• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.354-364
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• 2019

Sri Lanka is an island nation susceptible to climate-related disasters and extreme weather events. Kurunegala City is the developing capital city of the North-Western Province of Sri Lanka. Changes in rainfall patterns and a steadily increasing annual average temperature amounting to 0.69±0.37℃ were observed in the city area. Generally, urban areas are at risk due to the lack of climate change adaptation provisions incorporated in the development plans. This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of Krunegala City, Sri Lanka and develop an appropriate climate change adaptation plan for the city. Site investigation and qualitative risk assessment were conducted to devise a plan relevant to the climate change adaptation needs of the city. Qualitative risk analyses revealed that drinking water, water resources, and health and infrastructure risks were among the major concerns in Kurunegala City. Low impact development (LID) technologies were found to be applicable to induce non-point source pollutant reduction, relieve urban heat island phenomenon, and promote sound water circulation systems. These technologies can be effective means of alleviating water shortage and reducing urban temperature. The measures and strategies presented in this study can serve as reference for developing climate change adaptation plans in areas experiencing similar adverse effects of climate change.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.79-95
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to find the changes in the habitat of wild birds caused by climate change in urban rivers and protected areas that greatly require ecological functions. In the future, this study can be used as a management index to protect the urban river ecosystem and maintain the health of sustainable urban rivers, thereby ensuring biodiversity. The Tancheon Ecological and Landscape Conservation Area, selected as a target site, has been affected by climate change. The four seasons of Korea have a distinct temperate climate, but the average annual temperature in Seoul has risen by 2.4-2.8℃ over the last 40 years. Winter temperatures tended to gradually increase. Precipitation, which was concentrated from June to August, is now changing into localized torrential rain and a uniform precipitation pattern of several months. Climate change causes irregular and unforeseen features. Climate change has been shown to have various effects on urban river ecosystems. The decrease in the area of water surface and sedimentary land impacted river shape change and has led to large-scale terrestrialization. Plants showed disturbance, and the vegetation was simplified. The emergence of national climate change indicator species, the development of foreign herbaceous plants, the change of dry land native herbaceous species, and wet intelligence vegetation were developed. Wild birds appeared in the territory of winter-summer migratory. In addition, species change and the populations of migratory birds also occurred. It was judged that fluctuations in temperature and precipitation and non-predictive characteristics affect the hydrological environment, plant ecology, and wild birds connecting with the river ecosystem. The results of this study were to analyze how climate change affects the habitat of wild birds and to develop a management index for river ecological and landscape conservation areas where environmental and ecological functions in cities operate. This study can serve as a basic study at the level of ecosystem services to improve the health of urban rivers and create a foundation for biodiversity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2017

This study illustrates changes in the epilithic diatom assemblages in response to urban climatic conditions. We further assess the impact of abnormal urban climate to the urban stream environment. Epilithic diatoms, water chemical and physical variables were sampled every quarter, and assessed at 3 Oncheon stream sites, for a period of two years(from 2013~2014). The variation of physiochemical properties such as BOD, COD, T-N and T-P, show that the water quality was strongly influenced with long periods of drought and flood disturbance. Epilithic diatom assemblages were separated along the stream sites; however, the physical disturbance from urban drought and stormwater changed the composition of diatom assemblages instead of decreasing the taxonomic richness. Thus, our results suggest that epilithic diatom assemblages are altered in response to urban climatic changes, resulting in variations of stream conditions. Hence, strategies of climate change adaptation are required when considering urban stream environments.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.489-502
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• 2023

Urban floods pose significant challenges to cities worldwide, driven by the interplay between urbanization and climate change. This review examines recent studies of urban floods to understand their causes, impacts, and potential mitigation strategies. Urbanization, with its increase in impermeable surfaces and altered drainage patterns, disrupts natural water flow, exacerbating surface runoff during intense rainfall events. The impacts of urban floods are far-reaching, affecting lives, infrastructure, the economy, and the environment. Loss of life, property damage, disruptions to critical services, and environmental consequences underscore the urgency of effective urban flood management. To mitigate urban floods, integrated flood management strategies are crucial. Sustainable urban planning, green infrastructure, and improved drainage systems play pivotal roles in reducing flood vulnerabilities. Early warning systems, emergency response planning, and community engagement are essential components of flood preparedness and resilience. Looking to the future, climate change projections indicate increased flood risks, necessitating resilience and adaptation measures. Advances in research, data collection, and modeling techniques will enable more accurate flood predictions, thus guiding decision-making. In conclusion, urban flooding demands urgent attention and comprehensive strategies to protect lives, infrastructure, and the economy.

• Korea Science and Art Forum
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• v.36
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• pp.11-22
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• 2018

This study recent changes in urban thermal environment caused by climate change generate diverse problems such as urban heat island effects, heat wave, and drought. Under this condition, with the increased perception and expectation of the quality of life, the urban citizens' desire for outdoor activities is increasing. This study conducted the thermal environment analysis focusing on the urban ecological park used by many urban citizens, and also suggested the renovation measures for urban ecological park considering the thermal environment. As the research site, the ecologically-favorable Gildong Ecological Pak with diverse space composition was selected. The measuring items were measured and analyzed by dividing them into thermal environment index and thermal comfort index. In the results of analysis in each type of park space, the forest zone showed the most favorable result. Based on such results, total three kinds of renovation measures for urban ecological park considering the thermal environment were suggested. Through this, the urban ecology park renovation plans were presented in three ways. The results of this study are meaningful in that it can be used as a base material for creating an ecological park considering the thermal environment.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.539-546
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• 2014

The purpose of this paper is to suggest policy implications for the development of climate change plan in city scale. For a comparative case study, Changwon city in Korea and Portland city in U.S.A. were chosen. Climate change plans of both cities were analysed and compared in the perspectives of framework, climate strategies, and implementation. The findings from the comparative case study are suggested for policy implications as the followings. Firstly, the framework should be more simple and clearly integrated from goal to action plans. Secondly, more caution must be exercised for the major GHG triggers and adaptation policy measures. Finally, establishment of clear timeline is the first step of leadership in climate change plan. Coordination agencies and sustainable assessment systems for monitoring each policies are essential for the successful implementation of climate change plan.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.1363-1374
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• 2017

Global climate change caused by industrialization has caused abnormal weather conditions such as urban temperatures and tropical nights, urban heat waves, heat waves, and heavy rains. Therefore, the study tried to analyze climate conditions and weather conditions in the streets and analyze climate factors and meteorological factors that lead to inconvenience to citizens. In the case of trees, the overall temperature, surface temperature, solar irradiance, and net radiation were measured low, and the temperature was lower in the Pedestrian road than in roads. The dry bulb temperature, the black bulb temperature, and the wet bulb temperature for the thermal evaluation showed the same tendency. In the case of thermal evaluation, there was a similar tendency to temperature in WBGT, MRT, and UTCI, and varied differences between types. Although the correlation between the meteorological environment and the thermal environment showed a statistically significant significance, the difference between the measured items was not significant. The study found that the trees were generally pleasant to weather and thermal climate in the form of trees, and the differences were mostly documented.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.124-137
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• 2012

Climate analysis is important in urban planning for human comfort. Synoptic weather conditions can only resolve the 30% of local variance of wind conditions whereas 70% of the variance arise from local terrain, buildings, and other small scale thermal conditions. Climate Analysis Seoul (CAS) was developed to resolve such micro-scale climate. The Local-scale air temperature Deviation (LD) analysis map from CAS showed the co-existence of built-up and suburban areas in the study region (CR, Cold-air analysis Region) despite its small extent. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction were monitored in CR. Hourly observed cooling rate agreed well with LD. Cold air production, transportation, and stagnation was visualized by the observed Vertical Temperature Gradient (VTG) along the small stream in CR. VTG observed at the upper-most stream can be divided into two components: radiative cooling and cold air inflow from outside. Radiative cooling exists regardless of the wind speed whereas cold air inflow occurs only with calm wind. From the regression analyses based on the wind speed, the inflow portion was determined as 84% of radiative cooling. Climate analysis in the future will be able to characterize the changes in cold air by urban development plan to support the human comfort.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.144-158
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• 2012

A higher spatial resolution is preferable to support the accuracy of detailed climate analysis in urban areas. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and satellite (KOMPSAT-2, Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-2) images at 1 to 4 m resolution were utilized to produce digital elevation and building surface models as well as land cover maps at very high(5m) resolution. The Climate Analysis Seoul(CAS) was used to calculate the fractional coverage of land cover classes in built-up areas and thermal capacity of the buildings from their areal volumes. It then produced analyzed maps of local-scale temperature based on the old and new input data. For the verification of the accuracy improvement by the precise input data, the analyzed maps were compared to the surface temperature derived from the ASTER satellite image and to the ground observation at our detailed study region. After the enhancement, the ASTER temperature was highly correlated with the analyzed temperature at building (BS) areas (R=0.76) whereas there observed no correlation with the old input data. The difference of the air temperature deviation was reduced from 1.27 to 0.70K by the enhancement. The enhanced precision of the input data yielded reasonable and more accurate local-scale temperature analysis based on realistic surface models in built-up areas. The improved analysis tools can help urban planners evaluating their design scenarios to be prepared for the urban climate.

• Proceedings of the SAREK Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.80-80
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• 2006