• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.327-334
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• 2017

The flood pulse in streams enhances the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the channel-floodplain ecosystems by exchanging water, nutrients, sediments and organisms. However, the lateral connectivity in most streams of Korea has been disrupted by the levee constructions for the purpose of flood control and land use of floodplains. To compare the characteristics of floodplain vegetation according to existence of lateral connectivity in streams, we investigated the geomorphological and soil environmental factors and structures and distribution of vegetation in the floodplains connected and isolated by levee to the channel in Cheongmi Stream, Seom River, Hwangguji Stream, Mangyeong River, Gomakwon Stream, and Boseong River, Korea. In comparison of soil environments, moisture and clay contents were higher in the isolated floodplain than in the connected floodplain. According to the result of principal component analysis (PCA) using environmental data, the environments of the connected floodplain and the isolated floodplain were separated by soil moisture contents, soil texture and distribution altitude of the vegetation. The results of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) using vegetation data showed that the isolated floodplain was dominated by the hydropythic communities of diverse life form and that the connected floodplain was dominated by the hygrophytic communities that endure disturbance. In conclusion, it is thought that the vegetation of the floodplain changed to the lentic wetland vegetation dominated by diverse hydrophytes as the floodplain was isolated from the channel by artificial levees.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.68-77
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• 2013

This report is based on the investigation of potholes which are formed by fluvial erosion. A pothole is called so because it is a hole that looks like a coffeepot. The results of previous studies are applied to the 'Jakgwaecheon Porthole' of this study. The study is focused on the dimension and morphology of the Pothole and investigates the effects of stream sediments, river flow, geological structural lines, etc. on the formation of potholes. As a result of measuring 61 potholes in this area, we recognized that the elliptical dish-shaped cross sections are dominant and inferred that their longitudinal direction on the plain is affected by the direction of the stream flow. Also, 'Jakgwaecheon Pothole' is very characterized in terms of scale and morphology. Furthermore, it is harmonious with the beautiful landscape, humanity, and historical values and it can be suggested that it is qualified to be registered as a geoheritage structure.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.2 s.171
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• pp.101-111
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• 2005

The objectives of this study we to assess the extent and degree of environmental contamination and to draw general conclusions on the fate of toxic elements derived from mining activities in Korea. 인t abandoned mines with four base-metal mines and four Au-Ag mines were selected and the results of environmental surveys in those areas were discussed. In the base-metal mining areas, the Sambo Pb-Zn-barite, the Shinyemi Pb-Zn-Fe, the Geodo Cu-Fe and the Shiheung Cu-Pb-Zn mine, significant levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were found in mine dump soils developed over mine waste materials, tailings and slag. Furthermore, agricultural soils, stream sediments and stream water near the mines were severely contaminated by the metals mainly due to the continuing dispersion downstream and downslope from the sites, which was controlled by the feature of geography, prevailing wind directions and the distance from the mine. In e Au-Ag mining areas, the Kubong, the Samkwang, the Keumwang and the Kilkok mines, elevated levels of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were found in tailings and mine dump soils. These levels may have caused increased concentrations of those elements in stream sediments and waters due to direct dis-charge downstream from tailings and mine dumps. In the Au-Ag mines, As would be the most characteristic contaminant in the nearby environment. Arsenic and heavy metals were found to be mainly associated with sulfide gangue minerals, and mobility of these metals would be enhanced by the effect of oxidation. According to sequential extraction of metals in soils, most heavy metals were identified as non-residual chemical forms, and those are very susceptible to the change of ambient conditions of a nearby environment. As application of pollution index (PI), giving data on multi-element contamination in soils, over 1.0 value of the PI was found in soils sampled at and around the mining areas.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.323-330
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• 2006

This experiment was conducted to investigate heavy metal transition and bioavailability from soil to the edible pare of water dropwort near industrial complex. The soils were collected from the paddies cultivating water dropwort stream sediments, and background soils near industrial complex. The pH values, organic matter, Av. $P_2O_5$, Ex. Ca content of paddy soils were higher than those measured for nor-contaminated paddy fields in 2003. The contents of Cd and Cu was higher than those of standard level for soil contamination by Soil Environmental Conservation Act in Korea. The pollution index in stream sediments were higher than those of paddies cultivating water dropwort. The geoaccumulation index of heavy metals in paddy soils and stream sediment were in the order Cu>Cd>Ni>Zn>Pb. The rates of 0.1N-HCl extractable heavy metals to total contents in soils were in the order Cd>Cu>Zn>Ni>Pb. In case of Cd and Ni in paddy soils near industrial complex, 0.1N-HCl extractable heavy metals and total content were highly correlated with each other. Heavy metal contents in mot parts were higher than those in top pare of water dropwort. The Zn and Cu transfer factor from soil to the top pare of water dropwort were higher than those of other heavy metals. The bioavailability of water dropwort varied considerably between the different parts and heavy metals. Cd, Cu and Ni contents in water dropwort were correlated with each elements in paddy soils.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.8-9
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• 2011

On 4 September 2010 an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale occurred on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. The Canterbury Plains are an area of extensive groundwater and spring fed surface water systems. Since the September earthquake there have been several thousand aftershocks (Fig. 1), the largest being a 6.3 magnitude quake which occurred close to the centre of Christchurch on 22February 2011. This second quake caused extensive damage to the city of Christchurch including the deaths of 189 people. Both of these quakes had marked hydrological impacts. Water is a vital natural resource for Canterburywith groundwater being extracted for potable supply and both ground and surface water being used extensively for agricultural and horticultural irrigation.The groundwater is of very high quality so that the city of Christchurch (population approx. 400,000) supplies untreated artesian water to the majority of households and businesses. Both earthquakes caused immediate hydrological effects, the most dramatic of which was the liquefaction of sediments and the release of shallow groundwater containing a fine grey silt-sand material. The liquefaction that occurred fitted within the empirical relationship between distance from epicentre and magnitude of quake described by Montgomery et al. (2003). . It appears that liquefaction resulted in development of discontinuities in confining layers. In some cases these appear to have been maintained by artesian pressure and continuing flow, and the springs are continuing to flow even now. In spring-fed streams there was an increase in flow that lasted for several days and in some cases flows remained high for several months afterwards although this could be linked to a very wet winter prior to the September earthquake. Analysis of the slope of baseflow recession for a spring-fed stream before and after the September earthquake shows no change, indicating no substantial change in the aquifer structure that feeds this stream.A complicating factor for consideration of river flows was that in some places the liquefaction of shallow sediments led to lateral spreading of river banks. The lateral spread lessened the channel cross section so water levels rose although the flow might not have risen accordingly. Groundwater level peaks moved both up and down, depending on the location of wells. Groundwater level changes for the two earthquakes were strongly related to the proximity to the epicentre. The February 2011 earthquake resulted in significantly larger groundwater level changes in eastern Christchurch than occurred in September 2010. In a well of similar distance from both epicentres the two events resulted in a similar sized increase in water level but the slightly slower rate of increase and the markedly slower recession recorded in the February event suggests that the well may have been partially blocked by sediment flowing into the well at depth. The effects of the February earthquake were more localised and in the area to the west of Christchurch it was the earlier earthquake that had greater impact. Many of the recorded responses have been compromised, or complicated, by damage or clogging and further inspections will need to be carried out to allow a more definitive interpretation. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to provisionally conclude that there is no clear evidence of significant change in aquifer pressures or properties. The different response of groundwater to earthquakes across the Canterbury Plains is the subject of a new research project about to start that uses the information to improve groundwater characterisation for the region. Montgomery D.R., Greenberg H.M., Smith D.T. (2003) Stream flow response to the Nisqually earthquake. Earth & Planetary Science Letters 209 19-28.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.6 s.175
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• pp.607-622
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• 2005

This study was carried out in order to evaluate where the soil loss was mainly occurred, .and to verify how riverbed sediments in the tributaries of the Seomjin River were related to their source rocks distributed in Sunchang area. The study area including the Seomjin River with 4 tributaries of Kyeongcheon, Okgwacheon, Changjeong-cheon and Ipcheon was divided into 10 watershed. The RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) was estimated for all the grids (10 m cells) in the corresponding watershed. The amount of soil loss per unit area was calculated as follows: dry fold (53,140.94 tons/ha/year), orchard (25,063.38 tons/ha/year), paddy field (6,506.7 tons/ha/year) and Idlest (6,074.36 tons/ha/year). The differences of soil loss per unit area appear to be depends on areas described earlier. Soil erosion hazard zones were generally distributed within dry fields. Several thematic maps such as land use maps, topographical maps and soil maps were used as a data to generate the RUSLE factors. The amount of soil loss, computed by using the RUSLE, showed that soil loss mainly occurred at the regions where possible source rocks were distributed along the stream. Based on the this study on soil loss and soil erosion hazard zone together with chondrite-normalized REE patterns that were previously analyzed in same study area, a closed relationship between riverbed sediments and possible source rocks is formed. Especially in the Okgwacheon that are widely distributed by various rocks, chondrite-normalized REE pattern derived from the riverbed sediments, source rock and soil is expected to have a closed relationship with the distribution of soil loss.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.411-429
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• 2018

Daeyoung mine (also called "Daema mine") produced gold and silver from mainly gold- and silver-bearing quartz veins. The mine tailings are a waste hazard, but most of the tailings were swept away or dispersed throughout the area around the mine long before the tailing dump areas were transformed into agricultural land. Soil liner and protection facilities, such as retaining walls, were constructed in the mine area to prevent the loss of tailings. The content of the tailings is 3,424.41~3,803.61 mg/kg, which exceeds the safety standard by a factor of 45. In addition, contamination was detected near agricultural areas and in the sediments in downstream drainage channels. A high level of As contamination was concentrated near the waste tailings yard; comparaable levels were detected in agricultural areas close to streams that ran through the waste dump yard, whereas the levels were much lower in areas far from the streams. The contamination in stream sediments showed a gradual decrease with distance from the mine waste yard. Based on these contamination patterns, we concluded that there are two main paths that affect the spread of contaminants: (1) loss of mine waste, and (2) the introduction of mine waste into agricultural areas by floods after transportation by streams. The agricultural areas contaminated by mass inflow of mine waste can act as contamination sources themselves, affecting other agricultural areas through the diffusion of contaminants. At present, although the measured effect in minimal, sediments in streams are contaminated by exposed mine waste and surface liners. It is possible for contaminants to diffuse or spread into nearby areas if heavy elements trapped in soil grains in contaminated agricultural areas leach out as soil solution or contaminant particles during diffusion into the water supply.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.545-552
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• 2002

In order to investigate the influence of nuclear power plant operation on its nearby environment, soil, stream and marine sediment samples were collected in the vicinity of the Youngkwang Nuclear Power Plant in Korea, and analyzed for artificial and natural radionuclide radioactivity. From the analytical result, Cs-137 was detected in most soil samples. but it may have been derived fiom past nuclear weapon tests because Cs-134 having short half-live was not detected. The radioactivities of Cs-137 in the sediment samples were also detected which are within the normal range in the sediments based upon the published literature between 1997 and 1999. For the quality control of radioactivity analysis of environmental samples, sets of marine sediments in the Gamami area were analyzed using two HPGe Gamma-ray Spectroscopes (30% and 45%) according to the geostatistical sampling strategy, and Cs-137 and K-40 results were interpreted by analysis of variance (ANOVA). In the two-way ANOVA, variances derived from the geochemical variation were significant, but errors from sampling and analytical procedures are negligible. In conclusion. all the radioanalytical procedures of this study including sampling are validated to be acceptable.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.129-143
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• 2017

The shallow sediments in the southwestern Ulleung Basin consist of mass flow deposits such as slide/slump and debris flow deposits (DFD), caused by slope failure. These sediments are proven to be important in studying geological disaster and stability of the seafloor. In this paper, we analysised the flow accumulation and slope failure susceptibility of the Ulleung Basin on the basis of multi-beam data, collected in this area. We also studied the distribution pattern and the seismic characteristics of the DFD in the uppermost layer of the Ulleung Basin on the basis of seismic data. The slope susceptibility was calculated as the frequency ratio of each factors including slope, aspect, curvature and stream power index (SPI), which causes the slope failure. These results indicate that the slope failure is frequently to occur in the southern and western continental slope of the Ulleung Basin. The sediment flow (mass flow) caused by the slope failure converges to the north and northwest of the Ulleung Basin. According to the seismic characteristics, the uppermost layer in study area can be divided into four sedimentary unit. These sedimentary units develop from the south and southwest to the north and northwest in association with slope susceptibility and flow accumulation.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.63-83
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• 2001

Heavy metals are extracted from stream sediments, roadside soils and sediments and soils and tailings from mining area using partial extraction, acid digestion and HF-digestion. Compared to amounts of heavy metals extracted using partial extraction, those extracted using acid digestion are higher by 2.0∼221 times in Cu, 2.4∼2806 times in Pb, 1.3∼121 times in Cd, 14. 1∼1300885 times in Fe, 1.2∼272 times in Mn, 1.3∼373 times in Zn, 2.2∼1735 times in Cr. There is no special relationship between the extracted amounts of heavy metals using partial extraction and those using acid digestion. However, it is possible that there is a certain relationship between those using acid digestion and those using HF-digestion. Although partial extraction, which extracts less amounts of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb) from soil compared to acid digestion, is used in domestic standard method for examination of soil, domestic soil standard for heavy metals in non-agricultural and industrial areas is higher than soil standard in foreign countries which use acid digestion. For improvement of the domestic standard method for assessment of soil, it is suggested to lower the domestic soil standard for heavy metals or to change pretreatment method for extracting heavy metals from partial extraction to acid digestion with modifying the soil standard.