• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2020

We've compared and conceptually evaluated the newly emerging concept of nature-based solutions (NbS's), in the aspect of water management, and existing similar solutions of different naming, all of which are based on ecosystem functions. In this study, it is found that NbS's seem significant and meaningful both educationally and understandably in the aspect that it can comprehensively cover and include the existing methodologies and solutions using the functions of natural ecosystem to socio-environmental challenges. It, however, seems not quite different from the broad-meaning of green infra, including Eco-DRR, in terms of the approaching methodologies in water management. The conceptual and spatial hierarchy of each practice in water management considered in this study can be expressed in the narrowing order of NbS-(EE)-BGI-(CRT)-GI-LID. Last, the term LID, which is the best management practice for storm water management in the development project, can be replaced with the term GI for clarification and less confusion both in academia and practice.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.177-189
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• 2022

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are defined as practical and technical approaches to restoring functioning ecosystems and biodiversity as a means to address socio-environmental challenges and provide human-nature co-benefits. This study reviews NbS-related literature to identify its key characteristics, techniques, and challenges for its application in climate-adaptive water management. The review finds that NbS has been commonly used as an umbrella term incorporating a wide range of existing ecosystem-based approaches such as low-impact development (LID), best management practices (BMP), forest landscape restoration (FLR), and blue-green infrastructure (BGI), rather than being a uniquely-situated practice. Its technical form and operation can vary significantly depending on the spatial scale (small versus large), objective (mitigation, adaptation, naturalization), and problem (water supply, quality, flooding). Commonly cited techniques include green spaces, permeable surfaces, wetlands, infiltration ponds, and riparian buffers in urban sites, while afforestation, floodplain restoration, and reed beds appear common in non- and less-urban settings. There is a greater lack of operational clarity for large-scale NbS than for small-scale NbS in urban areas. NbS can be a powerful tool that enables an integrated and coordinated action embracing not only water management, but also microclimate moderation, ecosystem conservation, and emissions reduction. This study points out the importance of developing decision-making guidelines that can inform practitioners of the selection, operation, and evaluation of NbS for specific sites. The absence of this framework is one of the obstacles to mainstreaming NbS for water management. More case studies are needed for empirical assessment of NbS.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.379-385
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• 2023

EDue to climate change and urbanization, the localized heavy rainfall frequently exceeded a design storm rainfall and flood damage has occurred in South Korea. The concept of addressing sustainable river management and environmental and social issues through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is gaining attention as it seeks to resolve these issues through ecosystem services. Therefore, in this study, the flood reduction effect by river management using NbS was quantitatively analyzed for the Hwang River, which is directly downstream of Hapcheon Dam, South Korea. Floodplain excavation and dyke relocation, which are methods of the NbS, were applied to the flood risk area of the Hwang River. As a result of analyzing the flood level of the river through the unsteady flow analysis of HEC-RAS, we obtained flood level reduction by 8 cm at the confluence of the Nakdong River. The results of this study can be expected to be sufficiently utilized as a basis for use as a management plan through NbS rather than the river management with grey infrastructure.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.31-39
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• 2023

NNbF is a newly emerging approach to reduce flood risk in coastal and fluvial areas using natural features or engineered nature-based features with the expectation of co-benefits of provisional, regulating, and socio-cultural services provided by the ecosystem. NNbF is not quite different from existing, related terms based on nature, such as NbS, Eco-DRR, NI, GI, EwN, and BwN, for all these terms include expectation of benefits for human societies by directly utilizing or mimicking nature's ecological functions. If we focus on the comprehensiveness of each term's subject and object, we can say that NbS > NNbF > (Eco-DRR, NI/GI). Among the 18 measures introduced in the NNbF International Guideline in the river and floodplain management category, it was found that measures of wash lands and floodplain restoration, including levee setback/removal and side-channel restoration, seemed to be the most applicable to rivers in Korea. These selected measures could be more effective when river managers purchase riparian lands along river courses by relevant laws for river water-quality protection.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.47-62
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• 2022

The Ministry of Environment has been working to reduce the impact on biodiversity, ecosystems, and social costs caused by soil runoff from highland Agricultural fields by setting up non-point pollution source management districts. To reduce soil loss, runoff path reduction technology has been applied, but it has been less cost effective. In addition, non-point pollution sources cause environmental conflicts in downstream areas, and recently highland Agricultural fields are becoming vulnerable to climate change. The Ministry of Environment is promoting the optimal management plan in earnest to convert arable land into forests and grasslands, but since non-point pollution is not a simple environmental problem, it is necessary to approach it from the aspect of NbS(Nature-Based Solution). In this study, a scenario for applying the nature-based solution was established for three subwatersheds west of Haean-myeon, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do. The soil loss distribution was spatialized through GeoWEPP and the amount of soil loss was compared for the non-point pollution reduction effect of mixed forests and grasslands. When cultivated land with a slope of 20% or more and ginseng fields were restored to perennial grasslands and mixed forests, non-point pollution reduction effects of about 32% and 29.000 tons compared to the current land use were shown. Also, it was confirmed that mixed forest rather than perennial grassland is an effective nature-based solution to reduce non-point pollution.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2024

The accelerated pace of climate crisis due to continuous industrialization and greenhouse gas emissions necessitates sustainable solutions that simultaneously address mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Naturebased Solutions (NbS) have gained prominence as viable approaches, with Green Infrastructure being a representative NbS. Green Infrastructure involves securing green spaces within urban areas, providing diverse climate adaptation functions such as removal of various air pollutants, carbon sequestration, and isolation. The proliferation of Green Infrastructure is influenced by the quantification of improvement effects related to various projects. To support decision-making by assessing the climate vulnerability of Green Infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed i-Tree Tools. This study proposes a comprehensive evaluation approach for climate change adaptation types by quantifying the climate adaptation performance of urban Green Infrastructure. Using i-Tree Canopy, the analysis focuses on five urban green spaces covering more than 30 hectares, considering the tree ratio relative to the total area. The evaluation encompasses aspects of thermal environment, aquatic environment, and atmospheric environment to assess the overall eco-friendliness in terms of climate change adaptation. The results indicate that an increase in the tree ratio correlates with improved eco-friendliness in terms of thermal, aquatic, and atmospheric environments. In particular, it is necessary to prioritize consideration of the water environment sector in order to realize climate change adaptive green infrastructure, such as increasing green space in urban areas, as it has been confirmed that four out of five target sites are specialized in improving the water environment.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2023.05a
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• pp.111-111
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• 2023

최근 기후변화의 영향으로 설계빈도 보다 높은 강우가 발생하고, 하천설계 기준을 초과한 홍수피해가 발생하고 있다. 현재 시행되고 있는 하천관리는 이수 및 치수 목적으로 제방, 보 및 낙차공과 같은 그레이인프라(Grey infrastructure)가 일반적이다. 하지만 그레이인프라를 통한 하천관리 방안은 이산화탄소를 배출하여 기후변화로 인한 극한 기상의 발생을 증가시키고 홍수피해를 가중시키는 등의 악순환이 반복되게 한다. 따라서 그레이인프라에 의한 하천관리 방안은 지속가능한 방안으로 채택할 수 없으므로 최근에 환경적, 사회적 문제를 생태계의 서비스를 통해 해결하고자 하는 자연기반해법(NbS, Nature-based Solutions)의 개념이 주목받고 있다. 이에 본 연구는 합천댐 직하류인 황강을 대상으로 자연기반해법을 활용한 하천관리 방안의 홍수저감 효과를 정량적으로 분석하고자 하였다. 자연기반해법 기술에 포함되는 범람원 굴착(Floodplain excavation)과 제방후퇴(Dyke relocation)를 황강의 홍수위험지역에 적용하였다. HEC-RAS의 부정류 흐름(Unsteady flow) 해석을 통해 하천 홍수위를 산정한 결과, 낙동강 합류점에서 5cm의 홍수위 저감효과를 확인 할 수 있었다. 본 연구의 결과를 통해 하천관리사업의 진행 시 기존의 하천관리 방법이 아닌 자연기반해법을 통한 관리 방안으로 도입할 수 있는 근거로 충분히 활용이 가능할 것으로 기대된다.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.353-365
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• 2023

The effects of climate change on green infrastructure and environmental media remain uncertain and context-specific despite numerous climate projections globally. In this study, the extreme weather conditions in seven major cities in South Korea were characterized through statistical analysis of 20-year daily meteorological data extracted fro m the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Additionally, the impacts of extreme weather on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) were determined through a comprehensive review. The results of the statistical analysis and comprehensive review revealed the studied cities are potentially vulnerable to varying extreme weather conditions, depending on geographic location, surface imperviousness, and local weather patterns. Temperature extremes were seen as potential threats to the resilience of NbS in Seoul, as both the highest maximum and lowest minimum temperatures were observed in the mentioned city. Moreover, extreme values for precipitation and maximum wind speed were observed in cities from the southern part of South Korea, particularly Busan, Ulsan, and Jeju. It was also found that extremely low temperatures induce the most impact on the resilience of NbS and environmental media. Extremely cold conditions were identified to reduce the pollutant removal efficiency of biochar, sand, gravel, and woodchip, as well as the nutrient uptake capabilities of constructed wetlands (CWs). In response to the negative impacts of extreme weather on the effectiveness of NbS, several adaptation strategies, such as the addition of shading and insulation systems, were also identified in this study. The results of this study are seen as beneficial to improving the resilience of NbS in South Korea and other locations with similar climate characteristics.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.578-587
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• 2022

Korea, as the world's 7^th largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has raised the national greenhouse gas reduction target as international regulations have been strengthened. As it is possible to utilize coastal and marine ecosystems as important nature-based solutions (NbS) for implementing climate change mitigation or adaptation plans, the blue carbon ecosystem is now receiving attention. Blue carbon refers to carbon that is deposited and stored for a long period after carbon dioxide (CO₂) is absorbed as biomass by coastal ecosystems or oceanic ecosystems through photosynthesis. Currently, there are only three blue carbon ecosystems officially recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses. However, the results of new research on the high CO₂ sequestration and storage capacity of various new blue carbon sinks, such as seaweeds, microalgae, coral reefs, and non-vegetated tidal flats, have been continuously reported to the academic community recently. The possibility of IPCC international accreditation is gradually increasing through scientific verification related to calculations. In this review, the current status and potential value of seaweeds, seagrass fields, and non-vegetated tidal flats, which are sources of blue carbon on the east coast, are discussed. This paper confirms that seaweed resources are the most effective NbS in the East Sea of Korea. In addition, we would like to suggest the direction of research and development (R&D) and utilization so that new blue carbon sinks can obtain international IPCC certification in the near future.