About This Journal
About Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
The Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment (KoSSGE). Established in 1996, the journal aims to contribute to social benefit by promoting the efficient development and proper conservation of environmental resources through scholarly publication. The journal also fosters communication among academia, industry, government, and non-governmental organizations involved in addressing soil and groundwater environmental challenges.
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Review Paper
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Radionuclide Distribution Coefficients (Kd) in Korean Crystalline Rock Environments: Characteristics and Selection of Values for Transport Modeling
국내 결정질암 지질환경에서 방사성 핵종 분배계수(Kd)의 특성과 이동 모델링 적용값 선정
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Hyun-Kwon Do, Hyoun-Tae Hwang, In-Ho Yoon, Sung-Wook Jeen
도현권, 황현태, 윤인호, 진성욱
- The operation and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, together with the storage and disposal of radioactive waste, require a reliable assessment of radionuclide …
- The operation and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, together with the storage and disposal of radioactive waste, require a reliable assessment of radionuclide behavior and transport in subsurface environments. In groundwater flow and radionuclide transport models, the distribution coefficient, Kd, is widely used to represent sorption and retardation; however, Kd is not an intrinsic constant and can vary substantially with geological media, hydrogeochemical conditions, specimen characteristics, and experimental methods. This study reviewed Kd data for 90Sr, 137Cs, and 60Co and evaluated their applicability to crystalline-rock environments in Korea. Geological media were classified into soil, weathered/altered rock, and fresh rock, and the compiled data were evaluated with respect to geological relevance, mineralogical and hydrogeochemical conditions, specimen form, and experimental scale. Direct Korean data were prioritized, whereas analogue-media data were used where direct crystalline-rock data were limited. The review showed that 90Sr sorption is primarily controlled by cation exchange and competition with Ca2+ and Mg2+, whereas 137Cs is strongly influenced by selective sorption sites and competing ions such as K+ and NH4+. For 60Co, pH and the development of Fe/Mn oxide and hydroxide reactive surfaces were dominant controls. The experimental scale also affected the interpretation of Kd, particularly where batch-derived values differed from transport-effective values obtained under column or fractured-core flow conditions. The recommended reference Kd values for soil, weathered/altered rock, and fresh rock were 0.0860, 0.0303, and 0.0200 m3/kg for 90Sr; 7.754, 0.0033, and 0.010 m3/kg for 137Cs; and 6.128, 0.221, and 0.067 m3/kg for 60Co, respectively. The proposed values and application ranges provide literature-based reference inputs for radionuclide transport modeling in Korean crystalline rock environments, including assessments for nuclear facility decommissioning and radioactive waste management, while site-specific measurements should be prioritized when available. - COLLAPSE
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Radionuclide Distribution Coefficients (Kd) in Korean Crystalline Rock Environments: Characteristics and Selection of Values for Transport Modeling
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Research Paper
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Evaluation of Seawater Intrusion Mitigation by the Ssangcheon Groundwater Dam Using SEAWAT
SEAWAT 수치모의를 통한 쌍천 지하수저류댐의 해수침투 저감 효과 평가
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Hyeongyun You, Seonmin Lee, Min-Ho Koo, Jaeyun Jung
유현균, 이선민, 구민호, 정재윤
- Groundwater dams in coastal aquifers can store freshwater and mitigate seawater intrusion, with performance depending on cutoff-wall continuity and pumping-induced drawdown. This …
- Groundwater dams in coastal aquifers can store freshwater and mitigate seawater intrusion, with performance depending on cutoff-wall continuity and pumping-induced drawdown. This study used a three-dimensional SEAWAT model to examine how cutoff-wall condition and radial collector well (RCW) operation affect seawater intrusion at the Ssangcheon groundwater dam. Thirty-year scenarios evaluated wall conditions, pumping redistribution, and additional RCWs. A complete cutoff wall restricted landward saline migration through the alluvial aquifer, while intrusion persisted through bedrock. Saline groundwater bypassed the wall and underwent upconing near RCW-5, indicating that well location and pumping allocation can be as important as wall continuity. Under the complete-wall condition, shutting down RCW-5 and reallocating its pumping to two inland RCWs reduced simulated salinity at a deep monitoring well by about 42% without changing total pumping. An additional withdrawal of 4,000 m³/d caused a relatively small increase in salinity, whereas withdrawals of 8,000 and 12,000 m³/d progressively expanded the saline zone in bedrock. Because the model lacked independent calibration against depth-specific salinity observations, the findings represent relative responses among scenarios rather than site-specific predictions. Effective groundwater-dam management therefore requires joint consideration of cutoff-wall integrity and spatial pumping allocation. - COLLAPSE
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Evaluation of Seawater Intrusion Mitigation by the Ssangcheon Groundwater Dam Using SEAWAT
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Research Paper
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Evaluation of Measurement Uncertainty in Soil Mercury Analysis
토양 중 수은 분석시 측정불확도 평가
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Dongjin Choi
최동진
- Mercury is a substance with high residual toxicity that affects humans, animals, and plants and can enter the soil and cause contamination. …
- Mercury is a substance with high residual toxicity that affects humans, animals, and plants and can enter the soil and cause contamination. In areas where mercury concentration exceeds soil contamination concern/countermeasure criteria, improvement projects such as pollutant removal, facility relocation are implemented, so analysis errors must be reduced and analysis must be performed accurately. Measurement uncertainty can be introduced to identify the cause of error, and in this study, the measurement uncertainty that occurs in the process of analyzing mercury in soil was evaluated. The considered uncertainty factors were the pretreatment of the sample, the dilution of the pretreatment solution, the standard solution for creating the calibration curve, the calibration curve, and the repeatability. The influence of each uncertainty on the measurement uncertainty was calculated. The standard material was spiked in a medium that did not contain mercury and was pretreated/analyzed, and the expanded uncertainty was 0.01 mg/kg and the final result was 0.48 ± 0.01 mg/kg. The process of preparing the standard solution for creating the calibration curve had the greatest impact on the uncertainty. To reduce the uncertainty associated with preparing standard solutions for calibration curves, an alternative approach could be to dispense the mass corresponding to the target volume rather than the volume itself during liquid aliquoting, thereby lowering the standard deviation. - COLLAPSE
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Evaluation of Measurement Uncertainty in Soil Mercury Analysis
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Research Paper
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Model Fit Does Not Ensure Recharge Identifiability: Watershed and Coastal-Boundary Diagnostics with Methodological Implications for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Safety Assessment
지하수 함양량 추정에서 모델 적합도와 식별성의 불일치: 유역∙해안 경계 수치진단과 고준위방사성폐기물 처분 안전성평가에 대한 방법론적 시사점
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Eungyu Park, Byung-Gon Chae, Jangwon Park, Taeyu Kim, Heejun Suk
박은규, 채병곤, 박장원, 김태유, 석희준
- Groundwater recharge sets the upper boundary flux that controls hydraulic heads, flow paths, travel times, and geochemical conditions in safety assessment of …
- Groundwater recharge sets the upper boundary flux that controls hydraulic heads, flow paths, travel times, and geochemical conditions in safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste disposal. Whether a calibrated model identifies that flux is a different question from how well it reproduces its calibration target. We examined this separation in three controlled numerical diagnostics rather than at a disposal site. Across nine SWAT+ parameterizations of a diagnostic test-bed watershed, mean annual basin soil-profile percolation ranged from 58.2 to 390.0 mm/yr while mean flow at the analysed channel stayed within 15.626–16.275 m3/s; four low- and intermediate-percolation cases retained Kling-Gupta efficiency 0.969–0.978 and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency 0.992–0.996 against a synthetic baseline hydrograph. In an idealized one-layer coastal model, three combinations of hydraulic conductivity (7.5–14 m/day), general-head-boundary conductance (5–80 m2/day), and net distributed source-sink budget (363–2,798 m3/day) reproduced one prescribed head field within a root-mean-square error of 2.6 × 10-7 m. Adding 29 or 87 m3/day of coastal discharge with equal co-located supply left the simulated heads unchanged. Fit therefore constrains the calibration target, not the internal flux. Recharge entering a safety assessment should be constrained by an independent process observation that resolves the specific non-uniqueness, and propagated as a bounded range. - COLLAPSE
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Model Fit Does Not Ensure Recharge Identifiability: Watershed and Coastal-Boundary Diagnostics with Methodological Implications for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Safety Assessment
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Research Paper
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Heavy Metal Distribution in Agricultural Soils and Soil-to-Rice Transfer around Abandoned Mines in Haman, Korea
함안 지역 폐광산 주변 농경지 토양의 중금속 분포 및 생물전이 평가
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Hee Won Kwon, Young Hun Kim, Jeong Jin Kim
권희원, 김영훈, 김정진
- This study investigated the distribution of heavy metals in agricultural soils and their transfer to rice around abandoned metal mines in Haman, …
- This study investigated the distribution of heavy metals in agricultural soils and their transfer to rice around abandoned metal mines in Haman, Korea. Sixty-two paired soil and rice samples were collected from five regions (GB, YC, JC, DC, and DS), and As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations were determined. Soil-to-rice transfer was evaluated using bioconcentration factors (BCFs). Regional mean concentrations in soils ranged from 5.24–17.82 mg/kg for As, 1.89–2.57 for Cd, 22.86–32.16 for Cr, 29.89–34.95 for Cu, 12.61–17.15 for Ni, 12.04–15.52 for Pb, and 55.61–83.19 for Zn. Corresponding concentrations in rice ranged from 0.08–0.17, 0.02–0.07, 2.69–8.64, 2.77–3.84, 0.99–5.71, 0.20–0.37, and 3.78–6.49 mg/kg, respectively. Although soil and rice As showed relatively similar spatial patterns, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations and BCFs were relatively high in rice from DC despite comparatively low soil concentrations. BCFs were generally higher for Ni and Cr and lower for As and Cd. These results demonstrate that total soil concentrations alone cannot adequately explain metal accumulation in rice and highlight the importance of metal bioavailability and element-specific uptake processes. - COLLAPSE
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Heavy Metal Distribution in Agricultural Soils and Soil-to-Rice Transfer around Abandoned Mines in Haman, Korea
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Research Paper
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Evaluation of Aquifer Response Characteristics Using Rainfall-Groundwater Level Hysteresis in the Yangsan Area
강수-지하수위 히스테리시스 기반 양산 지역 대수층 반응 특성 분석
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Sung-Ho Song, Ga-Young Hwang, Hyoun Soon, Hwan-Ho Yong
송성호, 황가영, 이현순, 용환호
- This study evaluated groundwater responses in the Yangsan area using rainfall-groundwater level hysteresis analysis from 56 monitoring wells. Groundwater level hysteresis was …
- This study evaluated groundwater responses in the Yangsan area using rainfall-groundwater level hysteresis analysis from 56 monitoring wells. Groundwater level hysteresis was quantified using the shoelace-area H-index derived from cumulative rainfall and groundwater‑level variations, and key response indicators-recession constant, response time, and reactivity index-were computed for each well. Correlation analyses showed no significant relationship between distance to stream and any response indicator, indicating that stream proximity has limited influence on short-term groundwater behavior. In contrast, hydrogeologic units (HGUs) exhibited qualitatively different but statistically indistinguishable response tendencies. HGU a (alluvium aquifer) showed strongly negative H-index values and the longest response times, reflecting recharge‑dominant but delayed responses. HGU d (non-porous volcanic rock) exhibited relatively large recession constants and short response times, indicating faster drainage behavior. HGU e-1 (intrusive igneous rock) displayed intermediate characteristics between recharge-dominant and rapid-drainage response. HGU f (clastic sedimentary rock) showed short response times and high recession constants; however, because this unit is represented by only a single monitoring well, these response indicators reflect site-specific behavior rather than unit-level characteristics and should not be generalized. Rainfall intensity and cumulative rainfall substantially influenced hysteresis magnitude, indicating that event-scale hydrological conditions also play a critical role in shaping groundwater response patterns. Overall, the results suggest that structural heterogeneity among HGUs appears to influence short-term groundwater responses to rainfall, although the effects are not statistically distinguishable across units due to data variability and sample-size imbalance. These findings highlight the nonlinear nature of rainfall-groundwater interactions and underscore the need for future multivariate analyses such as principal component analysis (PCA) or clustering to more precisely identify primary factors on groundwater behavior by integrating aquifer structure with additional environmental factors. - COLLAPSE
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Evaluation of Aquifer Response Characteristics Using Rainfall-Groundwater Level Hysteresis in the Yangsan Area
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Research Paper
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Spatiotemporal Variability of Groundwater Level Residuals under Contrasting Aquifer Characteristics in the Yangsan Area
양산 지역 대수층 특성에 따른 지하수위 잔차의 시∙공간적 변동 특성 분석
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Ga-Young Hwang, Sung-Ho Song, Hwan-Ho Yong, Hyoun Soon Yi
황가영, 송성호, 용환호, 이현순
- This study applied regression kriging (RK) to separate broad-scale topographic controls from local groundwater-level variability in the Yangsan area and examined the …
- This study applied regression kriging (RK) to separate broad-scale topographic controls from local groundwater-level variability in the Yangsan area and examined the spatiotemporal characteristics of groundwater level residuals in relation to local hydrogeological settings. The residual spatial structure remained relatively stable over the study period, whereas residual magnitude and spatial distribution varied among months. Although the overall mean residual anomaly was small, its magnitude and direction varied spatially within individual months, indicating spatially nonuniform local groundwater level responses. Comparison of the Lower Yangsan Stream and Hoeya Dam watersheds revealed broadly similar temporal patterns but distinct magnitudes and spatial distributions of residual anomalies. In the Lower Yangsan Stream watershed, where intrusive igneous rocks coexist with other hydrogeological units, positive and negative anomalies were spatially intermingled. In contrast, the Hoeya Dam watershed, dominated by nonporous volcanic rocks, exhibited more spatially extensive same-sign anomalies during certain periods, together with greater residual variability and spatial dispersion. These contrasting patterns suggest that local groundwater-level variations beyond broad-scale topographic controls may be associated with the composition of hydrogeological units and local aquifer structure. Groundwater level residuals can therefore provide useful information on localized variability, and their spatiotemporal analysis offers an approach for characterizing groundwater-system heterogeneity and localized groundwater responses. - COLLAPSE
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Spatiotemporal Variability of Groundwater Level Residuals under Contrasting Aquifer Characteristics in the Yangsan Area
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Research Paper
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Estimation of Vertical-Well Yield Using a Coupled Aquifer–Wellbore Flow Model
대수층–관내 흐름 연동 수치모델을 이용한 수직정 취수량 산정
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Seonmin Lee, Sungshin Kim, Min-Ho Koo, Jaeyun Jung
이선민, 김성신, 구민호, 정재윤
- Conventional numerical models of vertical wells commonly assume a uniform wellbore head along the screened interval, neglecting head losses generated as inflow …
- Conventional numerical models of vertical wells commonly assume a uniform wellbore head along the screened interval, neglecting head losses generated as inflow accumulates toward the pump. This study developed a coupled aquifer–wellbore flow model that links aquifer-flow simulations using MODFLOW 6 with pipe-flow calculations through FloPy. The well screen was represented by Drain (DRN) cells, with conductance calculated to account for linear and nonlinear head losses in the aquifer and filter pack as well as screen-slot losses. The wellbore head distribution was calculated by considering frictional and momentum head losses, and the DRN conductance and wellbore head were iteratively updated based on cell-by-cell inflows. Steady-state simulations of a homogeneous confined aquifer showed that wellbore-flow losses affected the total intake rate more strongly than nonlinear and screen-slot losses. At an aquifer hydraulic conductivity of 100 m/d and well diameters of 0.1–0.2 m, nonlinear and screen-slot losses reduced the total intake rate by 4.1–7.4%, whereas wellbore-flow losses caused an additional reduction of 9.9–49.2%. These effects became more pronounced with increasing aquifer hydraulic conductivity and decreasing well diameter. Locating the pump at the midpoint of the screened interval divided the wellbore flow between the upper and lower sections and increased the total intake rate by approximately 9.4% relative to a bottom-mounted pump. Decreases in filter-pack hydraulic conductivity and screen open-area ratio reduced the total intake rate, while well efficiency was governed primarily by the ratio of filter-pack to aquifer hydraulic conductivity. These results demonstrate that the uniform-head assumption can substantially overestimate vertical-well intake, particularly for highly conductive aquifers and small-diameter wells, and that coupled aquifer–wellbore modeling provides a more realistic basis for well design and operation. - COLLAPSE
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Estimation of Vertical-Well Yield Using a Coupled Aquifer–Wellbore Flow Model
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Research Paper
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Comparison of SWAT-Derived Delayed-Flow and Eckhardt-Filtered Baseflow Indices in the Hwangjeoncheon Watershed
황전천 유역에서 SWAT 기반 지연유출지수와 Eckhardt 디지털 필터 기반 기저유출지수의 비교 분석
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Jin Chul Joo, Kangwei Shi, Seonggyu Park, Kyung In Chae, Su Ryeon Kim, Yong-Ho Choi, Kwang-Wook Jeong, In-Kyun Jeong
주진철, 쉬캉웨이, 박성규, 채경인, 김수련, 최용호, 정광욱, 정인균
- This study evaluated the spatiotemporal variability and hydrological implications of the baseflow index (BFI) and delayed-flow index (DFI) in the Hwangjeoncheon watershed, …
- This study evaluated the spatiotemporal variability and hydrological implications of the baseflow index (BFI) and delayed-flow index (DFI) in the Hwangjeoncheon watershed, a tributary of the Seomjin River basin, using SWAT-simulated runoff components and streamflow-based baseflow separation methods. The SWAT model was established with a warm-up period (2007–2011), calibration period (2012–2018), and validation period (2019–2024). Model performance evaluated using monthly streamflow showed R2, NSE, and PBIAS values of 0.760, 0.737, and 0.66% during calibration and 0.857, 0.851, and -1.45% during validation, respectively, indicating satisfactory streamflow simulation. During 2019–2023, surface runoff, interflow, and baseflow accounted for 43%, 30%, and 27% of cumulative runoff, respectively. Accordingly, the SWAT-derived BFI (BFISWAT) was 0.27, while the DFI (DFISWAT), incorporating interflow and baseflow, was approximately 0.57. The arithmetic mean of annual DFISWAT values was 0.61. Surface runoff dominated during summer, whereas delayed-flow contributions increased during autumn, winter, and non-irrigation periods. Under the selected parameter settings, the Eckhardt BFI (0.57) was closer to the mean annual DFISWAT (0.61) than to BFISWAT (0.27), whereas LH2P, PART, and EWMA produced values relatively closer to BFISWAT. These findings suggest that empirical baseflow estimates depend on separation methods and parameter settings, and that Eckhardt-filtered baseflow may partly reflect slowly receding components, including interflow. DFISWAT generally decreased with increasing precipitation, while the highest spatial baseflow contribution occurred in the midstream reach (approximately 39%). Overall, distinguishing SWAT-derived BFI and DFI provides a complementary framework for interpreting empirical baseflow estimates. However, uncertainties in model-based runoff partitioning and filter parameters highlight the need for independent hydrological validation. - COLLAPSE
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Comparison of SWAT-Derived Delayed-Flow and Eckhardt-Filtered Baseflow Indices in the Hwangjeoncheon Watershed
Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
