: The flood prevention capacity of drainage facilities in urban areas has weakened because of the increase in impervious surface areas downtown owing to rapid urbanization as well as localized heavy rains caused by climate change. Detention can be installed in trunk sewers and linked to existing drainage facilities for the efficient drainage of runoff in various urban areas with increasing stormwater discharge and changing runoff patterns. In this study, the concept of detention in trunk sewers, which are storage facilities linked to existing sewer pipes, was applied. By selecting a virtual watershed with a different watershed shape, the relationship between the characteristic factors of detention in the trunk sewer and the design parameters was analyzed. The effect of reducing stormwater runoff according to the installation location and capacity of the reservoir was examined. The relationship between the installation location and the capacity of the detention trunk sewer in the Dowon district of the city of Yeosu, South Korea was verified. The effects of the existing water runoff reduction facility and the detention trunk sewer were also compared and analyzed. As a result of analyzing the effects of reducing internal inundation, it was found that the inundation area decreased by approximately 66.5% depending on the installation location of the detention trunk sewer. The detention trunk sewer proposed in this paper could effectively reduce internal inundation in urban areas.
In this study, fish and flow surveys were conducted at 12 survey points to calculate the fish habitat suitability index of Miho Stream in the Geum River Water System. The field surveys were conducted four times from September 2019 to May 2020. The results show the presence of 8 families, 37 species, and 5,754 individuals. The number of water purification species that preferred waters with a low flow rate was the highest. The habitat suitability index was calculated according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife method based on the populations collected at various water depths and flow rate sections and the flow rate survey results. For the dominant species, Zacco platypus and swimming species, the results were compared by calculating at Gasan Bridge and Palgye Bridge at the upper stream. The single species showed no significant difference between the upstream and downstream at water depths of 0.1 0.5 m and flow rates of 0.2 0.5 m/s. The species swimming ability was similarly calculated at water depths of 0.2 0.5 m and flow rates of 0.2 0.5 m/s. The dominant species, Pyramid, had a wide range of physical habitats. The habitat suitability index between the swimming species was similarly calculated. These results can be effectively used as basic data for calculating the environmental ecological flow rate and establishing a river restoration plan of the Miho Stream.
A surface image velocimeter (SIV) measures the velocity of a particle group by calculating the intensity distribution of the particle group in two consecutive images of the water surface using a cross-correlation method. Therefore, to increase the accuracy of the flow velocity calculated by a SIV, it is important to accurately calculate the displacement of the particle group in the images. In other words, the change in the physical distance of the particle group in the two images to be analyzed must be accurately calculated. In the image of an actual river taken using a camera, camera lens distortion inevitably occurs, which affects the displacement calculation in the image. In this study, we analyzed the effect of camera lens distortion on the displacement calculation using a dense and uniformly spaced grid board. The results showed that the camera lens distortion gradually increased in the radial direction from the center of the image. The displacement calculation error reached 8.10% at the outer edge of the image and was within 5% at the center of the image. In the future, camera lens distortion correction can be applied to improve the accuracy of river surface flow rate measurements.
In-situ stabilization is a remediation method using amendments to reduce contaminant availability in contaminated soil. We tested the effects of two amendments (furnace slag and red mud) on the availability of toxic trace elements (TTEs) and soil enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, phosphatase, and urease). The application of amendments significantly decreased the availability of TTEs in soil (p < 0.05). The decreased availability of TTE content in soils was accompanied by increased soil enzyme activities. We found significant negative relationships between the TTE content assessed using Ca(NO3)2-, TCLP, and PBET extraction methods and soil enzyme activities (p < 0.01). Soil enzyme activities responded sensitively to changes in the soil environment (pH, EC, and availability of TTEs). It could be concluded that soil enzyme activities could be used as bioindicators or ecological indicators for soil quality and health in environmental soil monitoring owing to their high sensitivity to changes in soil.
For investigating restriction in the use of computer modeling results without adjusting them with measured data, this study analyzed and compared microclimatic aspects and human thermal sensation between in situ measurement and computer modeling using ENVI-met in and around a small urban park of downtown Changwon in May, 2012. In the results, ENVI-met underestimated air temperatures and wind speeds than the measured ones and overestimated relative humidities. In the radiation analysis, ENVI-met overestimated solar radiation from the sky hemisphere and terrestrial radiation from the ground hemisphere and underestimated terrestrial radiation from the sky hemisphere. Also, the differences of mean radiant temperatures with the measured ones reached up to 19.6°C which could create an 1.2 PMV difference. ENVI-met overestimated up to 2.3 PMV and 4°C UTCI at 12:00. The difference was shown clearly in PMV than in UTCI. Therefore, when computer modeling is used in urban microclimate and human thermal sensation (comfort) studies the modeling results should be compared with measured data and adjusted adequately to adopt the results to urban and landscape planning and design.
In this study, we analyze the current state of domestic food waste (FW) recycling and propose a management plan for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. First, the composting potential of the GW demonstrates considerable promise. In particular, the GW (phytoplankton, periphyton, macrophyte, etc.) as a third-generation biomass shows strong performance as a functional additive that mitigates the disadvantages associated with composting FW and improves the quality of the final composted product. Alternatively, the final product (e.g., soil ameliorant) can be used to produce bio-filters that are effective pollutant buffers, with high applicability for green infrastructure. The proposed ecological approaches create new opportunities for FW as a resource for the reduction of GHG emissions, and are expected to contribute to the establishment of effective net-zero carbon systems in the future.
Securing the lead time for evacuation is crucial to minimize flood damage. In this study, downstream water levels for heavy rainfall were predicted using measured water level observation data. Multiple regression analysis and artificial neural networks were applied to the Seom River experimental watershed to predict the water level. Water level observation data for the Seom River experimental watershed from 2002 to 2010 were used to perform the multiple regression analysis and to train the artificial neural networks. The water level was predicted using the trained model. The simulation results for the coefficients of determination of the artificial neural network level prediction ranged from 0.991 to 0.999, while those of the multiple regression analysis ranged from 0.945 to 0.990. The water level prediction model developed using an artificial neural network was better than the multiple-regression analysis model. This technique for forecasting downstream water levels is expected to contribute toward flooding warning systems that secure the lead time for streams.
This study investigated that the numerical experiment for analysis on free overtopping flow by a weir of levee type, as the first stage of the development of a numerical technique for prediction methodology based on a numerical model. Using 2-dimensional flow models, Nays2DH, we conducted numerical simulations based on existing experimental data to compare and verify the models. We firstly discussed the numerical reproducibility for the discontinued flow by weir shape, and calibrated the computational flow through preprocessing of channel bed. Further, we carried out and compared the simulations for prediction on the overtopping flow by the number of weir gates. As a result of simulations, we found that the maximum flow velocity of downstream of weir increases when the number of weir gates increases under the same cross sectional area of flow. Through such results, this study could present basic data for hydraulic research to consider the water flow and sediment transport depending on weir operation in the future work.
Exotic species have been imported for economic purposes, but more recently, an increasing number of animals are imported as pets. With the increasing popularity of two species of turtles, Mauremys sinensis and Pseudemys concinna, the number of pet turtle owners has gradually increased since 2014. The number of turtles increased by 180 in 2017 and 281 in 2019. However, these turtle species have been abandoned to nature, owing to their long lifespans and the changes in conditions of pet owners. The two turtle species have been designated as invasive alien species (AIS) in Korea considering their ecological risks, and the Biological Diversity Act prohibits their release. The owners of Mauremys sinensis and Pseudemys concinna are required to submit the “Application for Approval of Breeding and Grace for AIS” document. In this study, the breeding conditions for the two turtle species were investigated by analyzing the information in the submitted applications for six months (e.g., the suitability of breeding facilities, number of turtles, breeding period, type of pet adoption, and local district of pet owner). A total of 614 cases were analyzed. Because only 58% of breeders provided suitable breeding conditions, breeding information and responsible pet ownership training should be offered to prevent abandonment in natural ecosystems. In addition, continuous monitoring is necessary to prepare for potential problems caused by the lack of information in many applications and the one-off licensing policy.
In this study, a temperature distribution sensing method using optical fiber was applied to a large-scale levee experiment, and the applicability of wide-area levee or embankment monitoring technology to observe the changes inside the levee was reviewed. The optical fiber was buried in a large-scale levee, and the temporal and spatial temperature changes were measured according to the water level changes in the reservoir. As the water level of the reservoir increased, the temperature of the embankment slope decreased, and as the infiltration progressed, a change in the spatial location of the temperature change was detected. The temperature change due to embankment infiltration varied depending on the time of the infiltration progress, and the change assumed to be the seepage line could be observed. This study has demonstrated that information about temperature changes inside the levee can be interpreted as the information on the locations that are judged to be relatively vulnerable, investigating the changes in the condition inside the levee.
This study was conducted to provide basic data for monitoring the trend of ecosystem change and establishing management plans for wetland protection areas by understanding the status of naturalized plants. In 21 wetland protection areas, 129 taxa, including 10 invasive alien species, were recorded. The naturalized plants appeared mostly as 71 taxa in the Chimsil wetland and were not observed in the Moojechineup and Sumeunmulbaengdui wetlands. Among the naturalized plants, 42 taxa (32.6%) originated from North America. Annual and biennial plants accounted for 68.2% (88 taxa). The frequencies of occurrence of naturalized plants growing in dry secondary grasses such as Erigeron annuus and Trifolium repens were high, and clonal plants that propagated by making stolons and struck roots accounted for 19.4% (25 taxa). The naturalized and urbanization indices showed positive correlations with location factors such as wetland, agricultural land, and used area. However, a negative correlation was found between altitude and forest. Therefore, a management plan that synthetically considers the occurrence frequency and growth characteristics of naturalized plants as well as the locational characteristics of wetland protection areas is required.
A large amount of fine dust is generated during the process of pavement cutting. Consequently, reducing the amount of fine dust generated during pavement cutting is crucial for the overall management of fine dust. Based on this premise, in this study, a conceptual model is proposed for a device that can be employed for recovering scattered dust generated at the site of pavement cutting. The economic feasibility associated with the incorporation of the proposed model was analyzed. Results obtained from the economic feasibility analysis of the proposed conceptual model indicate that the benefit ratio is 2.96, which is significantly higher than 1. The rate of return is found to be 62.78%, which significantly exceeds the minimum expected rate of return (i.e., 10%), as established on the basis of interviews conducted with companies that implement pavement cutting. Furthermore, the break-even point is found to be at approximately 21.6 months. Hence, the proposed pavement cutter, which features dust suction and a low noise level, is economically feasible.
Based on the combined results of field surveys and analyses of the road structure and traffic flow, we propose a new plan for reducing roadside non-point pollution in the Paldang Water Source Protection Zone. The results show that the soil surrounding the roads in Paldang is highly permeable, which mitigates the need for filtration facilities. Roads flanked by steep slopes are found to facilitate the reduction of non-point roadside pollution through vegetation and soils along road slopes without the need for pollution reduction facilities. These results highlight the need for a flexible roadside non-point pollution reduction plan for roadside non-point pollution, which can be tailored to compliment relevant regulations and design standards after analyzing the characteristics of the target road.
