• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.469-483
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• 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 Korean earth science society
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.617-629
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• 2020

Sea surface temperature (SST), which plays an important role in climate change and global environmental change, can be divided into skin sea surface temperature (SSST) observed by satellite infrared sensors and the bulk temperature of sea water (BSST) measured by instruments. As sea surface temperature products distributed by many overseas institutions represent temperatures at different depths, it is essential to understand the relationship between the SSST and the BSST. In this study, we constructed an observation system of infrared radiometer onboard a marine research vessel for the first time in Korea to measure the SSST. The calibration coefficients were prepared by performing the calibration procedure of the radiometer device in the laboratory prior to the shipborne observation. A series of processes were applied to calculate the temperature of the layer of radiance emitted from the sea surface as well as that from the sky. The differences in skin-bulk temperatures were investigated quantitatively and the characteristics of the vertical structure of temperatures in the upper ocean were understood through comparison with Himawari-8 geostationary satellite SSTs. Comparison of the skin-bulk temperature differences illustrated overall differences of about 0.76℃ at Jangmok port in the southern coast and the offshore region of the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula from 21 April to May 6, 2020. In addition, the root-mean-square error of the skin-bulk temperature differences showed daily variation from 0.6℃ to 0.9℃, with the largest difference of 0.83-0.89℃ at 1-3 KST during the daytime and the smallest difference of 0.59℃ at 15 KST. The bias also revealed clear diurnal variation at a range of 0.47-0.75℃. The difference between the observed skin sea surface temperature and the satellite sea surface temperature showed a mean square error of approximately 0.74℃ and a bias of 0.37℃. The analysis of this study confirmed the difference in the skin-bulk temperatures according to the observation depth. This suggests that further ocean shipborne infrared radiometer observations should be carried out continuously in the offshore regions to understand diurnal variation as well as seasonal variations of the skin-bulk SSTs and their relations to potential causes.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.268-278
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• 2020

Flowering time has been put forward due to the recent abnormally warm winter, which often caused damages of flower buds by late frosts persistently. In the present study, cumulative chill unit and cumulative heat unit of Niitaka pear, which are required for releasing the endogenous dormancy and for flowering after breaking dormancy, respectively, were compared between flowering time prediction models used in South K orea. Observation weather data were collected at eight locations for the recent three years from 2018-2020. The dates of full bloom were also collected to determine the confidence level of models including DVR, mDVR and CD models. It was found that mDVR model tended to have smaller values (8.4%) of the coefficient of variation (cv) of chill units than any other models. The CD model tended to have a low value of cv (17.5%) for calculation of heat unit required to reach flowering after breaking dormancy. The mDVR model had the most accurate prediction of full bloom during the study period compared with the other models. The DVR model usually had poor skills in prediction of full bloom dates. In particular, the error of the DVR model was large especially in southern coastal areas (e.g., Ulju and Sacheon) where the temperature was warm. Our results indicated that the mDVR model had relatively consistent accuracy in prediction of full bloom dates over region and years of interest. When observation data for full bloom date are compiled for an extended period, the full bloom date can be predicted with greater accuracy improving the mDVR model further.

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

• Journal of Ginseng Culture
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• v.3
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• pp.11-37
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• 2021

Korean ginseng is the one of the most famous medicinal herbs globally and has long been a representative item of East Asian trade, including across China and Japan. Since Joseon (1392-1910) ginseng trade was entirely controlled by the state, The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty are a valuable resource that can shed light on the history of the ginseng industry at that time. By studying the subsection "The Veritable Records of King Sejong" (世宗實錄), when ginseng was used even more widely, we assess the purpose and scale of its trade in the 15th century, identify its original listing in the geographical appendix, develop a distribution map, and explore similarities to current ginseng cultivation areas. During the reign of King Sejong (1418-1450), ginseng was sent to China as a tribute 101 times, with a combined weight of 7,060 kilograms, with less than one-third of that amount given to Japan and Okinawa. It was used to cover the travel expenses of foreign envoys and servants, but this can be seen to gradually decrease after the regnal mid-term, primarily due to a decrease in the amount of ginseng being collected. At the time, there were 113 areas of naturally growing ginseng as listed in the records' geographical appendix, including 12 recorded in the 'tributes' category: Yeongdeok-gun, Yeongju, and Cheongsong-gun in Gyeongsangbuk-do; Ulju-gun and Ulsan in Gyeongsangnam-do; Jeongeup, Wanju-gun, and Jangsu-gun in Jeollabuk-do; Hwasun-gun in Jeollanam-do; Goksan-gun and Sinpyeong-gun in Hwanghaebuk-do; Jeongju and Taecheon-gun in Pyeonganbuk-do; and Jaseong-gun and Junggang-gun in Jagang-do. A total of 101 places are recorded in the 'medicinal herbs' category, located throughout the mountains of the eight Joseon provinces, except the islands. In comparison with current ginseng cultivation sites, many of these historical areas are either consistent with or adjacent to contemporary locations. The geographical appendix to "The Veritable Records of King Sejong" was compiled in the early days of the king's reign (1432) when there was a lot of wild ginseng. The appendix is a valuable resource that indicates the possibility of growing ginseng on the Korean Peninsula in the future. The apparently natural habitats in the south, where ginseng is not currently cultivated, could be candidates for the future. Moreover, areas in the north where ginseng has not been grown, except Kaesǒng, could be a good alternative under sustainable inter-Korean exchange should cultivation sites move north due to climate warming.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.6_1
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• pp.1465-1483
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• 2020

Evapotranspiration is a concept that includes the evaporation from soil and the transpiration from the plant leaf. It is an essential factor for monitoring water balance, drought, crop growth, and climate change. Actual evapotranspiration (AET) corresponds to the consumption of water from the land surface and the necessary amount of water for the land surface. Because the AET is derived from multiplying the crop coefficient by the reference evapotranspiration (ET0), an accurate calculation of the ET0 is required for the AET. To date, many efforts have been made for gridded ET0 to provide multiple products now. This study presents a comparison between the ET0 products such as FAO56-PM, LDAPS, PKNU-NMSC, and MODIS to find out which one is more suitable for the local-scale hydrological and agricultural applications in Korea, where the heterogeneity of the land surface is critical. In the experiment for the period between 2016 and 2019, the daily and 8-day products were compared with the in-situ observations by KMA. The analyses according to the station, year, month, and time-series showed that the PKNU-NMSC product with a successful optimization for Korea was superior to the others, yielding stable accuracy irrespective of space and time. Also, this paper showed the intrinsic characteristics of the FAO56-PM, LDAPS, and MODIS ET0 products that could be informative for other researchers.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.39-54
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• 2021

Damyang Wetland, a riverine wetland, has been designated as the first wetland protection area in South Korea and is a candidate area for the Mudeungsan Area UNESCO Global Geopark. The Damyang Wetland area is the upstream part of the Yeongsan River and is now a relatively wide plain. To reconstruct the sedimentary environment around the Damyang Wetland, core samples were obtained, and sedimentary facies analysis, AMS and OSL age dataings, grain size, and geochemical analyses were carried out. In addition, comprehensive sedimentary environment changes were reconstructed using previous core data obtained from this wetland area. In the Yeongsan River upstream area, where the Damyang Wetland is located, fluvial terrace deposits formed during the late Pleistocene are distributed in an area relatively far from the river. As a gravel layer is widely distributed throughout the plains, Holocene sediments were likely deposited in a braided river environment when the sea level stabilized after the middle Holocene. Then, as the sedimentary environment changed from a braided river to a meandering river, the influx of sand-dominated sediments increased, and a floodplain environment was formed around the river. In addition, based on the pollen data, it is inferred that the climate was warm and humid around 6,000 years ago, with wetland deposits forming afterward. The the trench survey results of the river area around the Damyang Wetland show that a well-rounded gravel layer occurs in the lower part, covered by the sand layer. The Damyang Wetland was likely formed after the construction of Damyang Lake in the 1970s, as muddy sediments were deposited on the sand layer.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.588-598
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• 2020

The seafloor geology of Ieodo, a submerged volcanic island, has been poorly understood, although this place has gained considerable attention for ocean and climate studies. The main purpose of the study is to understand and elucidate types, distribution patterns and provenance of the surficial sediments in and around the Ieodo area. For this purpose, 25 seafloor sediments were collected using a box-corer, these having been analyzed for grain sizes. XRD (X-ray Diffraction) analysis of fine-grained sediments was conducted for characterizing clay minerals. The peak of Ieodo exists in the northern region, while in the southern area, shore platforms occur. The extensive platform in the south results from severe erosion by strong waves. However, the northern peak still survived from differential weathering. Grain size analyses indicated that gravels and gravelly sands with skeletons and shells were distributed predominantly on the volcanic apron and shore platform. Muddy sediments were found along the Ieodo and the adjacent deeper seafloor. Based on the analysis of clay mineral composition, illites were the most abundant in fine muds, followed by chlorites and kaolinites. The ratio plots of clay minerals for the provenance discrimination suggested that the Ieodo muds were likely to be derived from the Yangtze River (Changjiang River). As a consequence, gravels and gravelly sands with bioclastics may be supplied from the Ieodo volcanic apron by erosion processes. Wave activities might play a major role in transportation and sedimentation. In contrast, fine muds were assumed to be derived from the inflow of the Yangtze River, particularly in summer. Deposition in the Ieodo area is, therefore, probably controlled by the inflow from the Changjiang Dilute Water and summer typhoons from the south.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.577-587
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• 2021

Drought is generally considered to be a natural disaster caused by accumulated water shortages over a long period of time, taking months or years and slowly occurring. However, climate change has led to rapid changes in weather and environmental factors that directly affect agriculture, and extreme weather conditions have led to an increase in the frequency of rapidly developing droughts within weeks to months. This phenomenon is defined as 'Flash Drought', which is caused by an increase in surface temperature over a relatively short period of time and abnormally low and rapidly decreasing soil moisture. The detection and analysis of flash drought is essential because it has a significant impact on agriculture and natural ecosystems, and its impacts are associated with agricultural drought impacts. In South Korea, there is no clear definition of flash drought, so the purpose of this study is to identify and analyze its characteristics. In this study, flash drought detection condition was presented based on the satellite-derived drought index Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) from 2014 to 2018. ESI is used as an early warning indicator for rapidly-occurring flash drought a short period of time due to its similar relationship with reduced soil moisture content, lack of precipitation, increased evaporative demand due to low humidity, high temperature, and strong winds. The flash droughts were analyzed using hydrometeorological characteristics by comparing Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), soil moisture, maximum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and precipitation. The correlation was analyzed based on the 8 weeks prior to the occurrence of the flash drought, and in most cases, a high correlation of 0.8(-0.8) or higher(lower) was expressed for ESI and SPI, soil moisture, and maximum temperature.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.441-456
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• 2021

The Cretaceous Duwon Formation was studied on the basis of sedimentologic analysis in order to unravel geologic conditions for the development of the streamflow-dominated alluvial fan under arid to semi-arid climatic conditions. The Duwon Formation unconformably overlies the Paleoproterozoic gneiss (basement). Based on the sedimentologic analysis, the Duwon Formation is interpreted to have been deposited in gravelly braided stream (FA-1) near the basement, laterally transitional to sandy braided stream (FA-2) and floodplain environments (FA-3) with distance (< 7 km) from the basement. Lateral changes in sedimentary facies and the well development of calcrete nodules in FA-3, together with radial paleocurrent directions measured in FA-1, are suggestive of the deposition of the Duwon Formation in streamflow-dominated alluvial fan under arid to semi-arid climatic conditions. Recent analysis of detrital zircon chronology suggests that sediments of the Duwon Formation were derived from the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula, including the western part of Yeongnam Massif and the southwestern part of Okcheon Belt. This implies the alluvial fan where the Duwon Formation accumulated had the large drainage basin. Because the large drainage basin can supply the significant amounts of water and temporarily store the sediments within the basin, watery floodwater carried sediments to the alluvial fan rather than the debris flows. Furthermore, the drainage basin largely composed of coarse-grained metamorphic and igneous rocks produced sand-grade sediments, preventing evolution of floodwater into debris flows. We suggest that combined effects of the large drainage basin and its coarse-grained metamorphic and igneous rocks provided favorable conditions for the development of streamflow-dominated alluvial fan, despite arid to semi-arid climatic conditions during sedimentation.