• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.204-216
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• 2021

It is important to understand the factors influencing the temporal and spatial variability of water quality in order to establish an effective customized management strategy for contaminated aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the spatial diversity of the 5-year (2015 - 2019) average total phosphorus (TP) concentration observed in 40 Total Maximum Daily Loads unit-basins in the Nakdong River watershed was analyzed using 50 predictive variables of watershed characteristics, climate characteristics, land use characteristics, and soil characteristics. Cross-correlation analysis, a two-stage exhaustive search approach, and Bayesian inference were applied to identify predictors that best matched the time-averaged TP. The predictors that were finally identified included watershed altitude, precipitation in fall, precipitation in winter, residential area, public facilities area, paddy field, soil available phosphate, soil magnesium, soil available silicic acid, and soil potassium. Among them, it was found that the most influential factors for the spatial difference of TP were watershed altitude in watershed characteristics, public facilities area in land use characteristics, and soil available silicic acid in soil characteristics. This means that artificial factors have a great influence on the spatial variability of TP. It is expected that the proposed statistical modeling approach can be applied to the identification of major factors affecting the spatial variability of the temporal average state of various water quality parameters.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.821-831
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• 2009

The study was aimed to assess the expected impact of climate change on the water cycle and soil losses in Daecheong Reservoir watershed, Korea using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) that was validated for the watershed in a previous study. Future climate data including precipitation, temperature and humidity generated by introducing a regional climate model (Mesoscale Model Version 5, MM5) to dynamically downscale global circulation model (European Centre Hamburg Model Version 4, ECHAM4) were used to simulate the hydrological responses and soil erosion processes in the future 100 years (2001~2100) under the Special Report on Emissions Scenario (SRES) A1B. The results indicated that the climate change may increase in the amount of surface runoff and thereby sediment load to the reservoir. Spatially, the impact was relatively more significant in the subbasin Bocheongcheon because of its lower occupation rate of forest land compared to other subbasins. Seasonally, the increase of surface runoff and soil losses was more significant during late summer and fall season when both flood control and turbidity flow control are necessary for the reservoir and downstream. The occurrence of extreme turbidity flow events during these period is more vulnerable to reservoir operation because the suspended solids that remained water column can be resuspended by vertical mixing during winter turnover period. The study results provide useful information for the development of adaptive management strategy for the reservoir to cope with the expected impact of future climate change.

• Journal of Coastal Disaster Prevention
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.163-172
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• 2018

To propose the design technique and the execution manual of the LWFS(Lightweight Foamed Soil) method using dredged soil, the operation system for the test-bed integrated management, and to establish an amendment for the domestic quantity per unit and specifications, and a strategy for its internationalization. In order to utilize the dredged soil from the coastal area as a construction material, we constructed the embankment with LWFS on soft ground and monitored its behavior. As a result, it can be expected that the use of LWFS as an embankment material on the soft ground can improve the economic efficiency by reducing the depth and period of soil improvement as well as the uses of nearby dredged soil. To verify the utilization of the dredged soil as a material for light-weighted roadbed, soft ground and foundation ground, and surface processing, perform an experimental construction for practical structures and analyze the behavior. It is expected to be able to improve the soft ground with dredged soil and develop technique codes and manuals of the dredged soil reclamation by constructing a test-bed in the same size of the fields, and establish the criteria and manual of effective dredged soil reclamation for practical use. The application technology of the dredged soil reclamation during harbor constructions and dredged soil reclamation constructions can be reflected during the working design stage. By using the materials immediately that occur from the reclamation during harbor and background land developments, the development time will decrease and an increase of economic feasibility will happen. It is expected to be able to apply the improved soil at dredged soil reclamation, harbor and shore protection construction, dredged soil purification projects etc. Future-work for develop the design criteria and guideline for the technology of field application of dredged soil reclamation is that review the proposed test-bed sites, consult with the institutions relevant with the test-bed, establish the space planning of the test-bed, licensing from the institutions relevant with the test-bed, select a test-bed for the dredged soil disposal area.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.90-103
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• 2018

Although fluoride is an essential trace element, ingestion of excessive amount of fluoride could have detrimental effect on human health. Generally, the bioavailability of fluoride in soils was low, but it could be harmful to the environment depending on the soil properties. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the concentration distribution, and fate and transport characteristics of fluoride to establish a resonable management strategy for fluoride pollution. This study was conducted to evaluate nationwide fluoride distribution in soils in Korea, as well as its fate and transport characteristics. The average background concentration was 204.5 (15.3~504.8) mg/kg, which is lower than the values of foreign soils. For the three regions of different land use, the average concentration was 229.6 mg/kg in region 1, 195.7 mg/kg in region 2, and 273.4 mg/kg in region 3. The concentration of fluoride was the highest in soils from Youngnam block within tectonic structure derived from metamorphic rocks. The results of sequential extraction to access F bioavailability showed fluoride in soils mainly existed as a residual form, which suggests the bioavailability of fluoride was relatively low. Soil properties such as soil pH, CEC, and clay content were found to affect F bioavailability of soil.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.348-355
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• 2017

Human activities have resulted in soil pollution problems to us. Human and ecological risk assessment have been suggested as an efficient environmental management strategy for protecting human and ecosystems from soil pollution. However, Korean environmental policy is currently focused on human protection, and fundamental researches for ecology protection are required for institutional frameworks. In this study, we developed a schematic frame of Korean soil ecological risk assessment, and suggested the basic information for its application. This study suggested a soil ecological risk assessment scheme consisting of 4 steps for derivation of Predicted-No-Effect-Concentration (PNEC): 1) ecotoxicity data collection and reliability determination, 2) data standardization, 3) evaluation of data completeness for PNEC calculation, and 4) determination of ecological-risk. The reliability determination of ecotoxicity data was performed using Reliability Index (RI), and the classification of domestic species, acute/chronic, toxicity endpoint, and soil properties was used for data cataloging. The PNEC calculation methodology was determined as low-reliability, middle-reliability, and high-reliability according to their quantitative and qualitative levels of ecotoxicity data. This study would be the introductory plan research for establishment of Korean soil ecological risk assessment, and it can be a fundamental framework to further develop guidelines of Korean environmental regulation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.105-126
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• 2003

In Korea most of annual rainfall is concentrated in several episodic heavy rains during the season of summer monsoon and typhoon. Because of uneven rainfall distribution many dams have been constructed in order to secure water supply in dry seasons. The Han River system has the most dams among Korean rivers, and the river is a series of dams now. Reservoirs need different strategy of water quality control from river water. Autochthonous organic matter and phosphorus should be the major target to be controlled in lakes. In this Paper some problems are discussed that makes efforts of water quality improvement ineffective in lakes of Korea, even after the substantial investment to wastewater treatment facilities.1) Phosphorus is the key factor controlling eutrophication of lakes and the reduction ofphosphors should be the major target of water treatment. However, water quality management strategy in Korea is still stream-oriented, and focused on BOD removal from sewage. Phosphorus removal efficiency remains as low as 10-30%, because biological treatment is adopted for both secondary treatment and advanced treatment. The standard for TP concentration of the sewage treatment plant effluent is 6 mgP/l in most of regions, and 2 mg/l in enforced region near metropolitan water intake point. TP in the effluents of sewage treatment plants are usually 1-2 mg/1, and most of plants meet the effluent regulation without a further phosphorus removal process. The generous TP standard for effluents discourages further efforts to improve phosphorus removal efficiency of sewage treatment. Considering that TP standard for the effluent is below 0.1 mg/l in some countries, it should be amended to below 0.1 mg/l in Korea, especially in the watershed of large lakes.2) Urban runoff and combined sewer overflow are not treated, even though their total loading into lakes can be comparable to municipal sewage discharges on dry days. Chemical coagulation and rapid settling might be the solution to urban runoff in regard of intermittent operation on only rainy days.3) Aggregated precipitation in Korea that is concentrated on several episodic heavyrains per year causes a large amount of nonpoint source pollution loading into lakes. It makes the treatment of nonpoint source discharge by methods of other countries of even rain pattern, such as retention pond or artificial wetland, impractical in Korea.4) The application rate of fertilizers in Korea is ten times as high as the average ofOECD countries. The total manure discharge from animal farming is thought to be over the capacity of soil treatment in Korea. Even though large portion of manure is composted for organic fertilizer, a lot of nutrients and organic matter emanates from organic compost. The reduction of application rate and discharge rate of phosphorus from agricultural fields should be encouraged by incentives and regulations.5) There is a lot of vegetable fields with high slopes in the upstream region of the HanRiver. Soil erosion is severe due to high slopes, and fertilizer is discharged in the form of adsorbed phosphorus on clay surface. The reduction of soil erosion in the upland area should be the major preventive policy for eutrophication. Uplands of high slope must be recovered to forest, and eroded gullies should be reformed into grass-buffered natural streams which are wider and resistant to bank erosion.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.423-431
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• 2001

Animals are one of the important memberships of the food chain. The low-efficiency rule of nutrient transfer from one member to the next in the food chain determines the low efficiency of animal agriculture for human food. On the average, about 20% feed proteins and 15% feed energy can be converted into edible nutrients for humans. The rest proportion of feed nutrients is exposed to the environment. Environmental pollution, therefore, is inevitable as animal agriculture grows intensively and extensively. The over-loading of the environment by nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus from animal manure results in soil and water spoilage. The emission of gases like $CH_2$, $CO_2$, $SO_2$, NO, $NO_2$ by animals are one of the contributors for the acidification of the environment and global warming. The inefficient utilization of natural resources and the probable unsafety of animal products to human health are also a critical environmental issue. Improving the conversion efficiency of nutrients in the food chain is the fundamental strategy for solving environmental issues. Specifically in animal agriculture, the strategy includes the improvements of animal genotypes, nutritional and feeding management, animal health, housing systems and waste disposal programs. Animal nutrition science plays a unique and irreplaceable role in the control of nutrient input and output in either products or wastes. Several nutritional methods are proved to be effective in alleviating environmental pollution. A lot of nutritional issues, however, remain to be further researched for the science of animal nutrition to be a strong helper for sustainability of animal agriculture.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.1187-1193
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• 2012

Water control is mainly one of the key factors that can affect nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) emissions from soils. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of intermittent drainage compared to continuous flooding (conventional water regime) on $N_2O$ emission to global warming potential (GWP) with NPK (standard cultivation practice), NPK+Straw, and PK fertilizations. Nitrous oxide emission rates were collected twice a week using a closed chamber method. With continuous flooding, nitrogen (N) application increased $N_2O$ emission by 106.6% ($0.64kg\;ha^{-1}$ in NPK) with respect to the PK treatment ($0.31kg\;ha^{-1}$), and straw addition to NPK enhanced 148.3% of seasonal $N_2O$ flux ($0.77kg\;ha^{-1}$ in NPK+Straw). Although seasonal $N_2O$ emission slightly increased by 16.1-42.9% with intermittent irrigation, its seasonal $CH_4$ emission drastically reduced at 43.5-52.8% resulting in a lower GWP at 48.9-58.5% with respect to that of continuously flooded treatments ($4.51Mg\;CO_2\;ha^{-1}$, PK; $7.60Mg\;CO_2\;ha^{-1}$, NPK; $14.55Mg\;CO_2\;ha^{-1}$, NPK+Straw). Rice yield, at similar fertilization with the continuously-flooded rice field, was not affected by intermittent irrigation. Conclusively, intermittent irrigation can be very effective and a rational soil management strategy to mitigate GWP with considering rice productivity in a temperate paddy rice field like Korea.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2014

Migration of methane ($CH_4$) gas from landfills to the surrounding environment negatively affects both humankind and the environment. It is therefore essential to develop management techniques to reduce $CH_4$ emissions from landfills to minimize global warming and to reduce the human risks associated with $CH_4$ gas migration. Oxidation of $CH_4$ in landfill cover soil is the most important strategy for $CH_4$ emissions mitigation. $CH_4$ oxidation occurs naturally in landfill cover soils due to the abundance of methanotrophic bacteria. However, the activities of these bacteria are influenced by several controlling factors. This study attempts to review the important issues associated with the $CH_4$ oxidation process in landfill cover soils. The $CH_4$ oxidation process is highly sensitive to environmental factors and cover soil properties. The comparison of various biotic system techniques indicated that each technique has unique advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of the best technique for a specific application depends on economic constraints, treatment efficiency and landfill operations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.35-35
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• 2017

How do plants take up water from soils especially when water is scarce in soils? Plants have a strategy to respond to water deficit to manage water necessary for their survival and growth. Plants regulate water transport inside them. Water flows inside the plant via (i) apoplastic pathway including xylem vessel and cell wall and (ii) cell-to-cell pathway including water channels sitting in cell membrane (aquaporins). Water transport across the root and leaf is explained by a composite transport model including those pathways. Modification of the components in those pathways to change their hydraulic conductivity can regulate water uptake and management. Apoplastic barrier is modified by producing Casparian band and suberin lamellae. These structures contain suberin known to be hydrophobic. Barley roots with more suberin content from the apoplast showed lower root hydraulic conductivity. Root hydraulic conductivity was measured by a root pressure probe. Plant root builds apoplastic barrier to prevent water loss into dry soil. Water transport in plant is also regulated in the cell-to-cell pathway via aquaporin, which has received a great attention after its discovery in early 1990s. Aquaporins in plants are known to open or close to regulate water transport in response to biotic and/or abiotic stresses including water deficit. Aquaporins in a corn leaf were opened by illumination in the beginning, however, closed in response to the following leaf water potential decrease. The evidence was provided by cell hydraulic conductivity measurement using a cell pressure probe. Changing the hydraulic conductivity of plant organ such as root and leaf has an impact not only on the speed of water transport across the plant but also on the water potential inside the plant, which means plant water uptake pattern from soil could be differentiated. This was demonstrated by a computer simulation with 3-D root structure having root hydraulic conductivity information and soil. The model study indicated that the root hydraulic conductivity plays an important role to determine the water uptake from soil with suboptimal water, although soil hydraulic conductivity also interplayed.