The trends of composite environmental indices in Korea

In this paper we construct for the first time an annual Composite Environmental Index from 1986 to 1995 in Korea, which is useful for evaluating the efficiency of environmental policies. Nine types of environmental problems are examined. On average, the composite index has increased annually by 5.3% over the 1986-1995 period, which implies that overall environmental quality has deteriorated gradually during this period. Problems such as the greenhouse effect, loss of biodiversity, natural resource depletion, and ecotoxication led to deterioration of environmental quality in the 1990s.     

Environmental and economic impacts of water scarcity and market reform on the Mooki catchment

Over-allocation of irrigation water has led to widespread environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) in Australia, prompting discussions of the water efficiency performance of irrigated industries. There is increasing pressure for irrigators to adopt water efficient practices in line with ecologically sustainable principles, especially with current drought conditions. However, there is great uncertainty surrounding the available practices to improve irrigation efficiency from both ecological and economic standpoints. This paper examines the economic and environmental impact of several possible water efficient practices and government policies, using an interdisciplinary approach combining biophysical modelling and economic modelling. This is done for the case-study of the Mooki catchment in the MDB, located in northern New South Wales, Australia.     

Development and application of a GIS-based sediment budget model

Accelerated erosion and increased sediment yields resulting from changes in land use are a critical environmental problem. Resource managers and decision makers need spatially explicit tools to help them predict the changes in sediment production and delivery due to unpaved roads and other types of land disturbance. This is a particularly important issue in much of the Caribbean because of the rapid pace of development and potential damage to nearshore coral reef communities. The specific objectives of this study were to: (1) develop a GIS-based sediment budget model; (2) use the model to evaluate the effects of unpaved roads on sediment delivery rates in three watersheds on St. John in the US Virgin Islands; and (3) compare the predicted sediment yields to pre-existing data. The St. John Erosion Model (STJ-EROS) is an ArcInfo-based program that uses empirical sediment production functions and delivery ratios to quantify watershed-scale sediment yields. The program consists of six input routines and five routines to calculate sediment production and delivery. The input routines have interfaces that allow the user to adjust the key variables that control sediment production and delivery. The other five routines use pre-set erosion rate constants, user-defined variables, and values from nine data layers to calculate watershed-scale sediment yields from unpaved road travelways, road cutslopes, streambanks, treethrow, and undisturbed hillslopes. STJ-EROS was applied to three basins on St. John with varying levels of development. Predicted sediment yields under natural conditions ranged from 2 to 7Mgkm(-2)yr(-1), while yield rates for current conditions ranged from 8 to 46Mgkm(-2)yr(-1). Unpaved roads are estimated to be increasing sediment delivery rates by 3-6 times for Lameshur Bay, 5-9 times for Fish Bay, and 4-8 times for Cinnamon Bay. Predicted basin-scale sediment yields for both undisturbed and current conditions are within the range of measured sediment yields and bay sedimentation rates. The structure and user interfaces in STJ-EROS mean that the model can be readily adapted to other areas and used to assess the impact of unpaved roads and other land uses sediment production and delivery.     

Horizontal distribution of butyltins in surface sediments from an enclosed bay system, Korea

Tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), and monobutyltin (MBT) compounds were quantitatively determined from surface sediment samples (total 59 stations) covering a whole basin where harbors, shipyards, and aquaculture farms were located. Butyltin compounds were detected from all the stations covering 640 km(2) of an enclosed bay system. TBT concentrations ranged from 4 to 382 ng/g as tin on a dry weight basis, and total butyltin concentrations, from 27 to 1763 ng/g. Horizontal distribution of TBT concentration showed apparent negative gradients from harbors and shipyards, indicating that its contamination was closely related to boating and dry-docking activities. However, TBT concentrations were decreased steeply from source areas. Elevated DBT and MBT levels in creeks imply the possible input of DBT from industrial wastewater. Total butyltin concentrations in sediments are significantly correlated with particulate organic carbon concentration for the subset of stations that are distant from source areas.     

Properties of lightweight aggregate concrete prepared with PVC granules derived from scraped PVC pipes

This paper aims to investigate the fresh and hardened properties of lightweight aggregate concretes that are prepared with the use of recycled plastic waste sourced from scraped PVC pipes to replace river sand as fine aggregates. A number of laboratory prepared concrete mixes were tested, in which river sand was partially replaced by PVC plastic waste granules in percentages of 0%, 5%, 15%, 30% and 45% by volume. Two major findings are identified. The positive side shows that the concrete prepared with a partial replacement by PVC was lighter (lower density), was more ductile (greater Poisson's ratios and reduced modulus of elasticity), and had lower drying shrinkage and higher resistance to chloride ion penetration. The negative side reveals that the workability, compressive strength and tensile splitting strength of the concretes were reduced. The results gathered would form a part of useful information for recycling PVC plastic waste in lightweight concrete mixes.     

Assessment of Groundwater Quality and Contamination from Uranium-Bearing Black Shale in Goesan–Boeun Areas, Korea

This study was initiated to identify the impact of metals and uranium enriched soil and black shale in groundwater quality and contamination. From a Piper diagram, groundwater was classified into four types as (Ca+Mg)–HCO₃ type, (Ca+Mg)–SO₄ type, the mixed type of these two and Na–HCO₃ type, reflecting the complicated nature of geology of the study area. Silicate weathering appeared to be the major water–rock interaction. In groundwater, metals including Cr, Pb, Cu and V, previously identified as being enriched in soils and black shale, were much lower in concentrations than Korean and US EPA drinking water guidelines. Instead, Fe and Mn caused major water-quality problems. In the artesian groundwater from an abandoned uranium mine, the uranium concentration was 21.3 µg L^–1, slightly higher than EPA guidelines of 20 µg L^–1. Heavy metals in groundwater appeared to be controlled mostly by sorptions on to Fe- and Mn-oxyhydroxides. They could be remobilised in groundwater with changes of pH and Eh conditions due to acid mine drainage from black shale or the recharge of fresh water. Uranium would be associated with carbonate and sulphate complexes in groundwater. Because of the remaining water-quality problems in the study area, we suggested containment of identified mine wastes, considering remedial measures for local problems with Fe and Mn, continuous monitoring of groundwater and developing groundwater from deep aquifers.     

Temperature dependence of hydroxyl radical formation in the hv/Fe3+/H2O2 and Fe3+/H2O2 systems

The thermal enhancement of the formation of *OH by the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system (including the Fe(III)/H2O2 system) was quantitatively investigated with reaction temperatures ranging from 25 to 50 degrees C. A temperature dependent kinetic model for the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system, incorporating 12 major reactions with no fitted rate constants or activation energies, was developed, and successfully explained the experimental measurements. Particularly, the thermal enhancement of Fe(OH)2+ photolysis which is the most significant step in the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system was effectively explained by two factors; (1) the variation of the Fe(OH)2+ concentration with temperature, and (2) the temperature dependence of the quantum yield for Fe(OH)2+ photolysis (measured activation energy=11.4 kJ mol(-1)). Although in both the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 and Fe(III)/H2O2 systems, elevated temperatures enhanced the formation of *OH, the thermal enhancement was much higher in the dark Fe(III)/H2O2 system than the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system. Furthermore, it was found that the relative thermal enhancement of the formation of *OH in the presence of *OH scavengers (tert-butyl alcohol) was magnified in the Fe(III)/H2O2 system but was not in the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system.     

Reviewing biomimicry design case studies as a solution to sustainable design

There have been many studies on bio-inspired research, where biomimicry capabilities facilitating sustainable designs are in dearth. For a sustainable design, it is necessary to consider water efficiency, zero waste, thermal environment, and energy supply. This paper investigates how biomimicry is adopted in the sustainable design of buildings. A thorough content analysis of eight case studies focused on the built environment and how biomimicry integrated with the design of a building was executed. The selection of cases study was based on the concept of biomimicry by taking inspiration from nature and applying them in the everyday built environment. Thus, the building designs are more ecologically sustainable than conventional ones, where biomimicry approaches and principles are adopted. The findings suggest that the design of a building can inspire society with new ecological morals, where understanding of biological morphogenesis can inspire design to resolve challenges and essentially help create a healthy environment. Biomimicry harnesses and replicates the principles found in nature to create a built environment that benefits people and other living creatures and safeguards biodiversity. Thus, adopting biomimicry in designing a building will help to develop a culture of active environmental design.