• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.698-707
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• 2010

The Late Pleistocene pollen record from the Poil-dong, Uiwang, Kyunggi-do, reveals that mixed coniferous and deciduous broadleaved forests were spread along with herb and fern understory. Palynofloral changes reflect climate fluctuations. From ca. 43,100 to 41,900 cal. yr BP, a mixed coniferous and deciduous broadleaved forest combined with open grassland occupied the study area, which indicates cooler condition than today. During the period of ca. 41,900-41,200 cal. yr BP, along with fern understory a decrease in subalpine conifers and an increase in temperate deciduous broadleaved trees suggest a climatic amelioration. A climatic deterioration, as evidenced by an increase in subalpine conifers and a decrease in the density of vegetation cover, occurred from ca. 41,200 to 39,700 cal. yr BP.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.414-425
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• 2011

The aim of this research is to infer paleovegetation and paleoclimate in the Hwajeon archeological site of Gwangju city during mid-Holocene through the analysis of pollen, waterlogged woods, and sediments. Between 8200 ~ 6800 years ago, relatively dry climate resulted in a weakened dominance of oak and high diversity of tree genus. During the Holocene climatic optimum period (6800 ~ 5900 years ago), oak forests expanded while wetland areas diminished as warm/humid climate intensified. Between 5900 ~ 4700 years ago, the entire forest area as well as oak climax forests was reduced due to a relatively cool/dry climate. However at the end of this period, oak forests expanded since a favorable climate condition temporarily resumed. Lastly, between 4700 ~ 3300 years ago, oaks dominated but alders were weakened. The density of forest was low because of a relatively dry climate in this period.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.159-168
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• 2019

Understanding the interaction between climate and the water cycle is critical especially in a drought sensitive region such as California. This study explored hydrologic changes in central and southern California in relation to the glacial-interglacial climate cycles over the last 30 thousand years. To do this, we reconstructed paleovegetation using plant wax carbon isotopic compositions (${\delta}^{13}C$) preserved in marine sediment cores retrieved from the central California continental shelf (ODP Site 1018) and Santa Barbara Basin (ODP Site 893A). The results were then compared to the existing sea surface temperature (SST) and pollen records from the same cores to understand terrestrial hydrology in relation to oceanographic processes. The Last Glacial was generally dry both in central and southern California, indicated by grassland expansion, confirming the previously suggested notion that the westerly storm track that supplies the majority of the precipitation in California may not have moved southward during the glacial period. Southern California was drier than central California during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This drying trend may have been associated with the weakening of the California Current and northerly winds leading to the early increase in SST in southern California and decline in both offshore and coastal upwelling. The climate was wetter during the Holocene in both regions compared to the glacial period and forest coverage increased accordingly. We attribute this wetter condition to the precipitation contribution increase from the tropics. Overall, we found a clear synchronicity between the terrestrial and marine environment which showed that the terrestrial vegetation composition in California is greatly affected by not only the global climate states but also regional oceanographic and atmospheric conditions that regulate the timing and amount of precipitation over California.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.41-52
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• 2010

The paleovegetation environments relevant to the geomorphic properties were constructed by pollen analysis in the coastal dune (S1) and marginal trench (S4) of Ssangho at the Osan-ri site. The organic sand layer in the coastal dune (S1) accumulated on the remains of the Neolithic Age correlates to approximately 4,000 yr BP and the pollen zone can be divided with a boundary of approximately 2,000 yr BP. Pinus thunbergii definitely dominated and a small quantity of Quercus. Pollenzone I can be characterized by the dominance of AP and Compositae. The pollenzone II as the dominant period of NAP like Gramineae, Artemisia and Fagopyrum shows the properties of agricultural period. During the times of accumulation of upper organic layer in alluvial plain (S4), broad-leaved trees such as Alnus were dominant and Compositae, Gramineae, Artemisia, Typha, Umbelliferae and Persicaria show the high occurrence rates. The pollen composition of S4 indicates the agricultural activities with the dominance of NAP and correlates to the pollenzone II of the coastal dune (S1).

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.501-508
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to provide an inquiry into paleovegetation (paleoenvironment), eruption age and inferred emplacement temperature of pyroclastic deposit using charcoal occurred in the Quaternary Nari Caldera, Ulleung Island. In order to obtain the data, we carried out species identification and tree-ring analysis, radiocarbon dating for the charcoal. This sample was collected from pumiceous deposit in lowermost member(Member N-5) of the Nari Tephra Formation, which corresponds to the wood branch that has well preserved the tree-ring structure. Speciation and outermost tree-ring of wood reveal Picea spp. and $263+{\alpha}$ years. The calibrated ages from the center(pith) to the outermost tree-ring are $20,260{\pm}230$, $19,995{\pm}245$, and $19,975{\pm}265cal\;BP$, respectively, which are accordant with the tree-ring position. The youngest age, <19,710 cal BP would have implications for the eruptive age of Member N-5. Our results indicate that Picea spp. is the paleovegetation representing that Nari Caldera was under cold and wet climate conditions during the late Pleistocene. Based on the silky luster, brittleness, color, and streak of charcoal, etc., the lowest emplacement temperatures of pyroclastic flow are interpreted to have been at least as high as $350{\sim}500^{\circ}C$.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.89-97
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• 2019

Long chain plant waxes (n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, and n-alcohols) and their carbon isotopic compositions (${\delta}^{13}C$) in geologic archives are valuable tools for paleovegetation reconstruction. However, the sensitivity of different plant wax constituents to vegetation shift is not well understood. This study explores controls on the variation in ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of long-chain n-alkanes ($C_{27}$ to $C_{33}$) and n-alkanoic acids ($C_{26}-C_{30}$) in the Gulf of Mexico core sediments (ODP 625B) near the Mississippi River delta. n-Alkanoic acids' ${\delta}^{13}C$ values were higher than those of n-alkanes by 1-2‰ on average and such a pattern is the opposite from their isotope fractionation observed in living plants: 1-2‰ smaller in n-alkanes than n-alkanoic acids. We attribute this offset to contributions from aquatic plants or microbes that produce high concentrations of $^{13}C-enriched$ long-chain n-alkanoic acids. The sensitivity of n-alkanes and n-alkanoic acids to vegetation and climate varied among chain lengths. The $n-C_{33}$ alkanes were most sensitive to $C_4$ grassland expansion among n-alkane homologues, while no specific trend was observed in n-alkanoic acids. This is due to the similarity in n-alkanoic acid concentrations between $C_3$ and $C_4$ plants by homologues and low terrestrial plant-derived n-alkanoic acid contributions to the sediments. The results of this study suggest that long chain n-alkanoic acids' ${\delta}^{13}C$ values in sediments may be influenced by contributions from different sources such as aquatic plants or microbial inputs and therefore interpretations regarding this matter should be cautiously formulated. We suggest that there is a need for further studies on characterizing long-chain n-alkanoic acids ($C_{26}-C_{34}$) in aquatic plants and microbes from various climates and environments in order to investigate their production and integration into sedimentary archives.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.1-12
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• 2017

This study tried to reconstruct paleovegetation environments during the late Holocene with pollen analysis from archeological trenches at the right bank of Geumgang in Sejong-si. The lower hills was dominantly covered with pine trees, while alder trees and hygrophytes extended on the floodplain since 2,000yr BP. The pollen composition of Alnus dominance in the floodplain during the times is different from the general charateristics of Korean peninsula. Such a phenomenon is thought to be influenced by the fluvial process on the floodplain in the middle reaches of Geumgang around Sejong-si. Mihocheon and some tributaries join to Geumgang around Sejong-si, and the channel of Geumgang becomes narrow around the boundary between Sejong-si and Gongju-si. This narrow channel could attribute to the formation of extensive floodplain around Sejong-si. Moreover, human impacts such as agriculture appear continuously since 1,800yr BP.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.289-297
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• 2018

This study reconstructs past vegetation changes in southeastern Korea over the last 30 thousand years using plant waxes (i.e. long chain n-alkanes) and their carbon isotopic compositions (${\delta}^{13}C_{alk}$) preserved in marine sediment core (KIODP 12-1) retrieved from the East Sea. Here we show changes in vegetation composition in the Korean peninsula in relation to the strength of the East Asian Summer Monsoon. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), when the summer monsoon weakened, precipitation decreased and $C_3$ grassland expanded. After the LGM, the summer monsoon gradually intensified, increasing rainfall, and thus expanding the forestland coverage. Precipitation climaxed from 10 to 6 kyr BP, which includes the Holocene Climate Optimum. The grassland began to expand since 5 kyr BP due to climate warming and drying towards the present. The ${\delta}^{13}C_{alk}$ values may also have been influenced by agricultural activities, which is known to have begun since the late Neolithic (ca. 7.0~3.0 kyr BP). Our results demonstrate how changes in the global climate state influence regional atmospheric circulation and precipitation distribution, and consequently terrestrial plant composition in southeastern Korea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.583-599
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• 2008

Dokdo, small island located in the eastern end of the Korean Peninsula, has been an uninhabited island for long time due to long distance from the land. Moreover, the steep slope of volcanic tuff at Dokdo is well drained for high permeability and Dokdo has few plain areas, swamps and very thin soil layers. In this study, pollen analysis at Dokdo was attempted on the profile of organic sandy soil for the first time in Korea owing to the marine climate environment with high humidity and precipitation including snowfalls in spite of unprofitable condition geologically or geomorphologically. While many historical, political researches have been accumulated for territorial problem of Dokdo with Japan, natural scientific researches with field work are not sufficient, and few paleoecological researches have been done. As a result of pollen analysis, the ratio of the NAP(Non-Arboreal Pollen) and spore was higher than AP(Arboreal Pollen), and the vegetation change existed by showing dramatic decrease of AP at the upper layer. AP was composed of almost Pinus, and a little Alnus, Quercus, Betula, Carpinus, Picea and Ulmus. NAP was composed of Gramineae, Compositae, Chenopodiaceae Cyperaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Liliaceae, Umbelliferae, Artemisia, Lobelia, Rumex, Polygonum. Increase of the NAP such as Gramineae, Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae, they would mostly have been transported from the other areas because agricultural activity is impossible at Dokdo. While one reason of Pinus thunbergii decrease could be regarded as environmental change, the other reason would be lumbering of pine trees by human activity which is adapted to Dokdo environment.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.101-115
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• 2013

11 alpine wetlands at the upper reaches of Bangtae River on a high flat summit around Mt. Jeombong were found. Two core samples(JB-1 and JB-2) among them were collected in order to reconstruct paleovegetation history and climate change using pollen analysis. Pinus and Quercus dominated at the wetland of JB-2 with a deep water depth were developed from 1,700 yr BP to 1,000 yr BP of the pollen zone I. Subsequently Quercus dominated in the pollen zone II from 1,000 to 400 yr BP, and it is supposed that warm weather prevailed with oak climax forest corresponding to the Medieval Warm Period. Moreover, sphagnum grew densely in the alpine wetlands and the wetlands were extended widely on the summit around Mt. Jeombong with the beginning of subzoneIIc at JB-2. The pollen zone III from 400 yr BP to the present with an increase in Pinus and a decrease in Quercus suggests cold climates under the Little Ice Age. Moreover, human disturbances at JB-2 were more significant than those at JB-1, based on the increase in Pinus.