• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.469-483
• /
• 2020

The results of long-term groundwater level and quality monitoring can be used not only as the basic data for evaluating the impact of various disasters including climate change and establishing responses, but also as key data for predicting and managing geological disasters such as earthquakes. Some countries use groundwater level and quality monitoring for researches to predict earthquakes and to assess the impacts of the earthquake disaster. However, a few cases in Korea report on individual groundwater quality factors (i.e., dissolved ions) observed before and after the earthquakes, being different from other countries. To establish the abnormality criteria for groundwater quality in Pohang, groundwater samples were collected and analyzed five times from 14 agricultural or private wells existing in Shingwang-myeon and Heunghae-eup. As a result of the analysis, it was found that Ca2+ was the dominant cation in Shingwang-myeon, while Na+ was the dominant cation in Heunghae-eup. The elevated NO3- concentration in Shingwang-myeon is contributed to the agricultural activity in the area. A high concentration of Fe was detected in a well on Heunghae-eup; the concentration exceeded the drinking water standard by nearly 100 times. Relatively higher dissolved ions were observed in the groundwater of Heunghae-eup, and it is considered as the result of the flow velocity difference and water-rock reaction accompanying the difference in bedrock and sediment characteristics. The groundwater of Shingwang-myeon appeared to be most affected by the weathering of granite and silicates, while that of Heunghae-eup was mainly affected by the weathering of silicates and carbonate. The background concentrations (baselines) of groundwater Shingwang-myeon and Heunghae-eup was identified through the survey; however, the continuous monitoring is required to monitor the possible changes and the repeatability of seasonal variation.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.19-27
• /
• 2021

Hydroponic farming is a method to grow a plant without soil. Plants can be grown on water or hydroponic growing media, and they are fed with mineral nutrient solutions, which are fertilizers dissolved into water. Hydroponic farming has the advantage of increasing plant productivity over conventional greenhouse farming. Previous studies of hydroponic nutrient wastewater from acyclic hydroponic farms pointed out that hydroponic nutrient wastewater contained residual nutrients, and they were drained to a nearby river bank which causes several environmental issues. Also, previous studies suggest that excessive use of the nutrient solution and disposal of used hydroponic growing media and crop wastes in hydroponic farms are major problems to hydroponic farming. This study was conducted to determine the impact of hydroponic nutrient wastewater, used hydroponic growing media, and crop wastes from acyclic hydroponic farms on the surrounding environment by analyzing water quality and soil analysis of the above three factors. Three soil cultivation farms and several hydroponic farms in the Gangwon C region were selected for this study. Samples of water and soils were collected from both inside and outside of each farm. Also, a sample of soil and leachate from crop waste piles stacked near the farm was collected for analysis. Hydroponic nutrient wastewater from acyclic hydroponic farm contained an average of 402 mg/L of total nitrogen (TN) concentration, and 77.4 mg/L of total phosphate (TP) concentration. The result of TP in hydroponic nutrient wastewater exceeds the living environmental standard of the river in enforcement decree of the framework act on environmental policy by 993.7 times. Also, it exceeds the standard of industrial wastewater discharge standards under the water environment conservation act by 6~19 times in TN, and 2~27 times in TP. Leachate from crop waste piles contained 11,828 times higher COD and 395~2662 times higher TP than the standard set by the living environmental standard of the river in enforcement decree of the framework act on environmental policy and exceeds 778 times higher TN and 5 times higher TP than the standard of industrial wastewater discharge standards under the water environment conservation act. For more precise studies of the impact of hydroponic nutrient wastewater, used hydroponic growing media, and crop wastes from acyclic hydroponic farms on the surrounding environment, additional information regarding a number of hydroponic farms, arable area(ha), hydroponic farming area, seasonal, weather, climate factor around the river, and the property of the area and farm is needed. Analysis of these factors and additional water and soil samples are needed for future studies.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.361-367
• /
• 2022

This study was conducted to identify annual variation of observation and activity pattern of Korean chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus) using camera traps in the Seoraksan and Jirisan National Parks, South Korea from May 2019 to May 2021. The annual variation was identified based on the observed frequency through weekly observations. Daily activity patterns of the species were also analyzed by season. The daily activity pattern of chipmunk appeared to be constantly diurnal across the years regardless of habitat or season. The Korean chipmunks living in the two different regions were observed in different time periods throughout the year. While the chipmunks inhabiting the Seoraksan were observed from 18^th to 45^th week, the chipmunks inhabiting the Jirisan National Park were observed from 7^th to 48^th week. This may be influenced by the hibernation period of chipmunks in the two different regions. In both regions, chipmunks were most frequently observed in autumn. It is considered that seasonal variation on population dynamic and activity patterns of chipmunks were reflected in the observation frequency. Although the observation frequency of camera trap is an indirect indicator and thus having a limitation that it cannot distinguish the population density and amount of activity for the target species, camera trapping is still an effective survey technique for monitoring mammals due to its high accessibility and easy use.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.164-178
• /
• 2022

Uncertainties in weather forecasts would affect the reliability of yield prediction using crop models. The objective of this study was to compare uncertainty in crop yield prediction caused by the use of the weather forecast data. Daily weather data were produced at 10 km spatial resolution using W eather Research and Forecasting (W RF) model. The nearest neighbor method was used to downscale these data at the resolution of 5 km (W RF5K). Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) was also applied to the WRF data to produce the weather data at the same resolution. W RF5K and PRISM data were used as inputs to the CROPGRO-SOYBEAN model to predict crop yield. The uncertainties of the gridded data were analyzed using cumulative growing degree days (CGDD) and cumulative solar radiation (CSRAD) during the soybean growing seasons for the crop of interest. The degree of agreement (DOA) statistics including structural similarity index were determined for the crop model outputs. Our results indicated that the DOA statistics for CGDD were correlated with that for the maturity dates predicted using WRF5K and PRISM data. Yield forecasts had small values of the DOA statistics when large spatial disagreement occured between maturity dates predicted using WRF5K and PRISM. These results suggest that the spatial uncertainties in temperature data would affect the reliability of the phenology and, as a result, yield predictions at a greater degree than those in solar radiation data. This merits further studies to assess the uncertainties of crop yield forecasts using a wide range of crop calendars.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.444-451
• /
• 2022

Recently, long-term cultivation is becoming more common with the increase in tomato hydroponics. In hydroponics, it is very important to supply an appropriate nutrient solution considering the nutrient and moisture requirements of crops, in terms of productivity, resource use, and environmental conservation. Since seasonal environmental changes appear severely in long-term cultivation, it is so critical to manage irrigation control considering these changes. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of irrigation volume on growth and yield in tomato long-term cultivation using coir substrate. The irrigation volume was adjusted at 4 levels (high, medium high, medium low and low) by different irrigation frequency. Irrigation scheduling (frequency) was controlled based on solar radiation which measured by radiation sensor installed outside the greenhouse and performed whenever accumulated solar radiation energy reached set value. Set value of integrated solar radiation was changed by the growing season. The results revealed that the higher irrigation volume caused the higher drainage rate, which could prevent the EC of drainage from rising excessively. As the cultivation period elapsed, the EC of the drainage increased. And the lower irrigation volume supplied, the more the increase in EC of the drainage. Plant length was shorter in the low irrigation volume treatment compared to the other treatments. But irrigation volume did not affect the number of nodes and fruit clusters. The number of fruit settings was not significantly affected by the irrigation volume in general, but high irrigation volume significantly decreased fruit setting and yield of the 12-15th cluster developed during low temperature period. Blossom-end rot occurred early with a high incidence rate in the low irrigation volume treatment group. The highest weight fruits was obtained from the high irrigation treatment group, while the medium high treatment group had the highest total yield. As a result of the experiment, it could be confirmed the effect of irrigation amount on the nutrient and moisture stabilization in the root zone and yield, in addition to the importance of proper irrigation control when cultivating tomato plants hydroponically using coir substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to continue the research on this topic, as it is judged that the precise irrigation control algorithm based on root zone-information applied to the integrated environmental control system, will contribute to the improvement of crop productivity as well as the development of hydroponics control techniques.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.400-410
• /
• 2022

This study was performed to analyze the microbial contamination levels of three non-heated rice cake manufacturers in terms of seasonal manufacturing process and to investigate the effects of summertime soaking on contamination levels and temperature-controlled soaking in water on reduction in microbial levels. The total aerobic bacteria (TAB) ranged from 2.69 log CFU/g to 5.08 log CFU/g in the produce, but the microbial contamination increased sharply during soaking. The levels of TAB and coliforms during summer soaking were 7.01 and 3.96 log CFU/g, respectively, and this was significantly higher than those in other seasons. The contamination level was high in the subsequent freezing, with the TAB level (6.24 log CFU/g) exceeding the legal standard. The temperature of soaking water in summer increased from 19.1℃ to 26.8℃ after 12 h of soaking. The microbial contamination was significantly high commensurate with increased soaking time, and the TAB level in the frozen process exceeded the legal standard from 9 h of soaking. The use of ice packs to prevent the increase in temperature of the soaking water in summer resulted in maintenance of temperature at 20.1℃ for up to 12 h. The average TAB value in the freezing process was 4.42 log CFU/g after 12 h of soaking, and this is 1.77 log CFU/g lower than that before. Based on these results, it was determined that controlling the soaking time and water temperature are essential for the production of a safe unheated frozen rice cake. The safety of the HACCP system could be established by applying these preventive management standards.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.37-52
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to analyze the demand for cultural ecosystem services in urban forests based on user perception and experience value by using Naver blog posts and LDA topic modeling. Bukhansan National Park was used to analyze and review the feasibility of spatial assessments. Based on the results of topic modeling from blog posts, a review process was conducted considering the relevance of Bukhansan National Park's cultural services and its suitability as a spatial assessment case, and finally, an index for the spatial assessment of urban forest's cultural service was derived. Specifically, 21 topics derived through topic analysis were interpreted, and 13 topics related to cultural ecosystem services were derived based on the MA(Millennium Ecosystem Assessment)'s classification system for ecosystem services. 72.7% of all documents reviewed had data deemed useful for this study. The contents of the topic fell into one of the seven types of cultural services related to "mountainous recreation activities" (23.7%), "indirect use value linked to tourism and convenience facilities" (12.4%), "inspirational activities" (11.2%), "seasonal recreation activities" (6.2%), "natural appreciation and static recreation activities" (3.7%). Next, for the 13 cultural service topics derived from data gathered about Bukhansan National Park, the possibility of spatial assessment of the characteristics of cultural ecosystem services provided by urban forests was reviewed, and a total of 8 cultural service indicators were derived. The MA's cultural service classification system for ecosystem services, which was widely used in previous studies, has limitations in that it does not reflect the actual user demand of urban forests, but it is meaningful in that it categorizes cultural service indicators suitable for domestic circumstances. In addition, the study is significant as it presented a methodology to interpret and derive the demand for cultural services using a large amount of user awareness and experience data.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.55 no.2
• /
• pp.99-110
• /
• 2022

We investigated physicochemical properties and isotopic compositions of organic matter (δ¹³C_TOC and δ ¹⁵N_TN) in the old fish farming (OFF) site after the cessation of aquaculture farming. Based on this approach, our objective is to determine the organic matter origin and their relative contributions preserved at sediments of fish farming. Temporal and spatial distribution of particulate and sinking organic matter(OFF sites: 2.0 to 3.3 mg L^-1 for particulate matter concentration, 18.8 to 246.6 g m^-2 day^-1 for sinking organic matter rate, control sites: 2.0 to 3.5 mg L^-1 for particulate matter concentration, 25.5 to 129.4 g m^-2 day^-1 for sinking organic matter rate) between both sites showed significant difference along seasonal precipitations. In contrast to variations of δ¹³C_TOC and δ¹⁵N_TN values at water columns, these isotopic compositions (OFF sites: -21.5‰ to -20.4‰ for δ¹³ C_TOC, 6.0‰ to 7.6‰ for δ¹⁵N_TN, control sites: -21.6‰ to -21.0‰ for δ¹³C_TOC, 6.6‰ to 8.0‰ for δ¹⁵N_TN) investigated at sediments have distinctive isotopic patterns(p<0.05) for seawater-derived nitrogen sources, indicating the increased input of aquaculture-derived sources (e.g., fish fecal). With respect to past fish farming activities, representative sources(e.g., fish fecal and algae) between both sites showed significant difference (p<0.05), confirming predominant contribution (55.9±4.6%) of fish fecal within OFF sites. Thus, our results may determine specific controlling factor for sustainable use of fish farming sites by estimating the discriminative contributions of organic matter between both sites.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.134-145
• /
• 2023

Currently, the floodplains of major rivers are transforming into various types of waterfront spaces according to the increase in leisure activities and improved accessibility. In general, waterfront activities in river channels tend to be concentrated in summer, and the waterfront activities during this period directly affect water quality. Accordingly, it is necessary to accurately compare and evaluate the characteristics and water quality of waterfront activities during the period when waterfront activities are concentrated. In this study, the following research was conducted to compare and analyze the current status of waterfront activities of users of waterfront areas and the water quality of waterfront areas. First, three waterfront areas were selected for investigation using the information from the Ministry of Environment's water quality measurement network. Second, a survey was conducted on the satisfaction and types of waterfront activities targeting users of waterfront areas. Third, water quality grades were calculated based on monthly water quality measurement factors and compared. Fourth, statistical analysis (one-way analysis of variance) was conducted to see if there was a significant difference in water quality characteristics between periods of high waterfront activity and periods of low waterfront activity using water quality measurement data for the last 5 years. As a result of this analysis, the following conclusions were drawn in this study. First, the use of waterfront activities was investigated in the order of camping, water skiing, fishing, swimming, and rafting. Second, satisfaction factors for waterfront activities were investigated in the order of activity convenience, water quality, waterlandscape, transportation access convenience, and temperature. Third, it was found that satisfaction with water quality in waterfront areas was generally unsatisfactory regardless of the water quality grade presented by the competent authority. Fourth, as a result of comparing the water quality measurement network data of the Ministry of Environment by water quality grade, generally good grades were found, and in particular, there was a difference in grade frequency by season in the BOD category. Fifth, as a result of statistical analysis (one-way ANOVA) of water quality monitoring network data by season, there were statistically significant differences in COD, BOD, TP, and TOC except for DO. Considering the results of these studies, it is judged that it is necessary to prepare a comprehensive management system for water quality improvement in the waterfront zone and to improve water quality during periods of high waterfront activity, and to prepare a water quality forecasting system for waterfront areas in the future.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.233-246
• /
• 2023

In terms of understanding the water cycle and efficient water resource management, the importance of soil moisture has been highlighted. However, in Korea, the lack of qualified in-situ soil moisture data results in very limited utility. Even if satellite-based data are applied, the absence of ground reference data makes objective evaluation and correction difficult. The cosmic-ray neutron probe (CRNP) can play a key role in producing data for satellite data calibration. The installation of CRNP is non-invasive, minimizing damage to the soil and vegetation environment, and has the advantage of having a spatial representative for the intermediate scale. These characteristics are advantageous to establish an observation network in Korea which has lots of mountainous areas with dense vegetation. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the applicability of the CRNP soil moisture observatory in Korea as part of the establishment of a Korean cOsmic-ray Soil Moisture Observing System (KOSMOS). The CRNP observation station was installed with the Gunup-ri observation station, considering the ease of securing power and installation sites and the efficient use of other hydro-meteorological factors. In order to evaluate the CRNP soil moisture data, 12 additional in-situ soil moisture sensors were installed, and spatial representativeness was evaluated through a temporal stability analysis. The neutrons generated by CRNP were found to be about 1,087 counts per hour on average, which was lower than that of the Solmacheon observation station, indicating that the Hongcheon observation station has a more humid environment. Soil moisture was estimated through neutron correction and early-stage calibration of the observed neutron data. The CRNP soil moisture data showed a high correlation with r=0.82 and high accuracy with root mean square error=0.02 m³/m³ in validation with in-situ data, even in a short calibration period. It is expected that higher quality soil moisture data production with greater accuracy will be possible after recalibration with the accumulation of annual data reflecting seasonal patterns. These results, together with previous studies that verified the excellence of CRNP soil moisture data, suggest that high-quality soil moisture data can be produced when constructing KOSMOS.