• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.243-250
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• 2005

Analysis of high-resolution seismic profiles acquired from the inner shelf off the southern coast of Korea reveals that the inner shelf sequence can be divided into three stratigraphic units formed after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Unit I is characterized by complex seismic facies including semi-transparent, stratified, and hummocky reflections on seismic records. It consists of sandy mud or muddy sand, deposited under estuarine environment during the post-glacial transgression. Unit II acoustically shows semi-transparent or hummocky reflections and consists of sand with gravels and shell debris, produced by shoreface erosion during the transgression. Unit III is characterized by transparent or semi-transparent seismic facies and consists of mud originated from the Nakdong and Seomjin rivers during recent highstand of sea level. Unit III is confined to the inner shelf with an extenal form of stratal wedge.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.541-550
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• 2005

Molluscan shells were sampled from the continental shelf of South Sea: 19 stations in the southeast continental shelf and 5 in the southwest sea, in order to understand characteristics of sea level changes and time-averaging since the last glacial age. Radiocarbon dates were made on 42 dominant and specific species which were sampled from 24 stations. Time-averaging was observed and showed to be 11,939 years in age difference. The sea-level ranged from 150 to 160 m below sea level during the LGM (about 15,000 yrs B.P). The sea-level significantly rose to 60 m at around 9,000 yrs B.P. and became stable at 50 to 60 m between periods between 4,000 and 5,000 yrs B.P. Between 3,000 and 4,000 yrs B.P, the sea-level rapidly rose to a depth of $10\~20m$ below today’s present sea level.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.66-76
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• 2003

Wetland is the ecotone between aquatic ecosystem and land ecosystem, and is much valuable in terms of ecology and economic. The stream wetland among inland fresh wetlands occupies the largest area but has been recognized as only a channel not a habitat. The purposes of this paper are to consider the characteristics of natural wetlands formed in the tributary flowing into the downstream reach of Nakdong River and to find its optimal management policy. Natural wetlands in the middle-size streams (2nd${\sim}$3rd order) are large marshlands, and were formed at the places from the mainstream away, because natural wetlands were formed in the reach of longitudinal profiles during the last glacial and the post-glacial period meet in disharmony. In order to conserve these natural wetlands effectively, we should compile the inventories of wetlands and make precise distribution maps. And we should do 'reverse-reclamation' which means the alteration of some farmlands reclaimed from natural wetland into natural wetland ecosystem, and develop the place or the space for wildlife education and ecotourism.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.363-369
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• 1999

Reconstruction of the past vegetational changes of Korea in connection with climate changes enables to understand the impacts of past and future global warming on alpine vegetation. Despite the early appearance of the cold-tolerant vegetation since the Mesozoic Era. the occurrence of warmth-tolerant vegetation during the Oligocene and Miocene implies that most of alpine and subalpine vegetations have been confined to the alpine and subalpine belts of northern Korean Peninsula. The presence of cold-episodes during the Pleistocene. however. might have caused a general southward and downslope expansions of cold-tolerant alpine and subalpine vegetation. But the climatic warming trend during the Holocene or post-glacial period eventually has isolated cold-tolerant alpine and subalpine vegetation mainly in the northern Korea. but also on scattered high mountains in the southern Korea. The presence of numerous arctic-alpine and alpine plants on the alpine and subalpine belts is mainly due to their relative degree of sensitivity to high summer temperatures. Global warming would cause important changes in species composition and altitudinal distributional pattern. The altitudinal migration of temperate vegetation upward caused by climatic warming would eventually devastate alpine plants.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.357-370
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• 2002

Present work aims to investigate the species composition, physiognomy and distribution of arctic-alpine and alpine plants(AAP) of the Korean Peninsula. The dominance of AAP in the northern Korea may be due to the frequent exchanges of floras with circumpolar regions for the seek of the glacial refugia during the alternate Pleistocene glacial epochs. The post-glacial climatic amelioration pushed AAP back northwards and upwards, so they now shows disjunctive distribution on separate mountain tops. The diverse morphological adaptations of AAP to severe environmental conditions, viz. the dominance of perennial species, stunted tree growth, multiple protection of leaves, krummholz, and dwarf shrubs, are the result of long-term graduall development which have safeguarded the survival of AAP in a such a harsh cryo-climatic area. The appearance of the Korean endemic AAP reflects the long-term isolation of species in Korea, and the local environmental diversities which have both accentuated this isolation and aided the development of genetic diversity. Evergreen broad-leaved AAP at c. 1,500m to 1,800m and above are now endangered because of the competition from down-slope plants, and from the global warming.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.13-22
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• 2017

The age of the Sorori old fluvial deposits is assumed as old as Last Interglacial(MIS 5) when appying the thalassostatic terrace formation in mid- to downstream Keum river basin, while the young fluvial deposits are interpreted to be formed since the post-LGM(last glacial maximum), including both the Bølling-Allerød (B/A) Interstadial(12,700~14,700 cal-yrBP), and the Younger Dryas Stadial(11,700~12,900 cal-yrBP). The wild rice seed like Oryza rufipogon found in the middle organic muds of the young fluvial deposits dated after about 15,000 cal-yrsBP, when the transition from the subalpine conifer forest to the deciduous broad-leaved forest was conspicuously evidenced in the upper part of OC-2 palynofloral zone of the in Cheonju Sorori site, In particular the OC-2 palynofloral zone ranging towards the upper part of middle organic muds(peaty muds) is interpreted to be formed in the B/A Interstadial. It is regarded that Cheongju Sorori rice seeds are associated with warm palynological evidences and backswamp insects during the Lastest Glacial, showing appearance of relatively warm climate similar to the present.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.267-280
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• 2013

The marine algal flora of the Keret Archipelago ($66^{\circ}$ N, $33^{\circ}$ E) in the White Sea, Russia was investigated during 2008. Over 250 algal records from more than 15 islands and several sites on the adjoining mainland produced a total of 62 algal species. This raised the total from 56 to 88 species of Chlorophyta (23 species), Phaeophyceae (31 species), Rhodophyta (33 species), and Tribophyceae (1 species) of which seven were new records or verifications of ambiguous records for the White Sea and 11 species are new for the Keret Archipelago. The new or confirmed records included species of Blidingia, Eugomontia, Prasiola, Rosenvingiella, and Ulothrix (Chlorophyta), Acrochaetium, Colaconema (Rhodophyta), and Vaucheria (Tribophyceae). Five species of flowering plants (Aster, Plantago, Triglochin, and Zostera) were associated with the macrophytic algal vegetation of the region. Five fucoid algae in Pelvetia, Fucus, and Ascophyllum provide a picture of a temperate flora. Regardless, the overall species richness is consistent with an arctic nature to the flora. This discrepancy is attributed to the 'filter' provided by the Barents Sea of the Arctic Ocean for post-glacial colonization of the White Sea.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.25-32
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• 2003

Mongolia, a land-locked country in Central Asia, is located in the region of the highest degree of seasonal contrast on Earth. This paper presents sedimentologic and geomorphic data used to infer Holocene climate change in North-Central Mongolia. Correlation of data show that the climate was cold and dry before 10500 years BP. The post glacial warming occurred from 10500 to 8700 yr BP. The climate was characterized by becoming warmer and dry from 7300 to 6090 radiocarbon years. Between 6100 and 5500 years ago, conditions were hyper arid. Increased effective moisture balance but still arid conditions prevailed between 5500 and 3900 years ago. Since 3900 years ago, generally more humid conditions prevailed and originated varved sediment accumulation. Between about 2300 to 1300 years ago, greater than present day effective moisture balance. Since 1200 years ago climate was cooler and since 600 years ago becoming warmer.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.1141-1147
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• 2002

Based on the tide gauge data from the Permanent Service for Meau Sea Level (PSMSL) collected at 23 locations in the Korean coast, the long-term sea-level trend was computed using a simple linear regression fit over the recorded length of the monthly mean sea-level data. The computed sea-level trend was also corrected for the vertical land movement due to post glacial rebound(PGR) using the ICE-4G(VM2) model output. It was found that the PGR-corrected sea-level trend near Korea was 2.310 $\pm$ 2.220 mm/yr, which is higher than the global average at 1.0∼2.0mm/yr, as assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC). The regional distribution of the long-term sea-level trend near Korea revealed that the South Sea had the largest sea-level rise followed by the West Sea and East Sea, respectively, supporting the results of the previous study by Seo et al. However, due to the relatively short record period and large spatial variability, the sea-level trend from the tide gauge data for the Korean coast could be biased with a steric sea-level rise by the global warming during the 20th century.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.208-221
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• 2014

The Holocene Hypsithermal Interval(or climatic optimum) was the warmest post-glacial period: temperatures rose to as much as $1-4^{\circ}C$ above present temperatures. We hypothesize that southern plants expanded northward and upward during the Hypsithermal Interval. The Hypsithermal relict populations are defined as populations which distribute mainly in Is. Cheju and Southern subregions and have populations of short-distance dispersion separated by more than 100 km from the nearest distribution. The Hypsithermal relict species were identified and their distributions were mapped based on botanical floras and checklist, herbaria specimens, ecological studies, and field surveys of selected species. Evaluation of the hypothesis was based on reviews of published pollen stratigraphic and paleoecological studies. The results showed that the Holocene Hypsithermal relicts such as Corylopsis coreana Uyeki, Carpinus turczaninowii Hance, Stewartia koreana Nakai ex Rehder were expanded northward during the Holocene Hypsithermal Interval.