• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.77-87
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• 2022

Many geotechnical analyses require the investigation of water flow within partially saturated soil zone to incorporate the effect of climatic conditions. It is widely understood that the hydraulic properties of the partially saturated soil should be included in the transient seepage analyses. However, the characteristics of dual porosity soils with dual-mode water retention curve are normally modelled using single-mode mathematical equation for simplification of the analysis. In reality, the rainwater flow can be affected significantly by the dual-mode hydraulic properties of the soil. This paper presents the variations of safety factor for dual porosity soil slope with dual-mode water retention curve and dual-mode unsaturated permeability. This paper includes the development of the new dual-mode unsaturated permeability to represent the characteristics of soil with the dual-mode water retention curve. The finite element analyses were conducted to examine the role of dual-mode water retention curve and dual-mode unsaturated permeability on the variations of safety factor under rainfall loading. The results indicate that the safety factor variations of dual porosity soil slope modelled using the dual-mode water retention curve and the unsaturated permeability equation are lower than those of dual porosity slope modelled using single-mode water retention curve and unsaturated permeability equations.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.37-51
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• 1998

This study was carried out to lead the scientific management of the urban forest by estimating the forest environment. Forest environmental information was constructed using IDRISI system based on survey data, soil, plant, and digital elevation data. Forest environmental information was consisted of soil depth, soil organic content, soil hardness and parent rock as a soil environmental factor, and forest community, tree age, crown density as a plant environmental factor. Plant activity and topographic environment also were analyzed by using remote sensing data and digital elevation data. Environmental function of urban forest was estimated based on results of soil conservation and forest productivity. 70% of urban forest is located in elevation of lower than 200m and 55% of forest area have the slope of lower than 15 degree. Analyzed soil conservation status and forest productivity were almost the same as the soil chemical properties of collected soil sample and the vegetation index estimated using remote sensing data, respectively. Thus, the constructed forest environmental information could be useful to give some ideas for management of urban forest ecosystem and establishment of environmental conservation planning, including forests, in Taejon. The best forest environmental function was appeared at the natural ecology preservation zone. Current natural parks and urban parks were appeared to establish the environmental conservation plan for further development. The worst forest environmental function was appeared at the forest near to the industrial area and an overall and systematic plan was required for the soil management and high forest productivity because these forest was developing a severe soil acidification and having a low forest productivity.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.151-156
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• 2013

Several soil properties were studied from three young created mitigation wetlands (<10 years old), which were hydrologically comparable in the Piedmont region of Virginia. The properties included soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), pH, gravimetric soil moisture, and bulk density ($D_b$). No significant differences were found in the soil properties between the wetlands, except SOM and SOC. SOM and SOC indicated a slight increase with wetland age; the increase was more evident with SOC. Only about a half of SOC variability found in the wetlands was explained by SOM ($R^2$ = 0.499, p < 0.05). The majority of the ratios of SOM to SOC for these silt-loam soils ranged from 2.0 to 3.5, which was higher than the 1.724 Van Bemmelen factor, commonly applied for the conversion of SOM into SOC in estimating the carbon storage or accumulation capacity of wetlands. The results may caution the use of the conversion factor, which may lead to an overestimation of carbon sequestration potentials of newly created wetlands. SOC, but not SOM, was also correlated to $D_b$, which indicates soil compaction typical of most created wetlands that might limit vegetation growth and biomass production, eventually affecting carbon accumulation in the created wetlands.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.145-155
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• 2011

It is very important for successful construction to estimate the soil volume conversion factor of domestic weathered ground accurately and reasonably. However, it is very difficult to quantify the weathering degree of weathered ground at the field, so that the soil volume conversion factor used in Korea is often dependent upon the standard of foreign countries. Besides, the soil volume conversion factor of domestic weathered ground has been rarely studied and the use and accuracy of the soil volume conversion factor have been questioned persistingly. This study suggests a simple but robust method for estimating the soil volume conversion factor and measuring the weathering degree reasonably, and attempts to establish the utilization of a soil volume conversion factor measurement system based on experimental and analytical results. We made relationship between electrical resistivity and weathering degree presented from weathering index obtained through laboratory tests using field samples, and an estimation method of in-situ weathering degree for granites and a calculation method of soil volume conversion factor using electrical resistivity. And also, we suggested the photogrametry measurement-equipment system for measuring the volume of cargo box and the application plan of stand equipment and RFID for calculating the earth volume and distinguishing buggies in order to design the measurement system for soil volume conversion factor applicable to the field. Ultimately, the Weathered Earth-work Management Program (WEMP) was developed, so field managers may easily obtain the information about earth volume and soil volume conversion factor at the weathered ground.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.112-117
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• 2012

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is a revision of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). However, changes for each factor of the USLE have been made in RUSLE which can be used to compute soil loss on areas only where significant overland flow occurs. RUSLE which requires standardized methods to satisfy new data requirements estimates soil movement at a particular site by utilizing the same factorial approach employed by the USLE. The rainfall erosivity in the RUSLE expressed through the R-factor to quantify the effect of raindrop impact and to reflect the amount and rate of runoff likely is associated with the rain. Calculating the R-factor value in the RUSLE equation to predict the related soil loss may be possible to analyse the variability of rainfall erosivity with long time-series of concerned rainfall data. However, daily time step models cannot return proper estimates when run on other specific rainfall patters such as storm and daily cumulative precipitation. Therefore, it is desirable that cross-checking is carried out amongst different time-aggregations typical rainfall event may cause error in estimating the potential soil loss in definite conditions.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.179-186
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• 2017

This study was conducted to identify characteristics of domestic pine forest soils and to elucidate major soil influencing factors for natural regeneration. We analyzed the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil samples collected from 23 pine forests and confirmed the similar results with the forest soil characteristics. Soil pH, organic matter content, total nitrogen, exchangeable Ca, silt content, and exchangeable Al were selected as the major soil factors among the exposed soils through 10 days of pine seedlings exposure and cultivation experiments and statistical analysis. Multiple regression analysis showed that soil pH had a positive effect on specific root length (SRL) of red pine seedlings and exchangeable Al was a significant factor affecting negative change in SRL. Taken together, the reduction of exchangeable Al by soil pH adjustment would be helpful for natural regeneration by restoring the forest and improving the fine root and root integrity of pine seedlings. Therefore, soil pH and exchangeable Al could be recommended as a major soil factor to be carefully considered in the monitoring and management of soil in pine forests that need to be renewed in the future.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.321-333
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• 2008

Considering risks and artificial enrichments of metals in the soils of the study area, the study aims to analyze geology, grain size and geochemistry. Geology is mainly composed of gneisses and phyllites of metamorphic rocks, sandstones, siltstones, shales, tuffs of sedimentary ones and granites and andesites of igneous ones in the area. In the area, mean contents of metals are not meaningful in accordance with petrogenesis. The soil textures of the area are of S, lS and sL of sandy soil, L, scL, cL of loam and C, zC and sC of clayey soil. Mean contents of Ni, Cr, Co and Cu are meaningfully high in loam and clayey soil relative to sandy soil, whereas Ni, Zn, Cd contents are higher in clayey soil than in loam. Those differences imply the metallic contents are dependent to grain size. Based on the metal contents in the soils of the study area, Cu and Zn in loams and Pb in sandy soils are corresponded to soil contamination warning standards, and As showing 75mg/kg of maximum content in loams is assigned to soil contamination countermeasure standards, respectively. Artificial enrichment factor minimized wall rock and grain size relations is over 1 in Cr, Ni and Cu, but the factor is below 1 in average of other metals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.62-63
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• 2005

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.313-324
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to present the raw data for establishing the plan of top soil conservation in soil environment and preventing the soil loss by establishing the potential amount of soil loss using RUSLE. The results are as follows. To apply the RUSLE model, we calculated the potential amount of soil loss by using 5 factors; rainfall erosion factor(R), topographical factor(LS), soil erosion factor(K), land cover factor(C) and erosion control factor(P). The assessment map of soil loss was drawn up by classifying 5 grades. According to the soil loss estimation by the RUSLE, it showed that approximately 83.9% of the study area had relatively lower possibility of soil loss which was the 1 ton/ha in annual soil loss. Whereas, the 7.0% of the study area was defined as high risk area which was the 10 ton/ha in annual. Therefore, this area was needed that there was environment-friendly construction of farm land, improvement of cultivation environment and so forth. In future, if we will analyze the amount of soil loss of Gyeongju national park and Hyeongsan river watershed, we will offer the help to establishing the conservation plan of soil environment in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.15-25
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• 2013

In this study, two kinds of soil-based proficiency testing materials (PTMs), NICE-012L and NICE-012R were prepared and certified for Benzen, Toluene, Etylbenzene and Xylene with evaluation of uncertainties. In order to analyse BTEX (Benzen Toluene Etylbenzene Xylene) for the candidate materials, GC/MS was used after pretreatment according to methods of soil analysis by Ministry of Environment. For the homogeneity test among bottles in terms of candidate materials, ISO 13528 and IUPAC Protocol were used and according to the result, both candidate materials showed sufficient homogeneity. Also, the stability test over the candidate materials was accessed according to the ISO Guide 35 by classifying short-term and long-term stability and the result showed that both candidate materials showed decent stability. The reference values of the two candidate materials depending on BTEX components were derived from the average of the 11 samples that were used for verification of the samples' homogeneity. Uncertainty of measurement was combined by uchar that was caused by a characteristic value, $u_{bb}$ that was caused by between-bottle homogeneity, and $u_{stab}$ that was caused by stability, and then combined uncertainty ($u_{PTM}$) was multiplied to the coverage factor (k) derived from the effective degree of freedom from each factor that leads to expanded uncertainty (U) in about 95% of confidence level. The proficiency testing materials developed through this study were supplied to National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) and utilized as an external proficiency testing materials for evaluating analysis capacity of soil agencies with specialty in terms of soil analysis approved by Minister of Environment.