• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.366-373
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• 2020

This study investigated habitat diversity changes by conducting weir operations at the Sejongbo site in the Geum River basin. High-resolution aerial photographs taken before and after the weir-opening operation were used for habitat analyses. We classified water and bar areas into 17 types, such as lotic habitats, including riffles, runs, and glides, and lentic habitats, including reservoirs, pools, bar-head backwaters, and bar ponds. Then, we estimated each habitat area quantitatively, calculated a habitat diversity index, and established a habitat diversity map. Our results indicated that after the weir-opening operation, lotic habitats and new types of shallow lentic habitats increased in the water area. In addition, for the bar area, bare lands without cultivation increased distinctively. Finally, we observed that the habitat diversity index drastically increased after the weir-opening operation, which could provide a relatively simple channel of diverse habitats.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.131-140
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• 2022

The magnitude and frequency of extreme floods are increasing owing to the effects of climate change. Therefore, multipurpose flood management techniques incorporating nature-based solutions have been introduced to mitigate the limitations of flood management and river design methods relying on existing observation data. Nature-based solutions to prepare for such extreme flooding events include ways to retreat the embankment, expand the floodplain, and reduce flood damage. To apply these technologies, adopting appropriate location selection methods based on various evaluation factors, such as flood damage reduction effects, sustainable ecological environments, river connectivity, and physical channel structure enhancements, should be prioritized. Therefore, in this study, the optimal location for implementing the multipurpose floodplain construction project was determined by selecting the location of the floodplain expansion with objectivity in the river waterfront area upstream of Daecheong Dam to downstream of Yongdam Dam. Through the final location determination, the Dongdaeje and Jeogokje sections were included in the optimal location considering both flood damage reduction and water environment improvement.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.51-63
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• 2023

Riverine tree management is crucial in realizing a balance between flood control and ecological preservation, which requires an accurate assessment of the impact of trees on river water elevations. In this study, eight different formulas for evaluating vegetation roughness considering the drag force acting on trees, were reviewed, and the characteristics and applicability of these methods were evaluated from a practical engineering perspective. The study compared the characteristics of vegetation roughness measurement methods for calculated roughness coefficients at different water depths and analyzed factors such as effects of tree canopy width, tree density and diameter, and tree stiffness coefficient, and water level estimation results. A comparison of roughness coefficients at the same water depths revealed that the Kouwen and Fathi-Moghadam formulas and the Fischenich formula yield excessive drag coefficients compared to other formulas. Factors such as channel geometry, tree diameter, and tree density showed varying trends depending on the formula but did not exhibit excessive outliers. Formulas considering the tree stiffness coefficient, such as the Freeman et al.'s formula and the Whittaker et al.'s formula, showed significant variations in drag coefficients depending on the stiffness coefficient. When applied to small- and medium-sized virtual rivers in South Korea using the drag coefficient results from the eight formulas, the results indicated a maximum increase in water level of approximately 0.2 to 0.4 meters. Based on this review, it was concluded that the Baptist et al., Huthoff et al., Cheng, Luhar, and Nepf's formulas, which exhibit similar characteristics and low input data uncertainties, are suitable for practical engineering applications.

• 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.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.32-43
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• 2021

Multichannel automated chamber systems (MCACs) were developed for the continuous monitoring of soil CO2 efflux in forest ecosystems. The MCACs mainly consisted of four modules: eight soil chambers with lids that automatically open and close, an infrared CO2 analyzer equipped with eight multichannel gas samplers, an electronic controller with time-relay circuits, and a programmable logic datalogger. To examine the stability and reliability of the developed MCACs in the field during all seasons with a high temporal resolution, as well as the effects of temperature and soil water content on soil CO2 efflux rates, we continuously measured the soil CO2 efflux rates and micrometeorological factors at the Nam-san experimental site in a Quercus mongolica forest floor using the MCACs from January to December 2010. The diurnal and seasonal variations in soil CO2 efflux rates markedly followed the patterns of changes in temperature factors. During the entire experimental period, the soil CO2 efflux rates were strongly correlated with the temperature at a soil depth of 5 cm (r2 = 0.92) but were weakly correlated with the soil water content (r2 = 0.27). The annual sensitivity of soil CO2 efflux to temperature (Q10) in this forest ranged from 2.23 to 3.0, which was in agreement with other studies on temperate deciduous forests. The annual mean soil CO2 efflux measured by the MCACs was approximately 11.1 g CO2 m-2 day-1. These results indicate that the MCACs can be used for the continuous long-term measurements of soil CO2 efflux in the field and for simultaneously determining the impacts of micrometeorological factors.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.75-82
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• 2017

This study was executed to know the effect of the habitat size on huanren brown frog (Rana huanrensis) larvae's growth. We've conducted the study on Mt. Surak in Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul. Our study site was discriminated the huanren brown frog larvae's habitat into the three different areas, such as small area (S1, $3.91m^2$), middle area (S2, $4.42m^2$), and large area (S3, $38.37m^2$) in the same water channel. We measured two times per a week the 15 huanren brown frog larvae's body length, and developmental stages (foreleg, hind leg, tail length) including the environmental factors (humidity, air temperature and water temperature) of the study site from March 30 to June 28 in 2016. The only hatching rate was measured for the three egg sacs at the S2 study site. We found that the average hatching rate was $76.84{\pm}18.23(%)$ at S2. Generally, because of less precipitation during our study periods, all habitat areas for our study site were gradually decreased. The middle area, S2, was not reduced, the small area, S1, was reduced more than a fourth, and the largest area, S3, was drastically reduced more than half from initial area. There was no statistically difference among the three study sites for the three environmental factors (average humidity, average air temperature, and average water temperature) by F-test, but there were significant difference among the three site for the larvae's body length (F-test p< 0.05). Therefore, the larger of habitat areas, the larger of the larvae length as well as the faster of the larvae's developmental stages. When we measured the body lengths of immature huanren brown frogs, the immature frog of S1 was smallest, the immature frog of S3 was middle lenght, and the immature frog of S2 was largest. There were statistically different among the three study sites for the immature huanren brown frogs (F-test, p< 0.05). Because the S2 study site was relatively stable without rarely changing the study area, it meant that huanren brown frog was sensitive to habitat areas. Based on the results of this study, if we study on the effect of the altitude on the growth rate of huanren brown frog, it must be helpful in understanding the habitat environment of the population of huanren brown frog.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.179-193
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• 2021

This study examines the use of satellite images for river classification and determination of stream reach, which is the first priority in the river environment assessment system. In the river environment assessment system used in South Korea, it is proposed to set a stream reach by using 10 or 25 times the width of the river based on the result of river classification. First, river classification for the main stream section of Cheongmi stream was performed using various river-related data. The maximum likelihood method was applied for land cover classification. In this study, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, which is an open data technology with a resolution of 10 m, was used. A total of four satellite images from 2018 was used to consider various flow conditions: February 2 (daily discharge = 2.39 m³/s), May 23 (daily discharge = 15.51 m³/s), June 2 (daily discharge = 3.88 m³/s), and July 7 (daily discharge = 33.61 m³/s). The river widths were estimated from the result of land cover classification to determine stream reach. The results of the assessment reach classification were evaluated using indicators of stream physical environments, including pool diversity, channel sinuosity, and river crossing shape and structure. It is concluded that appropriate flow conditions need to be considered when using satellite images to set up assessment segments for the river environment assessment system.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.194-205
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• 2022

Sandbars formed by sediment transportation and sedimentation are some of the most important habitats for specific wildlife and they provide an aesthetic landscape in streams. The purpose of this study was to understand the successional process of the colonization and development of early vegetation over time on sandbars exposed by the opening of a gate at a downstream weir. We selected the following four study sites in the Geumgang River, South Korea: three weir-upstream sites with different gate-opening times and a control site that was not affected by weir operation. Changes in the structural characteristics and spatial distribution of the riparian vegetation on the sandbars exposed after opening the gate at the weir were surveyed according to the different exposure periods of the sandbars at the study sites. The newly formed sandbars accounted for more than 33% of the area of the existing floodplain in the three weir-upstream sites of the Geumgang River after opening the gate at the weir. Nine main plant communities were distributed on the exposed sandbars. These communities were classified as annual mesophytic, perennial hydrophytic, perennial hygrophytic, subtree, and tree vegetation based on their species traits. As the duration of exposure of the sandbar increased, the area of the bare sandbar and the annual herbaceous and perennial hydrophytic communities decreased, and the areas occupied by perennial hygrophytic, subtree, and tree communities increased. Changes in vegetation on the sandbar were classified into three types of succession according to the condition of the aquatic habitat before the gate-opening and the degree of physical disturbance caused by the water flow after the gate-opening. The types of succession were: 1) succession starting from hydrophytes in the lentic aquatic zone, 2) succession starting from annual herbaceous hygrophytes in the lotic aquatic zone, and 3) willow-dominated succession in the disturbed channel side. Our results suggested that the dynamics of successional changes in vegetation should be considered during weir operation to ecologically manage the habitats and landscape of the fluvial landforms, including sandbars in streams.