• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2016

The essential role of the Division of Earth Sciences(EAR) in the Directorate of Geoscience(GEO) of National Science Foundation of America(NSF) is to support basic research aimed at acquiring fundamental knowledge of the Earth system that can be directly applied to the United States' strategic needs. The 2011 Committee on New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences(NROES) of the National Academy of Sciences(NAS) identified specific areas of the basic earth science research scope of the EAR that were poised for rapid progress during the next decade. Quantified by interdisciplinary approaches, the Committee highlighted the following topics relating to the EAR Deep Earth Processes and Surface Earth Processes sections: (1) the early Earth; (2) thermochemical internal dynamics and volatile distribution; (3) faulting and deformation processes; (4) interactions among climate, the Earth surface processes, tectonics, and deep Earth processes; (5) co-evolution of life, environment, and climate; (6) coupled hydrogeomorphic-ecosystem response to natural and anthropogenic change; and (7) interactions of biogeochemical and water cycles in terrestrial environments. We also promote future research challenges such as the critical zone studies. In order to promote more active such a huge future research challenges, additional research support policies are needed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3785-3791
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• 2012

Dissolved oxygen is one of the most important factors controlling growth in aquatic organisms. Hypoxia is generally defined as dissolved oxygen less than 2.8 mg $O_2/L$ (equivalent to 2 mL $O_2/L$ or 91.4 mM). Therefore, hypoxia zone can cause a serious problem in marine ecosystem. In this study, to investigate embryotoxic (fertilization and embryo development rates) effects of hypoxia on sea urchin Strongylocentrotus nudus were exposed to dissolved oxygen levels of 7.6 mg $O_2/L$ (normoxia) and 1.8 mg $O_2/L$ (hypoxia) for 2 days at $15^{\circ}C$ and 33 ‰. Also, Expression levels of stress related gene (HSP70) and antioxidant related gene (glutathione reductase) in the sea urchins exposed to hypoxia were confirmed by Immunoblotting and RT-PCR analysis. In results, we showed that developmental rates were dramatically reduced in hypoxia condition. Molecular analysis demonstrated that higher HSP70 (5.5 fold) and glutathione reductase gene (2.79 fold) were present in the sea urchin exposed to hypoxia. Our results suggested that hypoxia can cause the abnormal development and elicits a stress and antioxidant response on sea urchin.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.291-303
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• 2019

This study analyzed the changes in the industrial environment surrounding the Gumi region and the status of the industrial crisis in the Gumi area amid such changes. The Gumi region is experiencing a more turbulent period than ever in the environment changes at the international, national and local levels, such as the transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the weakening of the competitiveness of key industries including mobile devices and displays, and the moving-out of core companies such as Samsung and LG Group. Accordingly, efforts have been made to diversify the industrial structure by fostering industry of automobile parts, high-tech medical devices and carbon materials to cope with and adapt to environmental changes at the regional level. However, the Gumi region is still locked in to the mono-cultural, large enterprise-dependent industrial structure centering on the mobile and display sectors, failing to overcome the regional industrial crisis and stagnating the overall local economy. The relocation of large companies began to increase in the 2010s, reducing the protection of large corporations against environmental changes at the corporate level. As a result, the crisis factors of small and mediumsized enterprises are gradually expanding to the national and international scale and working more complexly, which is beyond the level they can afford. So it is highly likely that the current industrial crisis will deepen. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the resilience to adapt to changes in the environment when it comes to overcoming the industrial crisis in Gumi region. To this end, it is necessary to improve innovation capabilities and diversify businesses based on convergence and complex technologies at the enterprise level, and to be selected as a special crisis response area aimed at creating an innovative ecosystem through autonomous resonance of companies and industries at the local level.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.459-466
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• 2018

Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) are defined as substances that are likely to create a significant impact on human health and marine ecosystem when they are released into the marine environment. Recently, as the volume of HNS transported by ships increases, the rate of leakage accidents also increases. Therefore, research should be conducted to control and monitor sunken materials from the viewpoint of technology development for hazardous material leakage accident response. In this paper, acoustic detection experiments were carried out using HNS substitute materials in order to confirm the possibility of acoustic detection of sunken HNS on the sediment. The castor oil, which has a similar acoustic impedance with chloroform, is used as a substitute. 200 kHz high frequency signals were used to discriminate the reflected signals and measure reflection loss from the interface between water and castor oil. The reflection loss measured is in good agreement with the modeling results, showing a possibility of acoustic detection for sunken HNS.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.426-433
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• 2019

Objectives: Zooplankton communities play important roles in aquatic ecosystems as secondary producers that graze on phytoplankton and in turn are preyed upon by planktivorous and juvenile fish. They can shift their distribution, species composition, and abundance in response to environmental changes. Therefore zooplankton communities are important for understanding the energy flow in aquatic ecosystems and can be valuable indicators of environmental conditions. However, zooplankton in streams are still not well-studied, especially in northern Gyeonggi-do Province. This study aims to investigate the zooplankton communities in major streams in northern Gyeonggi-do Province. Methods: Zooplankton is important in the nutrient cycle and energy flow of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, we surveyed zooplankton and measured temperature, DO, BOD, COD, T-N, T-P, and Chl-a in major streams (Sincheon, Gongneungcheon, Wangsukcheon, and Gapyeongcheon Streams) and stagnant water (Gomoji Reservoir). Results: The water quality in Gapyeongcheon Stream was the highest grade, while that of Gomoji Reservoir was mesoeutrophic and eutrophic during the research period. In the zooplankton community, Nauplius, Rotaria, and Monostyla spp. were dominant in Sincheon, Gongneungcheon, and Wangsukcheon Streams, and the dominance index was also high. In the case of Gapyeongcheon Stream, it was found that water quality and aquatic ecosystem health were good, and the lowest dominance index reflected this. In Gomoji Reservoir, Polyarthra spp., Nauplius, and Bosmina longirostris, which can be easily observed as eutrophication progresses, showed a high dominance rate. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the progress of eutrophication in further research. Conclusions: We collected data on the zooplankton communities in streams and investigated their characteristics. As a result, specific species were found to be dominant at each survey sites and some of them are known to be observed as eutrophication progresses. Therefore, we should investigate the zooplankton community of streams around us and apply ecological stream management.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.106-118
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• 2021

Global governments and initiatives have attempted and integrated various organizational efforts to implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), presenting a new paradigm of sustainable development to address global issues (climate change, poverty eradication, and human rights). Recently, investment in sustainable finance has expanded to finance the attainment of goals set out in the Paris Agreement and SDGs. Non-financial factors such as environment, social responsibility, and governance (ESG) have become intangible assets that determine the future competitiveness and profitability of companies. Domestic and foreign institutional investors and asset management companies have been expanding their investments based on the ESG performance of companies. In this study, we aim to derive international standards and initiatives that require disclosure of information on corporate social responsibility activities and ESG performance and analyze construction companies' ESG activities and performance levels. The results of this study can be used as the basis to develop platforms for the construction industry ESG ecosystem and the measurement and management of intangible assets. These could ultimately contribute to overcoming the crisis in the future due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, fostering net-zero emissions, and preventing fatal workplace accidents in the construction industry.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.623-631
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• 2021

The increased transport of marine hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) has resulted in frequent HNS spill accidents domestically and internationally. There are about 6,000 species of HNS internationally, and most of them have toxic properties. When an accidental HNS spill occurs, it can destroys the marine ecosystem and can damage life and property due to explosion and fire. Constructing a spectral library of HNS according to wavelength and developing a detection algorithm would help prepare for accidents. In this study, a ground HNS spill experiment was conducted in France. The toluene spectrum was determined through hyperspectral sensor measurements. HNS present in the hyperspectral images were detected by applying the spectral mixture algorithm. Preprocessing principal component analysis (PCA) removed noise and performed dimensional compression. The endmember spectra of toluene and seawater were extracted through the N-FINDR technique. By calculating the abundance fraction of toluene and seawater based on the spectrum, the detection accuracy of HNS in all pixels was presented as a probability. The probability was compared with radiance images at a wavelength of 418.15 nm to select abundance fractions with maximum detection accuracy. The accuracy exceeded 99% at a ratio of approximately 42%. Response to marine spills of HNS are presently impeded by the restricted access to the site because of high risk of exposure to toxic compounds. The present experimental and detection results could help estimate the area of contamination with HNS based on hyperspectral remote sensing.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.277-286
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• 2021

Background: As trade increases, the influx of various alien species and their spread to new regions are prevalent and no longer a special problem. Anthropogenic activities and climate changes have made the distribution of alien species out of their native range common. As a result, alien species can be easily found anywhere, and they have nothing but only a few differences in intensity. The prevalent distribution of alien species adversely affects the ecosystem, and a strategic management plan must be established to control them effectively. To this end, hot spots and cold spots were analyzed according to the degree of distribution of invasive alien plants, and major environmental factors related to hot spots were found. We analyzed the 10,287 distribution points of 126 species of alien plants collected through the national survey of alien species by the hierarchical model of species communities (HMSC) framework. Results: The explanatory and fourfold cross-validation predictive power of the model were 0.91 and 0.75 as AUC values, respectively. The hot spots of invasive plants were found in the Seoul metropolitan area, Daegu metropolitan city, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, southwest shore, and Jeju island. Generally, the hot spots were found where the higher maximum temperature of summer, precipitation of winter, and road density are observed, but temperature seasonality, annual temperature range, precipitation of the summer, and distance to river and sea were negatively related to the hot spots. According to the model, the functional traits accounted for 55% of the variance explained by the environmental factors. The species with higher specific leaf areas were more found where temperature seasonality was low. Taller species preferred the bigger annual temperature range. The heavier seed mass was only preferred when the max temperature of summer exceeded 29 ℃. Conclusions: In this study, hot spots were places where 2.1 times more alien plants were distributed on average than non-hot spots (33.5 vs 15.7 species). The hot spots of invasive plants were expected to appear in less stressful climate conditions, such as low fluctuation of temperature and precipitation. Also, the disturbance by anthropogenic factors or water flow had positive influences on the hot spots. These results were consistent with the previous reports about the ruderal or competitive strategies of invasive plants instead of the stress-tolerant strategy. The functional traits are closely related to the ecological strategies of plants by shaping the response of species to various environmental filters, and our result confirmed this. Therefore, in order to effectively control alien plants, it is judged that the occurrence of disturbed sites in which alien plants can grow in large quantities is minimized, and the river management of waterfronts is required.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.291-301
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to examine the perception of early childhood teachers on ecological art activities oriented to education for sustainable development. The research results are as follows. First, Early childhood teachers recognized the visual art of natural media, the pursuit of community values, and the participation and communication of social members as educational significance of ecological art activities. And difficulties in practicing ecological art were recognized as lack of educational environment, lack of ecological art teaching materials and specific examples, and teachers' lack of understanding of ecological art. Also, they recognized that ecological art activities foster core competencies in art experience area, such as nature-friendly communication skills, eco-friendly sensibility, and creative convergence skills. Second, regarding ecological art activities and sustainable development education, early childhood teachers considered the difficulties in practice as lack of awareness about sustainable development, lack of play meia and materials, lack of educational policies and support, and insufficient teacher training programs. Also, regarding the SDGs that can be practiced in ecological art activities, teachers were found to be highly aware of 'grow affordable and clean energy', 'improve clean water and sanitation', 'provide quality education' in the order. In the contents of education for sustainable development that can be practiced in ecological art activities, teachers are given the order of 'climate change response', 'clean energy', 'water and sanitation', 'quality education', 'health and well-being' and 'marine ecosystem'. was highly recognized. If an ecological art activity program is developed, the rate of responding that it will be used is high, so it is considered that the development of an ESD-oriented ecological art activity program is urgent.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.724-739
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• 2023

Located in the sea area between South Korea, North Korea, and China, the Yellow Sea plays an important role from a geopolitical perspective, and recently, as the use of marine space in the Yellow Sea is expanding, its social and economic values have been increasing further. In addition, owing to rapid climate changes, the need for joint response and cooperation between Korea and China is increasing in various fields, including changes in the marine environment and marine ecosystem and generation and movement of air pollutants. Accordingly, in this study, core topics were derived from research papers with the Yellow Sea as a keyword, and research trends to date were explored through author network analysis. As a specific research method, research papers related to the Yellow Sea published between 1984 and 2021 were extracted from the Web of Science database and were classified into four periods to derive core topics using topic modeling, a type of text mining. Furthermore, the influences of major research communities, researchers, and research institutes in the appropriate fields were identified through analyzing the author network, and their implications were presented. The analysis results indicated that the core topics of research papers on the Yellow Sea had changed over time, and differences existed in the influence (centrality) of key researchers. Finally, based on the results of this study, this study aims to identify research trends related to the Yellow Sea, major researchers, and research institutes and contribute to research cooperation between Korea and China regarding the Yellow Sea in the future.