• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.363-373
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• 2013

This study investigates the dispersion and behavior of Au and heavy metals in the water system (soil, AMD and stream sediment) at the abandoned Bonjeong gold mine, based on XRD, aqua regia, sequential extraction, and physico-chemical analyses. The XRD analyses targeted quartz and kaolinite in the mine waste soil and quartz and goethite in stream sediment. The physico-chemical analyses of AMD with increasing distance from water system showed that pH increased from 3.00 to 3.19 and Eh decreased from 450 to 396 mV. The Au content in AMD ranged from 0.68 to 0.97 mg/L upstream, but was not detected downstream. The Au content of stream sediment was 13.76 to 22.85 mg/kg. Sequential extraction from stream sediment revealed 10.84% exchangeable (STEP I), 11.09% carbonates (STEP II), 25.53% Fe-Mn oxides (STEP III), 26.62% organic matter (STEP IV), and 24.61% residual (STEP V).

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.68-77
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• 2009

For the reservoir sediment highly contaminated with total Cr, Pb, and Cd, the applicability of electrokinetic remediation method was evaluated. Also, BCR sequential extraction method was adopted to compare the heavy metal speciation in between before and after electrokinetic reaction that is operated under constant current condition for the sediment. After reaction, total Cr and Pb moved toward the direction of anode, while Cd tended to cathode and stayed highest in the midst of sediment specimen. From the BCR sequential extraction analysis, it was known that for total Cr and Pb the residual fraction that showed high fraction before reaction decreased and changed to the oxidation fraction. On the other hand, for Cd the fraction of exchangeable/carbonate that dominated most fractions before reaction changed to the residual and oxidation fractions.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.173-185
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• 2014

Climate change has caused detrimental phenomena such as heavy rainfall which could aggravate soil erosion. Accordingly, it is needed to evaluate the groundwater recharge, baseflow, and soil erosion for the efficient management of water resources and quality. In this study, future climate change scenarios were applied to the H aean-myeon watershed which is a steep sloping watershed in South Korea to analyze groundwater recharge, baseflow, sediment. Also, the variation of groundwater recharge, baseflow, sediment was analyzed according to the change of slope (5 %). Simulated periods were divided into three terms (2013 ~ 2040 years, 2041 ~ 2070 years, 2071 ~ 2100 years). As a result of this study, average groundwater recharge and baseflow increased by 50 %, 42 %, and sediment decreased by 72 %, respectively. In these regards, the suggested method will positively contribute to hydro-ecosystem and reduction of muddy water at a steep sloping watershed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.548-555
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• 2018

Objectives: We conducted ecological risk assessment for cadmium, a heavy metal and carcinogen, to identify safety standards by environmental media and to determine its impact on ecosystems by estimating and evaluating exposure levels. Methods: Species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) were generated using ECOTOX DB. A hazardous concentration of 5% (HC5) protective of most species (95%) in the environment was estimated. Using this estimate, predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs) were calculated for aquatic organisms. Based on the calculated PNECs for aquatic organisms, PNEC values for soil and sediment were calculated using the partition coefficient. Predicted exposure concentrations (PECs) were also calculated from environmental monitoring data with hazard quotients (HQs) calculated using PNECs for environmental media. Results: Chronic toxicity data were categorized into four groups and 11 species. In species sensitivity distribution (SSD) analysis, HC5 was $0.340{\mu}g/L$. Based on this value, the PNEC value for aquatic organisms was calculated as $0.113{\mu}g/L$. PNEC values for soil and sediments using a partition coefficient were calculated as 15.02 mg/kg and 90.61 mg/kg, respectively. In an analysis of environmental monitoring data, PEC values were calculated as $0.017{\mu}g/L$ for water, 1.01 mg/kg for soil, and 0.521 mg/kg for sediment. Conclusions: HQs were 0.150, 0.067 and 0.006 for water, soil and sediment, respectively. HQs of secondary toxicity were 0.365 for birds and 0.024 for mammals. In principle, it is judged that an HQ above 1 indicates a high level of risk concern while an HQ less than 1 indicates an extremely low level of risk concern. Therefore, with HQs of cadmium in the environment being <1, its risk levels can be considered low for each media.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2001

This study was carried out to analyze the characteristics of forest environmental and stream morphological factors by using the quantification theory(I) for evaluation of the watershed stability. Present annual mean sediment yield of erosion control dams were investigated in 167 sites of erosion control dam constructed during 1986 to 1999 in Gyeongbuk. The results obtained from this study were summarized as follows; According to the coefficients of partial correlation, each factor affecting to sediment was shown in order of gravel contents, number of first streams order, number of total streams, length of total streams, forest type, length of main stream, parent rock, stand age, soil texture, stream order, slope gradient, soil depth and aspect. Descriptions of class I were as follow; Igneous rock of parent rock, hardwood stands of forest type, less than 20 year of stand age, less than 30cm of soil depth, sandy clay loam of soil texture, more than 41% of gravel contents, south~east of aspect, 2,501~3,500m of length of main stream, 21~25 of number of total streams, 5,501~10,000m of length of total streams, 3 or more than 4 of stream order, more than 16 of number of first stream orders and more than $31^{\circ}$ of slope gradient. Descriptions of class II were as follow; Metamorphic rock of parent rock, coniferous stands of forest type, more than 25 year of stand age, 31~40cm of soil depth, silt loam of soil texture, 11~20% of gravel contents, north~west of aspect, 2,501~3,500m of length of main stream, 16~20 of number of total streams, 3,501~5,500m of length of total streams, 3 of stream order, 11~15 of number of first stream orders and more than $31^{\circ}$ of slope gradient. Descriptions of class III were as follow; Sedimentary rock of parent rock, mixed stands of forest type, more than 25 year of stand age, more than 51cm of soil depth, silty clay loam of soil texture, less than 10% of gravel contents, south~west of aspect, less than 500m of length of main stream, less than 5 of number of total streams, less than 1,000m of length of total streams, less than 1 of stream order, less than 2 of number of first stream orders and less than $25^{\circ}$ of slope gradient. The prediction method of suitable site for erosion control dam divided into class I, II, and III for the convenience of use. The score of class I evaluated as a very unstable area was more than 8.4494. A score of class II was 8.4493 to 6.0452, it was evaluated as a moderate stable area, and class III was less than 6.0541, it was evaluated as a very stable area.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.235-238
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• 2008

The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) was initiated in August 1985 to develop new generation water erosion prediction technology for federal agencies involved in soil and water conservation and environmental planning and assessment. Developed by USDA-ARS as a replacement for empirical erosion prediction technologies, the WEPP model simulates many of the physical processes important in soil erosion, including infiltration, runoff, raindrop detachment, flow detachment, sediment transport, deposition, plant growth and residue decomposition. The WEPP included an extensive field experimental program conducted on cropland, rangeland, and disturbed forest sites to obtain data required to parameterize and test the model. A large team effort at numerous research locations, ARS laboratories, and cooperating land-grant universities was needed to develop this state-of-the-art simulation model. The WEPP model is used for hillslope applications or on small watersheds. Because it is physically based, the model has been successfully used in the evaluation of important natural resources issues throughout the United State and in several other countries. Recent model enhancements include a graphical Windows interface and integration of WEPP with GIS software. A combined wind and water erosion prediction system with easily accessible databases and a common interface is planned for the future.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.18-26
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• 2021

Soil aggregation begins with flocculation of clay particles triggered by interfacial reactions of polyvalent cation such as Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺, and they are also known as important elements to control the mobility of arsenic in soil environment. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of CMDS (coal mine drainage sludge) for soil loss reduction and stabilization of arsenic-contaminated soil in a 37% sloped farmland under rainfall simulation. The amount of soil loss decreased by 43% when CMDS was applied, and this result was not significantly different from the case of limestone application, which yielded 46% decrease of soil loss. However, the relative amount of dispersed clay particles in the sediment CMDS-applied soil was 10% lower than that of limestone-applied soil, suggesting CMDS is more effective than limestone in inducing soil aggregation. The concentrations of bioavailable arsenic in CMDS amended soil decreased by 46%~78%, which was lower than the amount in limestone amended soil. Therefore, CMDS can be used as an effective amendment material to reduce soil loss and stabilize arsenic in sloped farmland areas.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.113-120
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• 2023

Coastal and offshore structures such as ports and offshore wind farms will often need to be built on fine-grained sediments. Geotechnical properties associated with sediment compressibility are key parameters for marine construction designs especially on soft grounds, which involve clay-mineral dominated fines that can consolidate and settle significantly in response to engineered and environmental loads. We conduct liquid limit tests and 1D consolidation tests with fine-grained soils (silica silt, mica, kaolin and bentonite) and biogenic soils (diatom). The pore fluids for the liquid limit tests include deionized water and a series of brines with NaCl salt concentrations of 0.001 m, 0.01 m, 0.1 m, 0.6 m and 2.0 m, and the pore fluids for the consolidation tests deionized water, 0.01 m, 0.6 m, 2 m. The salt concentrations help the liquid limits of kaolin and bentonite decrease, but those of diatom slightly increase. The silica silt and mica show minimal changes in liquid limit due to salt concentrations. Accordingly, compression indices of soils follow the trend of the liquid limit as the liquid limit determined the initial void ratio of the consolidation test. Diatoms are more likely to be broken than clastic sediments during to loading, and diatom-rich sediment is therefore generally more compressible than clastic-rich sediment.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2020.06a
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• pp.172-172
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• 2020

In recent years, soil erosion has come to be regarded as an essential environmental problem in human life. Soil erosion causes various on- and off-site problems such as ecosystem destruction, decreased agricultural productivity, increased riverbed deposition, and deterioration of water quality in streams. To solve these problems caused by soil erosion, it is necessary to quantify where, when, how much soil erosion occurs. Empirical erosion models such as the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) family models have been widely used to make spatially distributed soil erosion vulnerability maps. Even if the models detect vulnerable sites relatively well by utilizing big data related to climate, geography, geology, land use, etc. within study domains, they do not adequately describe the physical process of soil erosion on the ground surface caused by rainfall or overland flow. In other words, such models remain powerful tools to distinguish erosion-prone areas at the macro scale but physics-based models are necessary to better analyze soil erosion and deposition and eroded particle transport. In this study, the physics-based Surface Soil Erosion Model (SSEM) was upgraded based on field survey information to produce sediment yield at the watershed scale. The modified model (hereafter MoSE) adopted new algorithms on rainfall kinematic energy and surface flow transport capacity to simulate soil erosion more reliably. For model validation, we applied the model to the Doam dam watershed in Gangwon-do and compared the simulation results with the USLE outputs. The results showed that the revised physics-based soil erosion model provided more improved and reliable simulation results than the USLE in terms of the spatial distribution of soil erosion and deposition.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.63-69
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• 2008

As a basic study on the creation of artificial tidal flats using dredged sediments, the pilot-scale artificial tidal flats with 4 different mixing ratio of ocean dredged sediment were constructed in Nakdong river estuary. The phragmites australis was transplanted from the adjacent phragmites australis community after construction, and then the survival and growth rate of the planted phragmites australis were measured. Also the changes of soil chemical oxygen demand (COD), ignition loss (IL), and the heterotrophic microbial numbers were monitored. The survival rate of the planted phragmites australis decreased as the mixing ratio of dredged sediment increased but there was little difference of length and diameter of the shoots. 30% of COD and 9% of IL in the tidal flat with 100% dredged sediment decreased after 202 day, however, fluctuations of COD and IL concentrations were also observed possibly due to the open system. It was suggested that the construction of tidal flats using ocean dredged sediment and biological remediation of contaminated ocean dredged sediment can be possible considering the growth rate of transplanted phragmites australis, decrease of organic matter and increased heterotrophic microbial number in the pilot plant with 100% dredged sediment. However, the continuous monitoring on the vegetation and various environmental factors in the artificial tidal flat should be necessary to evaluate the success of creation of artificial flats using dredged sediments.