• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.107-120
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• 2012

This study was carried out to illiminate the diversity of vascular plants by making list of rheophyte and hydorphyte plants at Yugu stream. This study was conducted from Aug., 2009 to Sept. 2010 at 7 points. Based on the voucher specimens, vascular plants from investigated areas were 88 families 229 genera 290 species 3 subspecies 30 varieties 5 forms, totally 328 taxa. Korean endemic plants were 3 species such as Forsythia koreana (Rehder) Nakai (planted) and Paulownia coreana Uyeki (planted), and Weigela subsessilis (Nakai) L.H. Bailey. The rare and endangered plants were designated by Korea Forest Service were 4 taxa, such as Penthorum chinense Pursh, Acorus calamus L., Lilium callosum Siebold & Zucc. and Iris ensata var. spontanea (Makino) Nakai. Floristic special plants were totally 26 taxa, which were grade V of 2 taxa, grade IV of 2 taxa and grade III of 9 taxa. Naturalized plants were 27 taxa, that was 8.3% of whole discovered vascular plants in this area. Even naturalized plants has not influence on the vegetation of Yugu stream. Since village was composed along the stream and the roads and banks were linked, naturalized plants were flowed continuously into this region. So, strategy of the conservation for this region should be designed. Based on flora, 3 types of group were discriminated such as main stream type (4 points), branch stream type (2 points) and reservior type (1 point). Each group has difference in composition of plants.

• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.25-45
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• 2015

The government has implemented the projects of restoring the ecological integrity of streams to improve its water quality and provide resting places with local residents. Because the projects require huge public investments, their economic feasibility should be investigated through ex-post examination of their benefits. This study attempts to analyze the economic feasibility of restoring the ecological integrity using specific cases of Namyang stream in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi and Yugu stream in Gongju, Chungnam. The contingent valuation (CV) method is employed to measure the benefits. To this end, a professional polling firm conducted two CV surveys of 210 and 209 households for Hwaseong and Gongju, respectively. The willingness to pay (WTP) model used in the study is based on utility difference approach and the single-bounded dichotomous choice spike model. The results reveal that the WTP for restoring ecological integrity of the Namyang and Yugu streams are estimated to be 3,140 and 10,121 won per household per year. Interestingly, the latter is about three times greater than the former. The quantitative information can be used in economic feasibility analysis of the projects of restoring the ecological integrity of the Namyang and Yugu streams.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.389-394
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• 1995

Yugu-Kwangcheon Au-Ag Province is connected to the southwestern part of the Cheonan Province and includes the Gubong (one of the biggest gold mine in past), Daebong and Samgwang mines. Cadmium concentrations in sphalerite of Yugu-Kwancheon Province is higher than those of other Au-Ag provinces and could be the source of the heavy metal contaminations. Heavy metals are present in rock-soil-plant-human system from natural geological materials, and dietary intake through this system makes a significant contribution to the ingestion of heavy metals by man. In order to examine the degree and extent of heavy metal contaminations in the Gubong, Daebong and Samgwang mine areas of Yugu-Kwangcheon Province, soil, stream water, sediment and crop plant samples were taken and analyzed for Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). Cadmium and Pb concentrations in paddy/farm soils and stream sediments from the Gubong and Samgwang mine areas are higher than those in uncontaminated soils. Lead concentrations in crop plants cultivated in these soils are high up to $0.38{\mu}g/g$ in rice grain and $4.5{\mu}g/g$ in sesame. In these mine areas, regular consumption of crop plants by the local population would seem to pose a potential health problems from long-term Pb exposure. The biological absorption coefficient in rice grain for heavy metals varies in the order $C_d=Zn>Cu>Pb$ and the relationship between Cd concentrations in soils and crop plants is expressed by the equation $Cd_{plant}=0.11245\;Log\;Cd_{soil}+0.13472$.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4 s.114
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• pp.482-493
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• 2005

The objective of this research was to evaluate an sampling effect of fish species and individual number on sampling techniques of electrofishing and conventional capture methods of cast net and kick net in 38 stream sites sampled during June - September, 2005. For the study, sampling gears were categorized as three types of electrofishing method (EM), conventional sampling technique (CM), and the combined technique (CT) of the electrofishing and the conventional method to compare statistical differences. Major differences of species composition between the CM and EM method were found in some benthic species of Misgurnus mizolepis and Iksookimia koreensis along with lithophilic species of Pungtungia herzi. These species were predominated in the EM rather than the CM, indicating that conventional sampling can underestimate the abundance of benthic or lithophilic species. In contrast ,individual number of typical water column species such as Zacco platypus and Zacco temmincki were more sampled by the CM, so that these fish populations were community overestimated. Also, t-tests on the types of sampling gear from various watersheds of Chogang Stream, Yugu Stream, Daejeon Stream, and Gap Stream showed that total individual numbers and species number in each stream were significantly (t values = 2.806-6.896, p values<0.05, n = 5-14) greater in the CT than the CM. Similar statistical significance (p<1.001, n = (10-24) on sampling seasons were observed during the monsoon and postmonsoon. These results indicate that if the electrofishing is not added to the conventional gears, the abundance of fish population and community can be underestimated and some benthic or lithophilic species may be excluded from the analysis, resulting in overall errors including sampling, fish fauna, and final judgement of community abundance. Overall our results strongly suggest that new application of electrofishing method along with the conventional sampling gears reduce sampling bias on underestimation of the real fish populations and communities.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.271-284
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• 2014

The objectives of this research were to analyse the microhabitat of Cobitis choii which is designated as an endangered fish species (I) and national monument species in Korea (No. 454), and provide valuable information of suitable replacement habitat in the future for a conservation of the population with rapid decreases by environmental pollution. Sampling and microhabitat analysis in three streams such as Baekgok, Yugu and Gap Stream, known as one of the least habitats in Korea showed that the mean number of Cobitis choii observed was 2.6. This result indicated that the richness was too low, so the species conservation was very urgent. Optimal physical microhabitat of the population was determined as environmental conditions with > 60% sand with 1 mm particle size, optimal water depth of 20 - 60 cm in the habitats, and the optimal current velocity of < 0.4 m/s. Under the circumstances of the microhabitat, optimal water volume (discharge) was 0 - 2 m3/s in the each sectional analysis and this reach was mainly composed of the stream section with intermittant slow runs and pools. These microhabitats were largely disturbed by physical modifications of habitat and chemical pollutions due to direct influences of nutrient-rich water inputs from the urban area and intensive agricultural pollutants. For these reasons, optimal habitat replacement are required in the future for the conservation of the species.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.333-341
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• 2010

Fluvial sediments are widely distributed in present and old river-beds of the mid-Keum River, the tributaries of which are the Yugu and Jeongan Rivers. The basement of the mid-Keum River area consists of Mesozoic granites which are easily eroded compared to Precambrian gneisses, which are exposed in the upper-Keum River area. The provenance of the fluvial sediments includes both the Precambrian gneisses and Mesozoic granites, which occur in the catchment of the mid-Keum River. The coarse-grained sediments were probably transported from the river-beds and the overbank floodings of the main Keum River and its tributaries when the climate was warm and wet. The oldest mud deposits were dated at ca. 9,400 yr BP by the radiocarbon method. It has been estimated that the sand deposits below the dated muds were formed in a period from the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene. However we have revealed that the major part of the present river-bed sediments was formed at ca. 3,000-6,000 yr BP, i.e., in the mid- to late Holocene, when summer monsoon was very strong due to climatic changes. We have calculated fluvial sedimentation rates of 0.12-0.16 cm/yr and 0.02-0.09 cm/yr for borehole KJ-29 river-bed sediments and borehole KJ-28 floodplain deposits, respectively. We conclude that the sedimentation rate is higher near the present stream channel than near the floodplain.