• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2021

The quantified analysis of damages to wastewater treatment plants by natural disasters is essential to maintain the stability of wastewater treatment systems. However, studies on the quantified analysis of natural disaster effects on wastewater treatment systems are very rare. In this study, a total disaster index (DI) was developed to quantify the various damages to wastewater treatment systems from natural disasters using two statistical methods (i.e., AHP: analytic hierarchy process and PCA: principal component analysis). Typhoons, heavy rain, and earthquakes are considered as three major natural disasters for the development of the DI. A total of 15 input variables from public open-source data (e.g., statistical yearbook of wastewater treatment system, meteorological data and financial status in local governments) were used for the development of a DI for 199 wastewater treatment plants in Korea. The total DI was calculated from the weighted sum of the disaster indices of the three natural disasters (i.e., TI for typhoon, RI for heavy rain, and EI for earthquake). The three disaster indices of each natural disaster were determined from four components, such as possibility of occurrence and expected damages. The relative weights of the four components to calculate the disaster indices (TI, RI and EI) for each of the three natural disasters were also determined from AHP. PCA was used to determine the relative weights of the input variables to calculate the four components. The relative weights of TI, RI and EI to calculate total DI were determined as 0.547, 0.306, and 0.147 respectively.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.21-34
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• 2022

Gust factor is an important parameter for the conversion between peak gust wind and mean wind speed used for the structural design and wind-related hazard mitigation. The gust factor of typhoon wind is observed to show a significant dispersion and some differences with large-scale weather systems, e.g., monsoons and extratropical cyclones. In this study, insitu measurement data captured by 13 meteorological towers during a strong typhoon Morakot are collected to investigate the statistical characteristics, height and wind speed dependency of the gust factor. Onshore off-sea and off-land winds are comparatively studied, respectively to characterize the underlying terrain effects on the gust factor. The theoretical method of peak factor based on Gaussian assumption is then introduced to compare the gust factor profiles observed in this study and given in some building codes and standards. The results show that the probability distributions of gust factor for both off-sea winds and off-land winds can be well described using the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution model. Compared with the off-land winds, the off-sea gust factors are relatively smaller, and the probability distribution is more leptokurtic with longer tails. With the increase of height, especially for off-sea winds, the probability distributions of gust factor are more peaked and right-tailed. The scatters of gust factor decrease with the mean wind speed and height. AS/NZ's suggestions are nearly parallel with the measured gust factor profiles below 80m, while the fitting curve of off-sea data below 120m is more similar to AIJ, ASCE and EU.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.205-220
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• 2023

In this study, impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on PM_2.5 mass and its five chemical components (NH₄⁺, NO₃^-, SO₄^2-, OC, EC) in Busan was evaluated, and compared with that of Seoul. The study period over the recent three years was sub-divided into two periods: Pre-COVID (2018~2019) and COVID (2020) periods, and the differences in observed annual and monthly variations between the two periods were explored here. The results indicated that annual mean PM_2.5 mass concentrations decreased during the COVID period by 16% in Seoul and 29% in Busan, and the satellite-observed annual average of aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the Korean Peninsula also decreased by approximately more than 10% compared with that of the Pre-COVID period. All of the five chemical components decreased but no particular changes were found in their fractions occupied during the COVID period. However, over the Lock-down period (2020-March), the sulfate fraction decreased in Seoul, mostly reflecting the recent Chinese trends of aerosol characteristics, whereas the nitrate fraction considerably decreased in Busan, which was attributable to the local emission changes and their variabilities in Busan. Other meteorological characteristics such as higher frequencies of easterly winds in the Busan area during the COVID period were also discussed in comparison with those in the Seoul area.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.46-60
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• 2023

Climate change causes fluctuations in water quality in the aquatic environment, which can cause changes in water circulation patterns and severe adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems in the future. Therefore, research is needed to predict and respond to water quality changes caused by climate change in advance. In this study, we tried to predict the dissolved oxygen (DO), chlorophyll-a, and turbidity of the Paldang reservoir for about two weeks using long short-term memory (LSTM) and gated recurrent units (GRU), which are deep learning algorithms based on recurrent neural networks. The model was built based on real-time water quality data and meteorological data. The observation period was set from July to September in the summer of 2021 (Period 1) and from March to May in the spring of 2022 (Period 2). We tried to select an algorithm with optimal predictive power for each water quality parameter. In addition, to improve the predictive power of the model, an important variable extraction technique using random forest was used to select only the important variables as input variables. In both Periods 1 and 2, the predictive power after extracting important variables was further improved. Except for DO in Period 2, GRU was selected as the best model in all water quality parameters. This methodology can be useful for preventive water quality management by identifying the variability of water quality in advance and predicting water quality in a short period.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2020.06a
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• pp.110-110
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• 2020

최근 낙동강유역에서는 여름철 폭염 및 가뭄의 영향으로 조류대경보가 발령되고 있으며, 급격한 수질환경적 변화가 이루어지고 있다. 본 연구대상유역인 낙동강에서도 가뭄으로 인해 녹조가 발생하여 조류경보가 발령되었다. 남조류의 대발생은 대량 번성 및 사멸에 따라 수체 내 산소 고갈 및 유기물 증가와 같은 문제를 야기하고 있다. 또한 남조류가 분비하는 독성물질 또한 수생태계와 인체에 유해하다. 그리고 인체에는 무해하다고 밝혀졌지만 수돗물 등에서 흙냄새와 같은 좋지 않은 냄새를 유발하는 냄새물인 지오스민, 2-MIB을 분비하여 정수공급체계의 악영향을 미친다. 본 연구대상 지점인 낙동강은 다기능 보 건설로 인해 하천 수심이 증가하고 유속이 느려지면서 정체성 수역 특성을 나타내고 있다. 이는 호소성 수역 특성을 나타내고 있음과 동시에 녹조발생과 같은 수질환경적 변화가 이루어지고 있다는 것을 의미한다. 본 연구에서 시각화 분석을 통해 낙동강 하류 남조류 발생현황을 분석하였으며, 랜덤포레스트를 이용하여 지점별 남조류 발생 주요 영향인자를 도출하였다. 조류경보제 발생 등급은 발령기준으로 관심, 위험, 대발생으로 구분된다. 학습데이터로 관심단계 기준인 남조류세포수 1,000 cell/mL 보다 작게 측정된 데이터들은 관심미만의 데이터로 Normal 등급으로 구분하였다. 구분된 발생등급을 범주형 변수로 설정하여 학습 데이터를 통해 모형을 구축하고 검증 데이터를 이용하여 모형 정확성을 평가하였다. 본 연구를 통해 조류발생 주요 영향인자를 도출하고 변수별 중요도를 평가를 통해 지점별 녹조 발생특성을 비교 분석하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2020.06a
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• pp.325-325
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• 2020

Low impact development (LID) is a widely used technology that aims to reduce the peak flow volume and amount of pollutants in stormwater runoff while introducing physicochemical, biological or a combination of both mechanisms in order to improve water quality. This research aimed to determine the effect of hydrologic factors in removing the pollutants on stormwater runoff by an LID facility. Monitored storm events from 2010-2018 were analysed to evaluate the hydraulic and hydrological performance of a small constructed wetland (SCW). Standard methods for the examination water and wastewater were employed to assess the water quality of the collected samples (APHA et al, 1992). Primary hydrologic data were obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration. The recorded average rainfall intensity and antecedent dry days (ADD) of SCW were 5.26 mm/hr and 7 days respectively. During the highest rainfall event (27 mm/hr), the removal efficiency of SCW for all the pollutants was ranging from 67% to 91%. While on the lowest rainfall event (0.7 mm/hr), the removal efficiency was ranging from -36% to 62%. Rainfall intensity has a significant effect to the removal efficiencies of each facility due to its dilution factor. In addition to that, there was no significant correlation of ADD to the mean concentrations of pollutants. Generally, stormwater runoff contains significant amount of pollutants that can cause harmful effects to the environment if not treated. Also, the component of this LID facility such as pre-treatment zone, media filters and vegetation contributed to the effectivity of the LID facilities in reducing the amounts of pollutants present in stormwater runof.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.49-62
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• 2023

Background: Over the past three decades, gradual eustatic sea-level rise has been considered a primary exogenous factor in the increased frequency of flooding and biological changes in several salt marshes. Under this paradigm, the potential importance of short-term events, such as ocean storminess, in coastal hydrology and ecology is underrepresented in the literature. In this study, a simulation was developed to evaluate the influence of wind waves driven by atmospheric oscillations on sedimentary and vegetation dynamics at the Skallingen salt marsh in southwestern Denmark. The model was built based on long-term data of mean sea level, sediment accretion, and plant species composition collected at the Skallingen salt marsh from 1933-2006. In the model, the submergence frequency (number yr^-1) was estimated as a combined function of wind-driven high water level (HWL) events (> 80 cm Danish Ordnance Datum) affected by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and changes in surface elevation (cm yr^-1). Vegetation dynamics were represented as transitions between successional stages controlled by flooding effects. Two types of simulations were performed: (1) baseline modeling, which assumed no effect of wind-driven sea-level change, and (2) experimental modeling, which considered both normal tidal activity and wind-driven sea-level change. Results: Experimental modeling successfully represented the patterns of vegetation change observed in the field. It realistically simulated a retarded or retrogressive successional state dominated by early- to mid-successional species, despite a continuous increase in surface elevation at Skallingen. This situation is believed to be caused by an increase in extreme HWL events that cannot occur without meteorological ocean storms. In contrast, baseline modeling showed progressive succession towards the predominance of late-successional species, which was not the then-current state in the marsh. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that variations in the NAO index toward its positive phase have increased storminess and wind tides on the North Sea surface (especially since the 1980s). This led to an increased frequency and duration of submergence and delayed ecological succession. Researchers should therefore employ a multitemporal perspective, recognizing the importance of short-term sea-level changes nested within long-term gradual trends.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.797-807
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• 2023

This research aims to investigate the alterations in typhoon patterns attributable to climate change and to quantitatively assess the risk of damage to residential structures. The increasing prevalence of climate anomalies and severe weather events, a consequence of global warming, is causing escalating damage globally. Notably, numerous countries are facing substantial devastation due to shifts in typhoon trajectories. Despite this, there exists a gap in empirical research quantifying the impact of these changes on building integrity and the associated risk alterations driven by climate change. In addressing this gap, our study analyzes the frequency and intensity of typhoons impacting Korea, examining the evolution of these meteorological phenomena. Furthermore, we employ the Korean Typhoon Vulnerability Function for residential facilities to quantify the altered risk posed by these changing patterns. The outcomes of this study provide the private sector with essential data to formulate diverse scenarios and business strategies in response to the escalating risks of typhoon-related damage. Additionally, it equips governmental bodies with the necessary insights to develop comprehensive risk management strategies to mitigate the effects of future typhoons.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.25-37
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• 2024

Global warming-induced drought inflicts significant socio-economic and environmental damage. In Korea, the persistent drought in the southern region since 2022 has severely affected water supplies, agriculture, forests, and ecosystems due to uneven precipitation distribution. To effectively prepare for and mitigate such impacts, it is imperative to develop proactive measures supported by early monitoring systems. In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal changes of multiple evapotranspiration-based drought indices, focusing on the flash drought event in the southern region in 2022. The indices included the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI), Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) considering precipitation and temperature, and the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) based on satellite images. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and SPEI indices utilized temperature and precipitation data from meteorological observation stations, while the ESI index was based on satellite image data provided by the MODIS sensor on the Terra satellite. Additionally, we utilized the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) provided by the North Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a supplementary index to ESI, enabling us to perform more effective drought monitoring. We compared the degree and extent of drought in the southern region through four drought indices, and analyzed the causes and effects of drought from various perspectives. Findings indicate that the ESI is more sensitive in detecting the timing and scope of drought, aligning closely with observed drought trends.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.89-100
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• 2024

Climate change has a broad impact on the entire water environment, and this impact is growing. Climate adaptation in water supply systems often involves quantity and quality control, but there has been a lack of research examining the impacts of climatic factors on water supply productivity and operation conditions. Therefore, the present study focused on, first, building a database of climatic factors and water purification operating conditions, and then identifying the correlations between factors to reveal their impacts. News big data was analyzed with keywords of climatic factors and water supply systems in either nationwide or region-wide analyses. Metropolitan area exhibited more issues with cold waves whereas there were more issues with drought in the Southern Chungcheong area. A survey was conducted to seek experts' opinions on the climatic impacts leading to these effects. Pre-chlorination due to drought, high-turbidity of intake water due to rainfall, an increase of toxins in intake water due to heat waves, and low water temperature due to cold waves were expected. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted based on meteorological data and the operating data of a water purification plant. Heavy rain resulted in 13 days of high turbidity, and the subsequent low turbidity conditions required 3 days of high coagulant dosage. This insight is expected to help inform the design of operation manuals for waterworks in response to climate change.