• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.221-228
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• 2007

Quantitative analysis of distribution characteristics of soils in Jeju Island was conducted by using geographic information system (GIS) technology. Soil series could be classified 5 groups after cluster analysis with proximity ratios among soil series which mean ratios of boundary lengths of other soils to total boundary length. Classification with proximity only was similar to conventional classification system at detailed soil map although conventional system was made from several criteria such as soil color, altitude and chemical characteristics of soils. Altitudinal sequence of soil series was also suggested from representative altitudes of them which could be found from areal distribution curve along altitudes. The sequence was brown forest soils - black soils - very dark brown soils - dark brown soils from the peak of Halla Mt. to the coast on all sides, which maybe related to pedogenesis process in Jeju Island.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.420-429
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• 2018

Soil stabilization is a soil remediation technique that reduces the mobility of heavy metals in soils. Although it is a well-established technique, it is nonetheless essential to perform a follow-up chemical assessment via a leaching test to evaluate the immobilization of heavy metals in the soil matrix. Unfortunately, a standard chemical assessment is not sufficient for evaluation of the biological functional state of stabilized soils slated for agricultural use. Therefore, it is useful to employ a pyrosequencing-based microbial community analysis for the purpose. In this study, a recently stabilized site in the proximity of an exhausted mine was analyzed for bacterial diversity, richness, and relative abundance as well as the effect of environmental factors. Based on the Shannon and Chao1 indices and rarefaction curves, the results showed that the stabilized layer exhibited lower bacterial diversity than control soils. The prevalence of dominant bacterial populations was examined in a hierarchical manner. Relatively high abundances of Proteobacteria and Methylobacter tundripaludum were observed in the stabilized soil. In particular, there was substantial abundance of the Methylobacter genus, which is known for its association with heavy metal contamination. The study demonstrated the efficacy of (micro)biological assessment for aiding in the understanding and post-management of stabilized soils.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.263-275
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• 2022

Structural collapses can occur as a result of a dynamic amplification of either, the building's seismic response or the ground shaking by local site effects; one of the reasons is a resonance effect due to the proximity of the structural elastic fundamental period TE and the soil fundamental period TS. We evaluate the vulnerability to resonance effects in Guadalajara, México, in a three-step schema: 1) we define structural systems in the building environment of western Guadalajara, in terms of their construction materials and structural components; 2) we estimate TE with different equations, to obtain a representative value in elastic conditions for each structural system; and, 3) we evaluate the resonance vulnerability by the analysis of the ratio between TE and TS. We observe that the larger the soil fundamental period, the higher the resonance vulnerability for buildings with height between 17 and 39 m. For the sites with a low TS, the most vulnerable buildings will be those with a height between 2 and 9 m. These results can be a helpful tool for disaster prevention, by avoiding the construction of buildings with certain heights and structural characteristics that would result in a dangerous proximity between TE and TS.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.193-207
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• 2023

In general, the numerous classical approaches available in the literature can anticipate the settlement of shallow foundations. As long as the footings are not in close proximity to other subsurface buildings, the findings achieved using these methods are legitimate and acceptable. However, due to increased urbanisation and land scarcity, footings are frequently built close together. As a result, these footings' settlement behaviour differs from those of isolated footings. A simpler approach for assessing the settlement behaviour of two square or rectangular footings placed in close proximity is presented in this work. A Parametric study has been carried out to examine the interference effect on the settlement of these footings placed in close vicinity on the surface of a homogeneous, isotropic and elastic soil medium. The interaction factors are examined by varying the different aspect ratios (L/B), clear spacing ratio (S/B) and intensity of loading on the right footing with respect to the left footing. Further, variation of the settlement ratio (δ/B) with respect to embedment depth ratio D_f/B is examined. For square and rectangular footings, the interference settlement profile is also investigated by varying the clear spacing ratio (S/B) and the degree of loading. The results were compared to 3D finite element analysis and experimental data that were available.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.653-671
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• 2023

In practice, the interference influence caused by adjacent footings of structures on geo-reinforced loose soil has a considerable impact on their behavior. Thus, the goal of this study is to evaluate the behavior of two strip footings in close proximity on both geocell and geogrid reinforced soil with different reinforcement layers. Geocell was made from geogrid material used to compare the performance of cellular and planar reinforcement on the bearing pressure of twin footings. Extensive experimental tests have been performed to attain the optimum embedment depth and vertical distance between reinforcement layers. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis has been conducted to monitor the deformation, tilting and movement of soil particles beneath and between twin footings. Results of tests and PIV technique were verified using finite element modeling (FEM) and the results of both PIV and FEM were used to utilize failure mechanisms and influenced shear strain around the loading region. The results show that the performance of twin footings on geocell-reinforced sand at allowable and ultimate settlement ranges are almost 4% and 25% greater than the same twin footings on the same geogrid-reinforced sand, respectively. By increasing the distance between twin footings, soil particle displacements become smaller than the settlement of the foundations.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.290-298
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• 2014

A bacterial strain with the potential ability to solubilize heavy metals was isolated from heavy metal contaminated soils collected from abandoned mines of Boryeong area in South Korea. The bacterial strain with the highest degree of metal resistance was shown to have close proximity with Shewanella xiamenensis FJ589031, according to 16S rRNA sequence analysis, and selected for investigating the mobilization of metals in soil or plant by the strain. The strain was found to be capable of solubilizing metals both in the absence and in the presence of metals (Co, Pb and Cd). Metal mobilization potential of the strain was assessed in a batch experiment and the results showed that inoculation could increase the concentrations of water soluble Co, Pb and Cd by 48, 34 and 20% respectively, compared with those of non-inoculated soils. Bacterial-assisted growth promotion and metal uptake in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) was evaluated in a pot experiment. In comparison with non-inoculated seedlings, the inoculation led to increase the growth of H. annuus by 24, 18 and 16% respectively in Co, Pb and Cd contaminated soils. Moreover, enhanced accumulation of Co, Pb and Cd in the shoot and root systems was observed in inoculated plants, where metal translocation from root to the above-ground tissues was also found to be enhanced by the strain. Plant growth promotion and metal mobilizing potential of the strain suggest that the strain could effectively be employed in enhancing phytoextraction of Co, Pb and Cd from contaminated soils.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2004

Since dioxins became a serious concern in Korea, a significant number of investigations have been conducted to address diverse issues related to dioxins. However, the results have not been organized for ready access and use. The principal purposes of the work were to ⅰ) provide an archive of dioxin researches in Korea and ⅱ) give an overview of dioxin contamination. The focus of this work was placed on the contamination levels and characteristics concerning the waste incinerators emissions, environmental media, and biological samples(fishes/shellfishes, foods, and human body). Principal component analysis was conducted to identify common and/or unique features and the important variables associated with the congener patterns. From a comprehensive search of academic journals, research and monitoring project reports, dissertations, and periodicals of other forms, a total of 115 counts were found that met the purposes of this study. The contamination levels of various samples were summarized and compared to those reported in foreign literatures. The congener patterns varied largely with environmental media and distinguished particularly by OCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF, and OCDF for the samples within the same media. The proximity to emission sources differentiated the congener patterns in air and soil samples by the fraction of OCDD.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.282-289
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• 2023

Background: As wildlife habitats are being destroyed and growth environments are changing, the survival of animals and plants is under threat. Epilobium hirsutum L., a species that inhabits wetlands, has held legally protected status since 2012. However, no specific measures are currently in place to protect its habitat, leading to a decline in remaining populations as a result of land use change and human activities. Results: The growth environment (including location, climate, land use, soil, and vegetation) of the five habitat sites (Samcheok, Taebaek1, Taebaek2, Cheongsong, Ulleung) of E. hirsutum L. was investigated and analyzed. These habitats were predominantly situated in flat areas with gentle south-facing slopes, at an average altitude of 452.7 m (8-726 m) above sea level in Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do. The average annual temperature ranged 11.5℃ (9.2℃-12.9℃), whereas the average annual precipitation ranged 1,304.5 mm (1,062.7-1,590.7 mm). The surrounding land use status was mainly characterized by mountainous areas, and human interference, such as agricultural land and roads, was commonly found in proximity to these natural habitats. Soil physicochemical analysis revealed that the soil was predominantly sandy loam with a slightly high sand content. The average pH measured 7.64, indicating an alkaline environment, and electrical conductivity (EC) averaged 0.33 dS/m. Organic matter (OM) content averaged 66.44 g/kg, available phosphoric acid (P₂O₅) content averaged 115.73 mg/kg, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) averaged 23.43 cmolc/kg. The exchangeable cations ranged 0.09-0.43 cmol⁺/kg for potassium (K), 10.23-16.21 cmol⁺/kg for calcium (Ca), 0.67-4.94 cmol⁺/kg for magnesium (Mg), and 0.05-0.74 cmol⁺/kg for sodium (Na). The vegetation type was categorized as E. hirsutum community with high numbers of E. hirsutum L., Persicaria thunbergii (Siebold & Zucc.) H. Gross, Phragmites japonica Steud., Humulus japonicus (Siebold & Zucc.), and Bidens frondosa L.. An ecological flora analysis, including the proportion of lianas, naturalized plants, and annual herbaceous plants, revealed that the native habitat of E. hirsutum L. was ecologically unstable. Conclusions: Analysis of the habitat of E. hirsutum L., a class II endangered wildlife species, provided essential data for local conservation and restoration efforts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.29-41
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• 2014

The Korean government has purchased land properties alongside any significant water bodies before setting up the buffers to secure water qualities. Since the annual budgets are limited, however, there has always been the issue of which land parcels ought to be given the priority. Therefore, this study aims to develop efficient mechanism for land acquisition priorities in stream corridors that would ultimately be vegetated for riparian buffer zones. The criteria of land acquisition priority were driven through literary review along with experts' advice. The relative weights of their value and priorities for each criterion were computed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP) method. Major findings of the study are as follows: 1. The decision-making structural model for land acquisition priority focuses mainly on the reduction of non-point source pollutants(NSPs). This fact is highly associated with natural and physical conditions and land use types of surrounding areas. The criteria were classified into two categories-NSPs runoff areas and potential NSPs runoff areas. 2. Land acquisition priority weights derived for NSPs runoff areas and potential NSPs runoff areas were 0.862 and 0.138, respectively. This implicates that much higher priority should be given to the land parcels with NSPs runoff areas. 3. Weights and priorities of sub-criteria suggested from this study include: proximity to the streams(0.460), land cover(0.189), soil permeability(0.117), topographical slope(0.096), proximity to the roads(0.058), land-use types(0.036), visibility to the streams(0.032), and the land price(0.012). This order of importance suggests, as one can expect, that it is better to purchase land parcels that are adjacent to the streams. 4. A standard scoring system including the criteria and weights for land acquisition priority was developed which would likely to allow expedited decision making and easy quantification for priority evaluation due to the utilization of measurable spatial data. Further studies focusing on both point and non-point pollutants and GIS-based spatial analysis and mapping of land acquisition priority are needed.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.264-270
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• 2024

This study is conducted to analyze environmental factors that affect the ecology of boreal digging frog and use them as basic data for selecting (or creating) suitability of alternative habitats for survival and monitoring method from 2020 to 2022 after boreal digging frog were relocated to the alternative habitats in 2019. Analyzing the environment of the alternative habitats showed that the criteria suited the followings: distance from wetlands, grasslands and rivers was within 5 m, the low-rise grassland was 6,000 m², soft soil was at a depth of ≥20 cm, and the area of permanent wetlands was 5,000 m² wide. As a result of the correlation analysis between meteorological factors and population (n) and breeding, there was a significant correlation between rainfalls and breeding (p<0.01). During the monitoring, it was confirmed that the SVL (Snout-Vent Length) and BM (Body Mass) of the translocated population were maintained (p>0.05), and it was found that the proximity of the habitat and spawning pond, securing food space (grasslands), soil quality, and wetlands could function as an alternative habitat if conditions were met. As a result of analyzing the meteorological factors affecting the population of boreal digging frog, the SVL had a statistical impact on the minimum temperature, maximum temperature, relative humidity, and the rainfall (p<0.05). In the case of breeding, rainfall was found to be affected (p<0.01), and the population was statistically affected by the average temperature, minimum temperature, and relative humidity (p<0.05).