The Integration of Remote Sensing and Field Surveys to Detect Ecologically Damaged Areas for Restoration in South Korea

Abstract

Ecological damage refers to the reduction in the value of the environment due to human activities such as development. The intensity of ecosystem damage is worsening worldwide. Although the importance of restoration projects to reduce ecosystem damage is increasing, they are difficult to carry out, owing to the absence of data and monitoring of damaged areas. In this study, ecologically damaged areas for restoration in South Korea were detected using remote sensing and field surveys. For the analysis, national standardized vector datasets and Google Earth images were used; field surveys were conducted from 2018 to early 2020. Our results showed that 62% of the ecological damage that occurred in South Korea existed in forest ecosystems; the damaged areas were mostly smaller than 50,000 m2. Additionally, most of the causes and types of damage due to human activities such as development were soil erosion related. The results also suggest the importance of obtaining monitoring data on ecologically damaged areas and the importance of establishing an appropriate restoration plan using this data.

Changes in Urban Heat Island Effect with the Development of Newtowns

“…High-resolution Google Earth data and aerial photographs provided by the National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) of South Korea were used to establish ground-truth regions for the evaluation of classification accuracy (http://map.ngii.go.kr/). Highresolution data from Google Earth have been used as reference in many classification studies and national standardised land cover maps; NGII provides high-resolution aerial photographs captured since 1945, and can also be used for accuracy assessment 22,24,28 . The kappa coefficient was calculated using equation ( 1):…”

Preparation and characterization of indoor heat blockage panel composites made of polyurethane-hybrid-foam-concrete and rice-husk-ash

“…The environmental temperature escalation in urban areas is one of the worldwide issues, especially in tropical regions that receive year-round sunlight. The increased watertight areas, domestic energy use, vegetation reduction, increased anthropogenic energy waste, use of inappropriate building construction materials, and roads/paving are all contributing factors to discomfort [ 1 ]. The use of conventional bricks not only contributes excessive heat to the environment [ 2 ] but also stores heat for a certain period, which will be released overnight when the ambient temperature turns colder [ 3 ].…”

Estimation of Total Nitrogen Content in Topsoil Based on Machine and Deep Learning Using Hyperspectral Imaging

“…Topsoil is rich in microorganisms and organic matter; it enables material circulation and provides ecosystem services such as pollution purification and ecosystem maintenance through nutrient and carbon storage [3,4]. Studies on topsoil in the Republic of Korea are mainly focused on estimating topsoil erosion and soil loss and improving topsoil erosion models [5][6][7]. However, considering the importance of topsoil security in alleviating global concerns of climate change and food security, it is necessary to build a database of the environmental factors and establish a research strategy that affects topsoil to maintain a sustainable topsoil environment [1].…”