• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.34-40
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• 2015

It is reported that the intensity of rainfall will likely increase, on average, over the world on 2000. For water resources security, many studies for flow paths from rainfall or snowmelt to subsurface have been conducted. In Korea, few isotopic studies for characterizations of flow path have been undertaken. For a better understanding of how water derived from atmosphere moves to subsurface and from subsurface to stream, an analysis of precipitation and stream water using oxygen-18 and deuterium isotopes in a small watershed, Dorim-cheon, Seoul, was conducted with high resolution data. Variations of oxygen-18 in precipitation greater than 10‰ (δ¹⁸O_max = −1.21‰, δ¹⁸O_min = −11.23) were observed. Isotopic compositions of old water (groundwater) assumed as the stream water collected in advance were −8.98‰ and −61.85‰ for oxygen and hydrogen, respectively. Using a two-component mixing model, hydrograph separation of the stream water in Dorim-cheon was conducted based on weighted mean value of δ¹⁸O. As a result, except of instant dominance of rainfall, contribution of old water was dominant during the study period. On average, 71.3% of the old water and 28.7% of rainfall contributed to the stream water. The results show that even in the small watershed, which is covered with thin soil layer in granite mountain region, the stream water is considerably influenced by old water inflow rather than rainfall.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.15-32
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• 2008

The hydrochemical and isotopic (stable isotopes and noble gas isotopes) analyses for hot spring waters, cold groundwaters and surface water samples from the Seokmodo hot spring area of the Ganghwa province were carried out to characterize the hydrogeochemical characteristics of thermal waters and to interpret the source of thermal water and noble gases and the geochemical evolution of hot spring waters in the Seokmodo geothermal system. The hot spring waters and groundwaters show a weakly acidic condition with the pH values ranging from 6.42 to 6.77 and 6.01 to 7.71 respectively. The outflow temperature of the Seokmodo hot spring waters ranges from $43.3^{\circ}C\;to\;68.6^{\circ}C$. Relatively high values of the electrical conductivities which fall between 60,200 and $84,300{\mu}S/cm$ indicate that the hot spring waters were mixed with seawater in the subsurface geothermal system. The chemical compositions of the Seokmodo hot spring waters are characterized by Na-Ca-Cl water type. On the other hand, cold groundwaters and surface waters can be grouped into three types such as the Na(Ca)-$HCO_3$, Na(Ca)-$SO_4$ and Ca-$HCO_3$ types. The ${\delta}^{18}O\;and\;{\delta}D$ values of hot spring waters vary from -4.41 to -4.47%o and -32.0 to -33.5%o, respectively. Cold groundwaters range from -7.07 to -8.55%o in ${\delta}^{18}O$ and from -50.24 to -59.6%o in ${\delta}D$. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data indicate that the hot spring waters were originated from the local meteoric water source. The enrichments of heavy isotopes ($^{18}O\;and\;^2H$) in the Seokmodo hot spring waters imply that the thermal water was derived from the diffusion Bone between fresh and salt waters. The ${\delta}^{34}S$ values ranging from 23.1 to 23.5%o of dissolved sulfate are very close to the value of sea water sulfate of ${\delta}^{34}$S=20.2%o in this area, indicating the origin of sulfate in hot springs from sea water. The $^3H/^4He$ ratio of hot spring waters varies from $1.243{\times}10^{-6}\;to\;1.299{\times}10^{-6}cm^3STP/g$, which suggests that He gas in hot spring waters was partly originated from a mantle source. Argon isotopic ratio $(^{40}Ar/^{36}Ar=298{\times}10^{-6}cm^3STP/g)$ in hot spring waters corresponds to the atmospheric value.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.495-508
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• 2013

Recently, stable isotopes (${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}D$) of water are increasingly analyzed using laser-based technologies. These methods have advantages over Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) in that they can be used for in-situ measurements and require much less maintenance and preparation work. Two types of laser-based methods are currently available, which have different analytical principles; OA-ICOS (off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy) and WS-CRDS (wavelength-scanned cavity ring-down spectroscopy). In the WS-CRDS instrument, water is vaporized at controlled environment and transferred to an optical cavity by nitrogen carrier gas, and stable isotopic compositions of water vapor are measured using the degree of absorbance of specific wavelengths and the ratios of attenuation time of the laser intensity with the sensitivity of ppb to tens of ppt level. In this study, we introduce the principle of the WS-CRDS technology and the performance results including stability and comparisons with Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) and suggest possible applications of various topics in isotope hydrology.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.339-344
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• 2013

Water vapor isotopes can be excellent tools for understanding complex mechanisms in the water cycle and atmospheric hydrological cycle and they can be applied to various fields of paleoclimatology, atmospheric science, hydrogeology, oceanography, and ecohydrology. Thus, studies of global or local transport of water vapor may be able to provide a very useful clue to better understand the movements of water and energy in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. In this study, the isotopic compositions of water vapor have been observed for moisture transport during the passage of Typhoon Bolaven at Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Incheon, in the western part of Korea, from August 27 to August 29, 2012. In the clear sky, the isotopic compositions of water vapor at KOPRI exhibited relatively higher isotopic ratios, which were near isotopic equilibrium with sea surface water (${\delta}^{18}O$=-14‰). On the other hand, a largely depleted isotopic ratios in surface water vapor were observed in association with the passage of Typhoon Bolaven (approximately 10‰ depleted compared to the clear sky). The fact that the isotopic minima in water vapor are encountered during the onset period of the Typhoon Bolaven with increases of relative humidity, which is consistent with, so called, "the amount effect".

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.1375-1383
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• 2014

Total organic carbon(TOC), Total nitrogen(TN), and carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes were measured in the sediment and suspended parties in fresh lake water and saline estuarine water to determine the sources of Particulate organic matter(POM) in the sediments of the Youngsan river estuary. POM in the freshwater discharge water was mostly phytoplankton origin with little trace of terrestrial plants. POM from phytoplankton blooms formed in estuarine water in response to the nutrient enriched freshwater discharges was the most important sources of POM in the sediment near the dike, comprising more than 40% of the total organic matter. POM from freshwater phytoplankton and oceanic phytoplankton were also important sources of the sediment POM, and their contributions varied with the distances from the dike. Contribution of freshwater phytoplankton to sediment POM decreased from the dike to the outside of the estuary.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.461-468
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• 2019

Background: This study aimed to identify NO₃^--N sources using the stable isotope δ¹⁵N in Chydorus sphaericus (OF Müller), to investigate hydrological characteristics and nutrient states in artificial wetlands near the Nakdong River. Chydorus sphaericus is dominant in wetlands where aquatic plants are abundant, occurring in high density, and is sensitive to wetland water pollution, making it suitable for identification of NO₃^--N sources. Results: NO₃^--N sources for each wetland were strongly dependent on hydrological characteristics. Wetlands with sewage or rainfall/groundwater as their main sources had high levels of NO₃^--N, whereas wetlands with surface water as their main input had comparatively lower levels. Since wetlands with sewage and rainfall/groundwater as their main water sources were mostly detention ponds, their inputs from tributaries or the main river stream were limited and nutrients such as NO₃^--N easily become concentrated. Changes in NO₃^--N levels at each wetland were closely associated with δ¹⁵N of C. sphaericus. Interestingly, regression analysis also showed positive correlation between δ¹⁵N of C. sphaericus and NO₃^--N level. Conclusions: We conclude that the nitrate stable isotope (δ¹⁵N) of C. sphaericus can be used to elucidate the hydrological characteristics of riverine wetlands. This information is important for maintenance and conservation of artificial wetlands at the Nakdong River.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.254-257
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• 2002

The purposes of this research are to identify the source and to analyze the pathway of nitrate contamination in "cultural village", Jeungpyeong. In order to examine recharge processes and flow pattern that closely related to the influent of nitrate contaminant, the flow field was simulated and the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes were analyzed. The nitrogen isotope was used to delineate contaminant sources. The shallow groundwater was mainly composed of precipitation, but leakage of domestic water and sewage contributed to the recharge. Nitrate contaminants were possibly from the leakage of sewage and animal waste. The nitrate concentration decreased due to dilution by low concentration water.ion water.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2016

Many studies using tracers have been conducted to understand a physical process in a system. Rain-on-snow could accelerate snowmelt processes, which influences the hydrological process in both temperate and polar regions. Hydrological and ecological conditions will be affected by the amount and timing of discharge reaching the bottom of a snowpack. The discharge consists of the rain-on-snow, pore water penetrating into the snowpack and natural meltwater. In this study, after a rain-on-snow experiment, we conducted an isotopic hydrograph separation to distinguish rainwater and pore water from meltwater. Using the isotopic data of snow and meltwater from Lee et al. (2010), two components were separated based on the assumption that rainwater and pore water are new water and natural meltwater is old water. After the second rain-on-snow experiment, the maximum contributions of rainwater and pore water reached up to 69% of the discharge and then decreased. During the study period, the measured total discharge was 4153 L and 40% (based on hydrogen isotope) of rainwater and pore water was calculated in the discharge, which is not consistent with what Lee et al. (2016) calculated using chemical separation (63%). This inconsistency can be explained by how an end-member was defined in both approaches. The contributions of artificial rainonsnow and pore water to melwater discharge range between the two methods. This study will suggest a mixing calculation from isotopic compositions of the Southern Ocean.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.371-377
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• 2015

Isotopic compositions of precipitation have been used to understand moisture transport in the atmosphere and interactions between precipitation and groundwater. Isotopic compositions of speleothems and ice cores, so called, ''paleoarchives'', can be utilized to interpret climate of the past and global circulation models (GCMs). The GCMs are able to explain the paleoarchives, can be validated by the precipitation isotopes. The developments of stable isotope analyzers make high-resolution isotopic studies feasible. Therefore, a high-resolution study of precipitation isotopes is needed. For this study, precipitation samples were collected for every 5 to 15 minutes, depending on precipitation rates, using an auto-sampler for precipitation isotopes near coastal area. The isotopic compositions of precipitation range from -5.7‰ (-40.1‰) to -10.8‰ (-74.3‰) for oxygen (hydrogen). The slope of ${\delta}^{18}O-{\delta}D$ diagram for the whole period is 6.8, but that of each storm is 5.1, 4.2, 7.9 and 7.7, respectively. It indicates that evaporation occurred during the first two storms, while the latter two storm did not experience any evaporation. The isotopic fractionations of precipitation has significant implications for the water cycle and high-resolution data of precipitation isotopes will be needed for the future studies.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.7-18
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• 2019

This study aimed to assess the impact of livestock excreta discharged from an Intensive Livestock Farming Area (ILFA) on river water quality during a rainfall event. The Bangcho River, which is one of the 7 tributaries in the Cheongmi River watershed, was the study site. The Cheongmi River watershed is the second largest area for livestock excreta discharge in Korea. Our results clearly showed that, during the rainfall event, the water quality of the Bangcho River was severely deteriorated due to the COD, $NH_4-N$, T-N, $PO_4-P$, T-P, and heavy metals (Cu, Zn, and Mn) in the run-off from nearby farmlands, where the soil comprised composted manure and unmanaged livestock excreta. In addition, stable isotope analysis revealed that most of nitrogen ($NH_4-N$ and $NO_3-N$) in the run-off was from the ammonium and nitrate in the livestock excreta. The values of ${\delta}^{15}N_{NH4}$ and ${\delta}^{15}N_{NO3}$ for the Bangcho River water sample, which was obtained from the downstream of mixing zone for run-off water, were lower than those for the run-off water. This indicates that there were other nitrogen sources upstream river in the river. It was assumed from ${\delta}^{15}N_{NH4}$ and ${\delta}^{15}N_{NO3}$ stable isotope analyses that these other nitrogen sources were naturally occurring soil nitrogen, nitrogen from chemical fertilizers, sewage, and livestock excreta. Therefore, the use of physicochemical characteristics and nitrogen stable isotopes in the water quality impact assessment enabled more effective analysis of nitrogen pollution from an ILFA during rainfall events.