• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.1B
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• pp.61-70
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• 2010

This research presents a methodology to define and apply appropriate index that can measure the risk of regional flood damage. Pressure-State-Response structure has been used to develop the Flood Risk Index(FRI), which allows for a comparative analysis of flood risk assessment between different sub-basins. FRI is a rational assessment method available to improve disaster preparedness and the prevention of losses. The pressure and state index for flood at 117 sub-basins from the year 1980s until the t 10s showed proportional relations, but state index did not decrease even though response index increased. This shows that pressures for flood damage relatively exceed countermeasure for flood. Thus this means we need to strengthen design criteria for flood countermeasure in the future. The FRI is gradually going down in consequence of continuous flood control projects. Flood risk of Han River and Nakdong River area is relatively lower than that of Geum, Seumjin, and Youngsan River area.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 2020

This study aimed at investigating present research and knowledge-base on climate change adaptation in ecosystem sector and analyzed the current status of basic information on ecosystem that functions as evidence-base of climate change adaptation to deduce the suggestions for the future development for knowledge and information in biodiversity. In this perspective, a questionary survey titled as "the ecological knowledge-base and information needs for climate change adaptation" with the researchers who were engaged with adaptation studies for biodiversity in the ecosystem related-research institutes including national and 17 regional local governments-affiliated agencies in Korea. The results are as follows; current status of utilizing ecological information which supports climate change adaptation strategy, future needs for adaptation knowledge and ecological information, and activation of utilizing ecological information. The majority of respondents (90.7%) replied that the ecological information has high relevance when conducting research on climate change adaptation. However, only half of all respondents (53.2%) agreed with the real viability of current information to the adaptation research. Particularly, urgent priority for researchers was deduced as intensifying knowledge-base and constructing related information on 'ecosystem change from climate change (productivity, community structure, food chain, phenology, range distribution, and number of individuals) with the overall improvement of information contents and its quality. The respondents emphasized with the necessity of conducting field surveys of local ecosystem and constructing ecosystem inventories, advancing monitoring designs for climate change in ecosystem, and case studies for regional ecosystem changes with the guidance or guidelines for monitoring ecosystem change to enhance the quality of adaptation research and produce related information. In terms of activation for ecological information usage, national and local adaptation network should be working based on the integrated ecological platform necessary to support exchanges of knowledge and information and to expand ecosystem types in time and spatial dimension.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.143-155
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• 2007

There are many conflicts or interests among various stakeholders on the development of the coastal area. The integrated methodology, which is reflective of physical conditions, socio-economic circumstances, and people's sense of values, is thus needed to solve the problems. In this study, geographical information systems(GIS) and analytic hierarchy process(AHP) that arc one of multi-criteria analysis methodologies are loosely coupled to develop better analytic procedures for coastal assessment. Socio-economic and environmental parameters of the study area, Hampyung Bay area, are converted to a GIS system-applicable format, while AHP is used to assess the relative importance level of each parameter by calculating weighting factors. After standardizing and rasterizing spatial data from various sources. the weighting factors are applied to produce the layers for each parameter. Map algebra and overlay analyses are used to create the final layer according to the decision making logic or model proposed here. Cell values of that layer could be considered as spatial alternatives. In addition to this finding, the flexibility with the weighing factors enable decision-makers to understand the procedures and alternatives in relevance with selective strategies for coastal management.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.131-167
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• 2019

Securing reference information (inventory) is essential for proper conservation and management of protected areas. Moreover, the investigation results should be available for comparison and evaluation. For this study, we established seven investigational lattices and carried out the field examinations to obtain comparable data in the Donggang river basin ecological and scenery conservation area, We conducted a total of 16 field surveys and identified a total of 830 taxa that is composed of 127 families, 408 genera, 716 species, 10 subspecies, 88 varieties, and 16 forms. We identified a total of 487 taxa in the 6th investigational lattice and 457 taxa in the 4th. We observed 6 species (grade II) designated by the Ministry of Environment as the endangered plants, one "species to monitor" designated by the Ministry of Environment, and 23 taxa designated as endemic species. Regarding the floristic characteristics plants, 15 taxa of grade V, 27 taxa of grade IV, 38 taxa of grade III, 31 taxa of grade II, and 19 taxa of grade I were identified. The 6th investigational lattice showed the largest number of taxa at 70. A total of 58 taxa were identified as the naturalized plant, and the 6th investigational lattice showed the most at 35 taxa. The Donggang river basin ecological and scenery conservation area was assessed to be an extremely important area to conserve and maintain plants species diversity not only in the regional scale but also national scale.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.185-205
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• 2010

Climate change vulnerability assessment based on local conditions is a prerequisite for establishment of climate change adaptation policies. While some studies have developed a methodology for vulnerability assessment at the national level using statistical data, few attempts, whether domestic or overseas, have been made to develop methods for local vulnerability assessments that are easily applicable to a single city. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to develop a conceptual framework for climate change vulnerability, and then develop a general methodology for assessment at the regional level applied to a single coastal city, Mokpo, in Jeolla province, Korea. We followed the conceptual framework of climate change vulnerability proposed by the IPCC (1996) which consists of "climate exposure," "systemic sensitivity," and "systemic adaptive capacity." "Climate exposure" was designated as sea level rises of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 meter(s), allowing for a simple scenario for sea level rises. Should more complex forecasts of sea level rises be required later, the methodology developed herein can be easily scaled and transferred to other projects. Mokpo was chosen as a seaside city on the southwest coast of Korea, where all cities have experienced rising sea levels. Mokpo has experienced the largest sea level increases of all, and is a region where abnormal high tide events have become a significant threat; especially subsequent to the construction of an estuary dam and breakwaters. Sensitivity to sea level rises was measured by the percentage of flooded area for each administrative region within Mokpo evaluated via simulations using GIS techniques. Population density, particularly that of senior citizens, was also factored in. Adaptive capacity was considered from both the "hardware" and "software" aspects. "Hardware" adaptive capacity was incorporated by considering the presence (or lack thereof) of breakwaters and seawalls, as well as their height. "Software" adaptive capacity was measured using a survey method. The survey questionnaire included economic status, awareness of climate change impact and adaptation, governance, and policy, and was distributed to 75 governmental officials working for Mokpo. Vulnerability to sea level rises was assessed by subtracting adaptive capacity from the sensitivity index. Application of the methodology to Mokpo indicated vulnerability was high for seven out of 20 administrative districts. The results of our methodology provides significant policy implications for the development of climate change adaptation policy as follows: 1) regions with high priority for climate change adaptation measures can be selected through a correlation diagram between vulnerabilities and records of previous flood damage, and 2) after review of existing short, mid, and long-term plans or projects in high priority areas, appropriate adaptation measures can be taken as per this study. Future studies should focus on expanding analysis of climate change exposure from sea level rises to other adverse climate related events, including heat waves, torrential rain, and drought etc.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.8-18
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• 2019

The objectives of this study were to analyze the influence of chemical water quality on fish guilds, pollution tolerance and the multi-metric ecological health, based on the Fish Assessment Index (FAI) in the main stream of Mangyeong River between 2009-2016. The quality of water with specific conductivity, TP, and $NH_4-N$ got worse dramatically in the down region. During the study, a total of 50 species were collected and the most dominant species was Zacco platypus. Also known as tolerant species, accounted 22.9% of the total abundances, thus indicating a trophic degradation. The downstream region (S5) had the highest number of fish external abnormalities, indicating a degradation of ecological health, based on the fish assemblages. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that relative abundance of tolerant fish species and omnivore fish species had a significant positive correlation(r>0.30, p<0.05) with values of BOD, conductivity and $NH_4-N$. Whereas, the relative abundance of the sensitive species and insectivore species had a significant negative relations (r<-0.30, p<0.001) with the parameters. The mean obtained from the multi-metric fish model, based on the FAI of all sites was 47 (n=40). This indicated a "fair condition" in the ecological health, and the downstream regions (S3-S5) were judged as "bad condition", indicating an influence of the chemical degradation on the ecological health.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.770-781
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• 2022

Meteorological disasters caused by climate change like heat, cold waves, and unusually long rainy seasons affect the milk productivity of cows. Studies have been conducted on how milk productivity and milk compositions change due to heat stress (HS). However, the estimation of losses in milk production due to HS and hereby environmental impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are yet to be evaluated in Korean dairy farms. Dairy milk production and milk compositions data from March to October 2018, provided by the Korea Dairy Committee (KDC), were used to compare regional milk production with the temperature-humidity index (THI). Raw data for the daily temperature and relative humidity in 2018 were obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). This data was used to calculate the THI and the difference between the maximum and minimum temperature changing rate, as the average daily temperature range, to show the extent to which the temperature gap can affect milk productivity. The amount of milk was calculated based on the price of 926 won/kg from KDC. The results showed that the average milk production rate was the highest within the THI range 60-73 in three regions in May: Chulwon (northern region), Hwasung (central region), and Gunwi (southern region). The average milk production decreased by 4.96 ± 1.48% in northern region, 7.12 ± 2.36% in central region, and 7.94 ± 2.57% in southern region from June to August, which had a THI range of 73 or more, when compared to May. Based on the results, the level of THI should be maintained like May. If so, the farmers can earn a profit of 9,128,730 won/farm in northern region, 9,967,880 won/farm in central region, and 12,245,300 won/farm in southern region. Additionally, the average number of cows raised can be reduced by 2.41 ± 0.35 heads/farm, thereby reducing GHG emissions by 29.61 ± 4.36 kg CO₂eq/day on average. Overall, the conclusion suggests that maintaining environmental conditions in the summer that are similar to those in May is necessary. This knowledge can be used for basic research to persuade farmers to change farm facilities to increase the economic benefits and improve animal welfare.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.488-502
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• 2023

Ecosystem service accounting must measure ecosystem supply functions, demand, and the actual service flows that occur between them. In order to measure flows, supply and demand relationships must be defined, and a methodology that can objectify complex connections is needed. Although various studies on ecosystem services have been conducted in Korea, but researches on accounting for ecosystem services are not enough. The purpose of this study is to evaluate flood control ecosystem services by applying the EU methodology studied in the Experimental Ecosystem Account (EEA) of System of Environmental Economy Account (SEEA) and explore ways to introduce ecosystem account. To conduct the study, the ecosystem's runoff retention potential, social and economic demand for flood control, and actual service benefit flows formed from the relationships between them were modeled and quantified on a spatial basis. As a result of calculating the actual flow of flood control ecosystem services, the total domestic service amount was calculated to be 165,595 (ha), and it was confirmed that much of it was concentrated in agricultural land. In order to account for domestic flood control services in the future, key spatial data such as land cover maps must be continuously established and managed, and researches on input data and methodologies applicable to various spatial scopes such as national, regional, and unit watersheds are expected to be necessary.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.282-293
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• 2020

This study investigated a long-term variation trend of water quality, fish compositions, and ecological health conditions in the Gwanpyeong stream located in the nearby Daejeon metropolitan city to understand the impact of urban development projects on the aquatic ecosystem. The sampling was made in four surveys (2009, 2010, 2016, 2019) before and after urbanization. The urban development was conducted in 2008, resulting in the stream's ecological disturbance, and the stream restoration was conducted in 2012. Thus, stream monitoring was conducted to analyze the ecological trends before and after the restoration. The multi-metric models for Fish Assessment Index(FAI) and necropsy-based Health Assessment Index(HAI) were applied in the fish community and organ-level, respectively, to assess the ecological health of the stream. Minimum turbidity and chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) occurred in the mid-stream(St. 2), and this was probably due to rapid current velocity in the riffle zone. We collected 18 fish species, and the dominant species was Zacco platypus (40.6%). In 2016 immediately after the stream restoration, the relative proportions of sensitive species and insectivore species were the highest along with highest values in the species diversity and species richness index, resulting in the best condition in the ecological health, based on FAI model values. However, the ecological health, based on the FAI, became worse in the latest survey conducted in 2019. The analysis of the HAI model based on the organ-level approach showed skin erosion in the fish of upper stream, kidney defects in downstream, and the liver and gill defects observed in all sites, indicating that the anatomical health was also affected.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.511-524
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• 2017

This study was carried out for the purpose of creating a restoration plan to improve the ecological quality of the Changwon and Nam streams. Based upon the results of comprehensive diagnostic assessment, restoration priority was given to the upstream reach, where conservation status is relatively superior. Restoration level was usually determined to practice active restoration as conservation, and the states of both Changwon and Nam streams were not so good. Restoration plans, by reach, were classified into "upstream", "midstream", and "downstream" were suggested in both terms of horizontal section frame and vegetation-based on the result of diagnostic assessment and the reference information. "Upstream", "mid-stream" and the "downstream" of Changwon and Nam streams were classified into "small-gravel- mountainous", "small-sand-plain", and "small-clay-plain streams" respectively (based on scale, and substrate and slope of river bed). The spatial arrangement of vegetation was laid out in diagram form by reflecting micro-topography and the water level of the horizontal section of river. Information regarding species composition was recommended as dominant species, which appear frequently in three vegetation zones composed of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees and sub-tree- dominated zones divided by reflecting disturbance regime, depending on position on the horizontal section of river. Moreover, there have been prepared not only plans to improve the terrestrial ecosystems around the streams but also plans to create ecological networks, which can serve to improve the ecologic quality of the whole regional environment by serving to connect streams and terrestrial ecosystems, a process probably necessary and definitely recommended to realize true (genuine) restoration. Plans for ecological parks and networks were prepared by mimicking the species composition of Alnus japanica community, Zelkova serrata community, Carpinus laxiflora community, Quercus aliena community, and Q. serrata community.