic gradient in the unconfined aquifer.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.387-395
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• 2017

Sea level rise, accompanied by climate change, is expected to exacerbate seawater intrusion in the coastal groundwater system. As the salinity of saturated groundwater increases, salinity can increase even in the unsaturated soil above the groundwater surface, which may cause crop damage in the agricultural land. The other adverse impact of sea level rise is reduced unsaturated soil thicknesses. In this study, a composite model to assess impacts of sea level rise in coastal agricultural land is proposed. The composite model is based on the combined applications of a three dimensional model for simulating saltwater intrusion into the groundwater and a vertical one dimensional model for simulating unsaturated zone flow and transport. The water level and salinity distribution of groundwater are calculated using the three dimensional seawater intrusion model. At some uppermost nodes, where salinity are higher than the reference value, of the 3D mesh one dimensional unsaturated zone modeling is conducted along the soil layer between the ground water surface and the ground surface. A particular location is judged salinized when the concentration at the root-zone depth exceeds the tolerable salinity for ordinary crops. The developed model is applied to a hypothetical agricultural reclamation land. IPCC RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios were used as sea level rise data. Results are presented for 2050 and 2100. As a result of the study, it is predicted that by 2100 in the climate change scenario RCP 8.5, there will be 7.8% increase in groundwater saltwater-intruded area, 6.0% increase of salinized soil area, and 1.6% in increase in water-logging area.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.68-79
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• 2009

Groundwater is the main water resource in Jeju Island because storage of surface water in reservoir is difficult in the island due to the permeable volcanic rocks. Because of this reason, the groundwater is expected to be very vulnerable to seawater intrusion by global warming, which will cause sea level rise. The long term change of mean sea level around the Korean Peninsula including Jeju Island was analyzed for this study. The sea level rise over the past 40 years was estimated to be of $2.16\;{\pm}\;1.71\;mm/yr$ around the Korean Peninsula. However, the rising trend around the eastern part of Jeju Island was more remarkable. In addition, the groundwater/seawater intrusion monitoring network operated by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province shows that seawater intrusion becomes more prominent during dry 4-5 months in a year when the sea level increases. This implies that the fresh groundwater lens in the eastern part of Jeju Island is influenced by the sea level rise due to global warming in the long term scale.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

A correlation analysis was performed to investigate differences in the response of surface water and groundwater to drought using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Water level data of 20 agricultural reservoirs, 4 dams, 2 rivers, and 8 groundwater observation wells were used for the analysis. SPI was calculated using precipitation data measured at a nearby meteorological station. The water storage of reservoirs and dams decreased significantly as they responded sensitively to the drought from 2014 to 2016, showing high correlation with SPI of the relatively long accumulation period (AP). The responses of rivers varied greatly depending on the presence of an upstream dam. The water level in rivers connected to an upstream dam was predominantly influenced by the dam discharge, resulting in very weak correlation with SPI. On the contrary, the rivers without dam exhibited a sharp water level rise in response to precipitation, showing higher correlation with SPI of a short-term AP. Unlike dams and reservoirs, the responses of groundwater levels to precipitation were very short-lived, and they did not show high correlation with SPI during the long-term drought. In drought years, the rise of groundwater level in the rainy season was small, and the lowered water level in the dry season did not proceed any further and was maintained at almost the same as that of other normal years. Conclusively, it is confirmed that groundwater is likely to persist longer than surface water even in the long-term drought years.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.163-171
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• 2015

This study aimed to establish a field observation system for monitoring tempo-spatially precise changes of groundwater level and to analyze the impact of rainfall and irrigation practices on groundwater changes in paddy regions. The monitoring system comprising of all nine groundwater observation wells and four ponding depth sensors was installed in a part of paddy regions benefited from Gosam reservoir, Ansung-si. The result of grundwater level change during the irrigation period in 2002 was averagely 0.51 m higher than that during the non-irrigation period. In particular between March before puddling and June after transplanting, there was maximum 1.23 m rise in groundwater level. On the other hand, concerning the change in ponding depth, groundwater level changed similarly, and hourly rainfall was revealed to have better correlation with 24-hour delayed hourly groundwater level than with the corresponding groundwater level. Eventually, this study could be referenced for further studies to set up a more comprehensive and sustainable monitoring system of groundwater conditions.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

Groundwater has been a very precious resource for human life and economic development in the world. With increasing population and food demand, the groundwater use especially for agriculture is largely elevated worldwide. The very much large groundwater use results in depletion of major aquifers, land subsidences in many large cities, anthropogenic groundwater contamination, seawater intrusion in coastal areas and accompanying severe conflicts for water security. Furthermore, with the advent of changing climate, securing freshwater supply including groundwater becomes a pressing and critical issue for sustainable societal development in every country because prediction of precipitation is more difficult, its uneven distribution is aggravating, weather extremes are more frequent, and rising sea level is also threatening the freshwater resource. Under these difficulties, can groundwater be sustaining its role as essential element for human and society in the near future? We have to focus our efforts and wisdom on answering the question. Korean government should increase its investment in securing groundwater resources for changing climate.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.119-129
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• 2020

Sand dam is a successful water harvesting method in mountainous areas with ephemeral rivers. The success is dependent on several factors including material type, hydrogeology, slope, riverbed thickness, groundwater recharge, and streamflow. In this study, the effect of a sand dam on the groundwater level in the Chuncheon area, South Korea was assessed using the MODFLOW model. Using the model, multiple scenarios were tested to understand the groundwater head before and after the construction of the sand dam. The effect of groundwater abstraction before and after sand dam construction and the sand material type were also assessed. The results show, the groundwater level increases substantially after the application of a sand dam. The comparison of model outputs, simulated groundwater head before and after sand dam application with and without pumping well, shows a clear difference in the head. The material type has also an effect on the groundwater head. As the conductivity of the material increases, the head showed a significant rise.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.28-31
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• 2002

The water level fluctuation (WLF) method is a conventional method for quantifying groundwater recharge by multiplying the specific yield to the water level rise. A 2-D unconfined flow model with a time series of the recharge rate is developed. It is used for elucidating the errors of the WLF method which is implicitly based on the tank model where the horizontal flow in the saturated zone is ignored. Simulations show that the recharge estimated by the WLF method is underestimated for the observation well near the discharge boundary. This is due to the fact that the hydraulic stress resulting from the recharge is rapidly dissipating by the horizontal flow near the discharge boundary Simulations also reveal that the recharge was significantly underestimated with increase in the hydraulic conductivity and the recharge duration, and decrease in the specific yield.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.1-4
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• 2009