• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.45-72
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• 2005

C. neoformans-associated cryptococcosis is primarily a disease of immunocompromised persons, has a world-wide distribution, and is often spread by pigeons in the urban environment. In contrast, C. gattii causes infection in normal hosts, has only been described in tropical and semi-tropical areas of the world, and has a unique niche in river gum Eucalyptus trees. Cryptococcosis is acquired through inhalation of the yeast propagules from the environment. C. gattii has been identified as the cause of an emerging infectious disease centered on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. No cases of C. gattii-disease were diagnosed prior to 1999; the current incidence rate is 36 cases per million population. A search was initiated in 2001 to find the ecological niche of this basidiomycetous yeast. C. gaftii was found in the environment in treed areas of Vancouver Island. The highest percentage of colonized-tree clusters were found around central Vancouver Island, with decreasing rates of colonization to the north and south. Climate, soil and vegetation cover of this area, called the Coastal Douglas fir biogeoclimatic zone, is unique to British Columbia and Canada. The concentration of airborne C. gattii was highest in the dry summer months, and lowest during late fall, winter, and early spring, months which have heavy rainfall. The study of the emerging colonization of this organism and subsequent cases of environmentally acquired disease will be informative in planning public health management of new routes of exposure to exotic agents in areas impacted by changing climate and land use patterns. Cryptococcosis is an infection associated with an encapsulated, basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. The route of entry for this organism is through the lungs, with possible systemic spread via the circulatory system to the brain and meninges. There are four cryptococcal serogroups associated with disease in humans and animals, distinguished by capsular polysaccharide antigens. Cryptococcus neoformans: variety grubii (serotype A), variety neoformans (serotype D), and variety gattii (serotypes B and C) (Franzot et at. 1999). C. neoformans variety gattii has recently been elevated to species status, C. gattii. C. neoformans val. grubii and var. neoformans have a world-wide distribution, and are particularly associated with soil and weathered bird droppings. In contrast, C. gattii (CG) is not associated with bird excrement, is primarily found in tropical and subtropical climates, and has a restricted environmental niche associated with specific tree species. (Ellis & Pfiffer 1990) Ellis and Pfeiffer theorize that, as a basidiomycete, CG requires an association with a tree in order to become pathogenic to mammals. In Australia, CG has been found to be associated with five species of Eucalypts, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis, E. blakelyi, E. gomphocephala, and E. rudis. Eucalypts, although originally native to Australia, now have a world-wide distribution. CG has been found associated with imported eucalypts in India, California, Brazil, and Egypt. In addition, in Brazil and Columbia, where eucalypts have been naturalized, native trees have been shown to harbour CG (Callejas et al. 1998; Montenegro et al. 2000). In British Columbia, Canada, since the beginning of 1999, there have been 120 confirmed cases of cryptococcal mycoses associated with CG in humans, including 4 fatalities (data from British Columbia Centre for Disease Control), and over 200 cases in animal pets in BC (data from Central Laboratory for Veterinarians). What is remarkable about the BC outbreak of C. gattii-cryptococcosis is that all of the cases have been residents of, or visitors to, a narrow area along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, BC, from the tip of the island in the south (Victoria) to Courtenay on the north-central island as illustrated in Figure 1. Of the first 38 human cases, 58% were male with a mean age of 59.7 years (range 20 - 82): 36 cases (95%) were Caucasian. Ten cases (26%) presented with meningitis, the remainder presented with respiratory symptoms. Cultures recovered from cases of cryptococcosis associated with the outbreak were typed as serogroup B, which is specific to CG (Bartlett et al. 2003). This was the first reported outbreak of CVG in Canada, or indeed, the world. Where infection with CG is endemic, for example, Australia, the incidence of cryptococcosis ranges from 1.8 - 4.7 per million between the southern and northern states (Sorrell 2001). However, the overall incidence of cryptococcosis in immunocompenent individuals has been estimated at 0.2 per million population per year (Kwon-Chung et al. 1984). The population of Vancouver Island is approximately 720,000,consequently, even if the organism were endemic, one would expect a maximum of 0.15 cases of cryptococcal disease annually.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.525-536
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• 2014

In this study, a method to assess and monitor hydrological drought using remote sensing was investigated for use in regions with limited observation data, and was applied to the Upper Namhangang basin in South Korea, which was seriously affected by the 2008-2009 drought. Drought information may be obtained more easily from meteorological data based on water balance than hydrological data that are hard to estimate. Air temperature data at 2 m above ground level (AGL) were estimated using remotely sensed data, evapotranspiration was estimated from the air temperature, and the correlations between precipitation minus evapotranspiration (P-PET) and streamflow percentiles were examined. Land Surface Temperature data with $1{\times}1km$ spatial resolution as well as Atmospheric Profile data with $5{\times}5km$ spatial resolution from MODIS sensor on board Aqua satellite were used to estimate monthly maximum and minimum air temperature in South Korea. Evapotranspiration was estimated from the maximum and minimum air temperature using the Hargreaves method and the estimates were compared to existing data of the University of Montana based on Penman-Monteith method showing smaller coefficient of determination values but smaller error values. Precipitation was obtained from TRMM monthly rainfall data, and the correlations of 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month P-PET percentiles with streamflow percentiles were analyzed for the Upper Namhan-gang basin in South Korea. The 1-month P-PET percentile during JJA (r = 0.89, tau = 0.71) and SON (r = 0.63, tau = 0.47) in the Upper Namhan-gang basin are highly correlated with the streamflow percentile with 95% confidence level. Since the effect of precipitation in the basin is especially high, the correlation between evapotranspiration percentile and streamflow percentile is positive. These results indicate that remote sensing-based P-PET estimates can be used for the assessment and monitoring of hydrological drought. The high spatial resolution estimates can be used in the decision-making process to minimize the adverse impacts of hydrological drought and to establish differentiated measures coping with drought.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2016

This study mainly focuses on urban regeneration project as a countermeasure to resolve climate change issues by analyzing the carbon-reduction effect of Jeonju test-bed cases. First, an urban regeneration project is designed for city, Jeonju by analyzing its environmental problems and potential improvement. Then, carbon emission and reduction amounts are evaluated for different businesses and scenarios. Carbon emission sources are classified according to a standard suggested by IPCC, and the emissions are calculated by various standard methods. The result shows that carbon emission amount in Jeonju test-bed is 102,149 tCO2eq. The fact that 70% of the emission from energy sector originates from buildings implies that urban regeneration projects can concentrate on building portions to effectively reduce carbon emission. It is also projected carbon emission will decrease by 3,826tCo2eq in 2020 compared to 2011, reduction mainly based on overall population and industry shrinkage. When urban regeneration projects are applied to 5 urban sectors (urban environment, land use, green transportation, low carbon energy, and green buildings) total of 10,628tCO2eq is reduced and 4,857tCO2 (=15.47%) when only applied to the green building sector. Moreover, different carbon reduction scenarios are set up to meet each goal of different sectors. The result shows that scenario A, B, and C each has 5%, 11%, and 15% of carbon reduction, respectively. It is recommended to apply scenario B to achieve 11% reduction goal in a long term. Therefore, this research can be a valuable guideline for planning future urban regeneration projects and relative policies by analyzing the present urban issues and suggesting improvement directions.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.6 s.181
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• pp.753-770
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• 2006

In urban areas, groundwater pollution is heavily affected by urbanization with land use types. This study aims to characterize groundwater quality and contamination in Sasang industrial area of Busan Metropolitan City where metalworking, machinery and footwear factories are located. Busan Metropolitan City is the highest in the utilization of groundwater resources among the metropolitan cities in Korea. $K^+,\;Na^+,\;Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;Cl^-,\;SO_4^{2-}\;and\;HCO_3^-$ concentrations, and electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) and salinity are high in the areas near the Nakdong River. The results are attributed to the influence of salt water which intruded into the coastal sediments during sedimentation. In addition, the dominant chemical type of Ca-Cl indicates the influence of salt water in the geological formations as well as anthropogenic pollution. $SiO_2$ ion is interpreted to originate from both water-silicate mineral reactions and the decomposition of cement concretes. Trichloroethylene (TCE) was detected at 12 sites of total 18 sites. However, tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was detected at f sites and 1.1.1-trichloroethane (TCA) at 3 sites. According to the factor analysis, factor 1 was explained by 49.8%, factor 2 19.8%, and factor 3 11.0% with total 80.6% explanation. pH, TDS, salinity, $Ca^{2+},\;K^+,\;Mg^{2+},\;Na^+,\;Al^{3+},\;As^{3+},\;Cl^-\;and\;Fe^{2+}$ were positively highly loaded to factor 1. The chemical components loaded to factor 1 represent the chemical characteristics of both industrial pollution and influence by salt water. Based on the cluster analysis and distribution pattern of chemical components, the concentration of $Na^+,\;Ca^{2+},\;Cl^-,\;SO_4^{2-}\;K^+,\;and\;Mg^{2+}$ is high in the riverside area of the Nakdong River composed of coastal sediments that is influenced by salt water. The downstream area of the Hakjang Stream is judged to be affected by both salt water and artificial pollution. The other part of the study area is interpreted by anthropogenic pollution.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.205-217
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• 2014

As Mt. Backdu is expected to erupt, the social and economic impacts of the eruption on the Korean peninsula as well as on the world become a research topic of interest. If the volcano erupts, South Korea can be directly impacted by volcanic ash, which will bring out secondary damages in various ways. Given that the direct damage is a basis to estimate indirect and secondary damages, this paper was to review a method to estimate direct damages, called catastrophe risk models, and estimate the direct damages of available eruption scenarios of Mt. Baekdu. Based on the results, the damages by volcanic ash will occur mostly around Gangwon province if the Mt. Backdu erupts. Thus the inventory lists and their damage functions of Gangwon provinces were collected. In particular agricultural and forestry products were surveyed based on the land use. Direct damages were estimated using volcanic ash distribution of eruption scenarios, inventory information and their damage functions. In result, a scenario in winter caused the damage of 299.8 billion KRW (20.4% of total agricultural production in 2010) and 28.9 billion KRW (9.0% of total forestry production in 2010) in agriculture and forestry, respectively. The damages in agriculture was larger, and it is due to the damage functions which show the agricultural products are more vulnerable to volcanic ash than forestry products. Also the agricultural production (1,471.7 billion KRW in 2010) are more than 4.5 times the forestry production (322.3 billion KRW in 2010) in Gangwon province. Inje and Gangnung had the most damages in the scenario in winter. Inje had the most damage due to the thick ash deposit (8.5 mm in average) despite the low production. On the other hand, Goseong had a low damage compared to the ash thickness larger than 20mm, owing to the low production. The direct damage estimated through this process can be used to estimate indirect damages.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 2018

The tropical peatlands have been deforested and converted to agricultural and plantation areas in Indonesia. To manage water levels and increase the overall productivity of crops, canals have been constructed in tropical peatlands. The canals destructed the structure of the tropical peatlands, and increased the subsidence and fire hazard risks in the region. The Indonesian government enacted regulations and a moratorium on tropical peatlands, in order to reduce degradation. A practical method under the regulations of rewetting tropical peatlands was to permit a canal blocking. In this study, four canal blocking projects were investigated regarding their planning, construction priority, design, building material, construction, monitoring, time and costs associated with the canal blockings. In the protected areas, regulations restricted the development of the tropical peatlands areas that were noted as deeper than 3 m, and the administration stopped issuing new concessions for future work projects for this noted criteria of land use. A noted purpose of canal blockings in these areas was to effectuate the restoration of the lands in the region. The main considerations of the restoration efforts were to maintain a durability of the blockings, and to encourage the participation of the area stakeholders. In the case of a concession area, regulations were set into place to restrict clear-cutting and shifting cultivation, and to maintain groundwater level in the tropical peatland. The most significant priorities identified in the canal blocking project were the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the project. Nevertheless, the drainage of tropical peatlands has been continued. On the basis of a literature review on regulations and rewetting methods in tropical peatlands of Indonesia, we discussed the improvements of the regulations, and adequate canal blockings to serve the function to rewet the tropical peatlands in Indonesia. Our results would help establishing an adequate direction and recommended guideline on viable rewetting methods for the restoration of drained tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2012

With the slowdown in environmental issues and the change of environmental consciousness, ecotourism is being discussed in various social fields. Ecotourism is being popularized for environmental protection, and now it is becoming a mainstream product from one of mass tourism. Ecotourism's emphasis on sustainable development in the tourism destination's society, economy, and environment, through ecotourism study and education, enable people to understand the core value of the ecological environment. 2011 was nominated as "the Year of World Forest" by the UN. In the recent years, forests are becoming increasingly important with their own values and functions in environment, economy, society, and culture. In particular, the global environmental issues caused by climate change are becoming an international agenda. Forests are the only effective solution for the carbon dioxide that causes global warming. Moreover, forests constitute a major part of ecotourism, and are now most used by ecotourists. For example, Korea, wherein 60% of the land is forest, attracts ecotourists. With the increasing interests in environment, the number of tourists visiting the ecosystem forest, which is highly valued for its conservation, is increasing significantly every year and is receiving considerable attention from the government. However, poor facilities in the forest ecotourism sites and improper market strategies are the reasons for the poor running of these sites. Furthermore, tourists' environmental awareness affects ecology environmental pollution or the optimization of forest ecotourism. In order to verify the relationships among tourist attractiveness, environmental consciousness, charm degrees of the attractions, and attitudes after tours, we established some scales based on existing research achievement. Then, using these scales, the researcher completed the questionnaire survey. From December 20, 2010 to February 20, 2011, after conducting surveys for 12 weeks, we finally obtained 582 valid questionnaires, from a total of 700 questionnaires, that could be used in statistical analysis. First, for the method of research and analysis, the researcher initially applied the Cronbach's (Alpha) for verifying the reliability, and subsequently applied the Exploratory factor analysis for verifying the validity. Second, in order to analyze the demographics, the researcher makes use of the Frequency analysis for the AMOS, measurement model, structural equation model computing, and also utilizes construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and nomological validity. Third, for the analysis of the ecotourists' environmental consciousness, impacts on tourist attractiveness, charm degrees of the attractions, and attitudes after the tour, the researcher uses AMOS 19, with the path analysis and equation of structure. After the research, researchers found that high awareness of natural protection lead to high tourist motivation and satisfaction and more positive attitude after the tour. Moreover, this research shows the psychological and behavioral reactions of the ecotourists to the ecotourist development. Accordingly, environmental consciousness does not affect the tourist attractiveness that has been interpreted as significant. Furthermore, people should focus on the change of natural protection consciousness and psychological reaction of ecotourists while ensuring the sustainable development of ecotourists and developing some ecotourist programs.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.2262-2275
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• 1971

Fourteenes rervoirs maintained by the local land improvement associations in the province of Chullabuk-Do and 20 reservoir maintained by thos in the province of Chullanam-Do, were surveyed in connection with a correction between storage capacity and sediment deposit. In addition to this survey, 3,347 of small reservoir, that lie scattered around in the above-mentioned two provinces were investigated by using existing two provinces were investigated by using existing records pertaining to storage capacity in the office of City and country, respectively. According to this investigation the following comclusions are derived. 1. A sediment deposition rate is high, being about $10.63m^3/ha$ of drainage area, and resulting in the average decreasc of storage capaity by 27.5%. This high rate of deposition coule be mainly attributed to the serve denudation of forests due to disorderly cuttings of trees. Easpecially, in small reservoir, an original average design storage depth of 197mm in irrigation water depth is decreased to about 140mm. 2. An average unit storage depth of 325.6mm as the time of initial construction is decreased to 226mm at present. This phenomena causes a greater shortage irrigation water, since it was assumed that original storage quantity was already in short. 3. Generally speaking, seepage rates through dam abutment intakepipe, etc, are high due to insufficient maintenance and management of reservoir. 4. It is recommended that sediment deposit should be dredged when a reservoir is dry in drought. 5. Farmers usually waste excessive irrigation water. 6. Water saving methods should be practiced by applying only necessary water for growing stage of rice. 7. In are as where water defficiency for irrigation is severe, a soil moisture content should be kept at about 70% by applying water once in several days. 8. Tube wells should be provided so as to exploit ground water and subsurface current below stream bed as much as possible. 9. If an intake weir was constructed, a water collection well should be built for the use in drought. 10. Water conservation should be forced by converting devastated forests contained in the drainage area of reservoir to protected forests so as to take priority of yrefor estation, gully control, the prohibition of disorderly cutting of trees, etc. 11. Collective rice nurseries should be adopted, and it should be recommended that irrigation water for rice nurseries is supplied by farmer themselves. 12. Sediment desposit in reservoir should be thoroughly dreged so as to secure a original design storage capacity. 13. The structure of overflow weir should be automatic so as to freely control flood level and not to increase dam height.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.3943-3955
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• 1975

The purposes of this study are to evaluate the utilization characteristics of electrical power consumption, to grasp the present trends in the use of electrical equipments, to estimate the demand factor and load factor being held, and to evaluate the efficiency of electical uses for the recently electrified farms cultivating paddy rice. For the purposes, 109 sample farms located in eleven villiages electrified in six different years from 1968 to 1973, were chosen at random and investigated on 35 items concerning to electrical uses and wiring systems. The survey was carried out in 1975, in the vinicity of Suweon city. The results are summarized as follows: i) The average annual power consumption on sample farms is considered to be low, being 242.9 Kwh. in 1974, and varied according to the different electrified year and size of cultivated land, respectively. It has significant positive correlation to the area of farm, too. ii) Between the number of year of electrical uses and the power consumption, there is very significant positive correlation, which could be expressed as Y=43.041+16.108 X, where X represents the number of years of electrical uses. The annual increment of power consumption is much greater at the beginning of the electrification than that at the later years, its average being approximately 20 percent. However, it is recommended that any estimation of long-term increments should be carefully investigated. iii) The monthly power consumption varies considerably throughout a year, in which the heaviest farm load occurs in November. Observing the seasonal variation of consumption, the winter-time is the heaviest season while the summer is the lowest. The result implies house lighting is chief contribution to the present electrical consumption on the farms. Comparing the variation of monthly consumption ratios between the sample farms and industries, the electrical uses on the farms are independant of the industrial uses, and further, the agricultural uses are of inverse pattern to the farms from the results that there is negative correlationship between them, iv) The number of electrical equipments used on the farms are occupied chiefly by lighting sources. Next to the lighting sources, household appliances of small quantity and some motors are used. The mean electrical quantity is about 1, 127.4 watt, which corresponds to about 37.6 per cent to the contracted quantity. The composition of quantity is chiefly occupied by the electrical motor of about 1.5 hp., single-phased. The number of the annual utilization hours of each equipment is tabulated in Table IV-5. In contradiction to the high utilization of lighting sources and small household appliances, the motor is poorly used for approximately 22 hours in a year. v) More than 55 per cent of farms want to purchase new electrical equipments such as small household appliances and electrical motors in their number. The impulse of purchasing such items is stimulated by the contacts to the mass media and their knowledge on such equipments. Consequently, the increase of electrical uses could be prompted by such trials as education and demonstration. vi) The demand and load factors on the farms vary considerably according to the greater variation of the power consumption, daily or monthly. The daily demand factor is 22.4 per cent and load factor 18.6 per cent, while the annual demand factor is 1.3 per cent and load factor 70 per cent approximately. Therefore, the low efficiency of construction cost requires re-evaluation of the present contracted quantity of 3 Kw. or increase of electrical uses. vii) The electrical energy on the farms devoted chiefly to lighten the farm residences does not contribute to the farm incomes. Consequently, the cost of electrical consumption presses considerably upon the farm economy. Therefore, there is great need to build up the electrical uses on the farms through the development of new works and techinques to utilize any electrical equipments on the production of farm products. Further more, such the development should be related to increase the actual income of the farm consumers.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.698-703
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• 2012

This survey was conducted to obtain basic data of the quality of groundwater for agriculture in Gyeongnam province. Groundwater samples from paddy 15, upland 15, and plastic film house 30 sites were collected on April, July, and October in every two years from 2002 to 2008. According to the result of water quality analysis, groundwater quality was suitable for irrigation purpose averagely. The $NO_3$-N contents by land use were in the order of plastic film house > upland > paddy field and its contents were 6.53, 4.80, and $3.68mg\;L^{-1}$, respectively. In annual changes of water quality, pH was no significant change in paddy, upland, and plastic film house by 6.6~6.9. EC was increased in upland and plastic film house in 2008 and majors factors were $NO_3$-N and $Cl^-$. In upland and plastic film house, $NO_3$-N contents were 4.72 and $6.52mg\;L^{-1}$ in 2002, respectively, whereas they were 5.63 and $8.70mg\;L^{-1}$ in 2008, respectively. Of the investigated sites, $NO_3$-N was exceeded water quality standards for agriculture by 3.3~15.0% in plastic film house and $Cl^-$ was exceeded water quality standards for agriculture by 2.2% in upland of 2004. The $NO_3$-N contents were decreased with well depth and their contents were $5.38mg\;L^{-1}$ from 3~10 m, $4.87mg\;L^{-1}$ from 10~20 m, and $2.58mg\;L^{-1}$ from above 30 m. The $NO_3$-N contents by soil texture were highest in sandy loam by $5.73mg\;L^{-1}$ and lowest in clay loam by $4.13mg\;L^{-1}$. The $NO_3$-N contents by crops category were in order of fruit vegetables > leaf vegetables > rice > fruits > beans, contents of fruit vegetables and leaf vegetables were 5.81 and $5.30mg\;L^{-1}$, respectively.