Happy New Year! - Jeondong Cathedral in Jeonju

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

May we all have a vision now and then

Of a world where every neighbor is a friend

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

May we all have our hopes, our will to try

If we don't we might as well lay down and die

You and I

That's the chorus from ABBA's song Happy New Year. It ends on a somewhat...grim note but it carries the essence of my new year resolutions every year. :) May we all live to our fullest, work our utmost to do good for our world, embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, gain experience from our mistakes, and most of all, be filled with happiness and gratitude for who we are and what we can be. 

Below are pictures from my visit to Jeondong Cathedral in Jeonju on Christmas day. The atmosphere there was incredibly peaceful and serene even with all the festivities outside, just perfect for a moment of contemplation on the year 2014. :)

Again, I wish you all a very happy new year!

P.S. The first blog post in 2015 will be the continuation of the Skeptics and Deniers series on the book Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years.

Skeptics and Deniers: "The Failure of the Greenhouse Theory"

In Chapter 3, authors Fred Singer and Denis Avery of Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years explain why they believe the "Greenhouse Theory" is flawed. Here, they use a particular format that they adapt throughout the entire book: directly quoting those who spread "rumors" about the Greenhouse Gas Effect (Part A) and then those who refute it (Part B). I will state the reasons that they outlined and analyze the information and statements that they gave. 

* I read the Korean translation of this book. I won't be quoting often, but when I do, please be aware that the words that I selected may not be the same as those used in the book.  

1. Are Polar Bears in Danger?

Part A: www.worldwildlife.org/climate/index.cfm, 2004
According to the World Wildlife Fund, we must reduce emissions of gases from burning fossil fuels in order to stop Global Warming. It articulates that slight changes in the increases of Earth's temperature may pose a huge threat to wild animals like polar bears. 
  
Johan Olsson in "The Effects of Global Warming", 12 January 1996
According to Olsson, most of the electricity that we use is produced by burning coal. We must begin by trying to save electricity through efforts such as improving the efficiency of air conditioners or heaters.

Part B: John Tierney, "The Good News Bears," New York Times, 6 August 2005
He says that numerous newspaper articles profess Global Warming will melt the icebergs of polar regions, possibly causing the extinction of polar bears before the 22nd century. He adds that there has actually been a recent increase in the number of polar bears spotted by inhabitants of the Resolute Bay. In Canada, for example, where most of the world's Ursus maritimus live, the number increased by at least 20 percent during the ten years up to 1996. Right after providing this piece of information, there is a single sentence that mentions that a major reason for this change may be the ban on hunting polar bears. This is followed by another sentence: in the 1930s, the North Pole was as warm as 1996; before 1930s, the temperature was even higher than 1996. 

In my opinion, Part B is highly misleading. Without reading carefully, one can gain the impression that Global Warming may not be affecting the population increase/decrease of polar bears. Although it includes the idea that the apparent rise in polar bear numbers may be due to prohibiting the bear hunting, it only fleetingly mentions it in just one sentence. Without a proper connection, there is a comparison of the temperature between the 1930s and 1990s. Instead of simply stating that the polar bear population increased largely due to the banned hunting (which is what I think it is), the added information in the conclusion brings about the idea that the alleged cooler climate have increased the number of polar bears. Moreover, it does not state by how many degrees the climate was warmer in the 1930s. Is it by 1°C? Or 0.4°C? Without this specific information, can the readers see a definite relation with the temperature decrease? 


2. Are Icebergs Melting? 

Part A: The Nansen Environment and Remote Sensing Center, University of Bergen, March 1995
The effects of Global Warming will appear first in the melting of icebergs in the North Pole. The warming of the atmosphere will result in changes of ocean circulation, reduction the volume of ice on land, etc.

Al Gore, Earth in the Balance (New York: Houghton-Mifflin, 1992), 22~23
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is still rising, along with the Earth's temperature. Icebergs in the polar regions influence the weather of the entire planet; when they melt, a major calamity will definitely strike.

BBC News, "Rapid Antarctic Warming Puzzle", 6 September 2001
According to British scientists, part of the South Pole is warming much faster than other regions on Earth. They believe that this warming phenomenon is the strongest in at least the past 2000 years. Researchers say that 75% of ice cores show an increase in temperature over the past 50 years. The rapid warming has melted seven Ice Shelves over the same period.

Part B: "Antarctica: To Melt or Not to Melt?" Competitive Enterprise Institute, Cooler Heads Project 5, no. 3 (7 February 2001)
According to the Year 2000 'Journal of Climatology' Issue 13, icebergs in the South Pole are showing changes that are opposite to climate model predictions - their surface area is actually increasing. Warming and cooling of approximately 5 degrees can change the iceberg volume by 1~1.5%.

"For Land's Sake," <www.worldclimatereport.com> (17 March 2004), Geophysical Research Letters 31: 105204, doi:10.1029/2003GL019024.
Some researchers say that the information released by IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is highly inaccurate. The materials do not include the data on decades of slight cooling in the South Pole.  

When I read this part, I was reminded of another book that I read: 'Weather Science' by Gerhard Staguhn, published in 2012. (Again, I read the translated version I found in the library) I read in chapter 14 that the warming occurs much slower in the South Pole than the North Pole or Greenland due to its great surface area. However, there have been observations of significant changes. The ice of the South Pole are continuously moving out to the oceans. Icebergs on the coastal line are breaking off and flowing across the water. According to satellite data, the volume of ice in the southern pole has been decreasing by 150 cubic meters every year. 

How should we compare the information provided in Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years with others (ex. another book like 'Weather Science')? How can we, as readers, evaluate the reliability of the sources? For now, all I can say is that I have been led not to accept seemingly objective pieces of data - such as increase in volume, temperature, etc. right away. Additionally, when I read about the increase in surface area of ice in Part B, I realized this did not necessarily mean ice was actually increasing. When ice melts, breaks off and floats away, its surface area may increase, but not the volume when it begins to melt further.

Edited: The next 'Skeptics and Deniers' blog post will be about the book's views on rising sea levels.

The First Snow in Seoul

This morning, I saw tiny specks of ice scatter outside my window. Naturally, I was really excited.  The first snowfall of the year made it feel like Christmas was coming soon. More importantly, though, it brought me relief. 

After my blog post in November, the weather became surprisingly warm...almost to the extent that my friends and I joked that Spring was already here. The temperature stayed in the range of 11.3℃ to 8.3℃. It was worrying, because it actually seemed like the rest of nature had also skipped Winter. Flowers - famous for coloring February through April in shades of saffron and lavender pink - appeared in the middle of November. In small numbers, Forsythia and Azalea bloomed. It was surreal to see tiny flowers and buds beside snowflakes. Now, it finally feels like the winter holiday season has arrived. With the thermometer pointing below 0℃, I'm hopeful that the seasons will go back to normal. 

Here are some pictures I took today. The photos in the beginning don't show any snow but scroll down for the ones that do!

If I had seen this a few months later I would have been really happy...
instead of worrying about what would happen to it

Clumps of green and yellow

Can you see the buds up there?

"Caster Sugar", remember?

The next pictures were taken at Yangjaecheon.

Quite deserted

Try comparing the depth of water shown in other pictures
of the skipping stones in previous Yangjaecheon posts!

For those who have been waiting for my posts on climate skepticism ("Skeptics and Deniers"), I'm sorry for the delay. I will be uploading a post this week - an analysis on the book 'Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years" and the science related to some of the content in the book.

Before Snow Settles in Seoul

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, autumn lasts from September to November here. Although there can't be an official time of the year when a season starts or ends, the need for bracing against the wind in woolly scarves tells me that winter isn't very far away. 

I wanted to share a several snapshots of Autumn with you. Unlike the other photos that I posted earlier which had foliage of auburn and copper, these ones are mostly green. They were taken around the campus of Sookmyung Girls' High School and near Mountain Umyeon. Enjoy :))) 

 The bleached leaves almost look like sheets of snow.

A little bit shaky with an awkward part of a branch

 hanging on the right, but I do love the silver whistlegrass

under the clear blues, don't you?

 Before they burst into mustard and lemon

Skeptics and Deniers: Let's Talk Global Warming

First of all, I'm terribly sorry for such a late post. A lot of things are happening lately and I was just caught in the midst of a storm of deadlines, assessments, etc. I can truthfully say, though, that this post took a long time to write. Climate skepticism is one big issue, so quite a lot of research and thought went to this post. 

As written on the previous post, this series is going to be about the book written by Fred Singer and Dennis Avery: Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years which was published in 2006. Over 16 chapters, the authors argue that the current rise in global temperature is not due to greenhouse gases (GHGs) from human activity but part of natural cycles in the Earth's climate. Instead of trying to reduce gas emissions, they say, we should prepare for the effects that follow. 

Honestly, I began reading with a little doubt - how far could anyone challenge something that persists and prevails in education systems, political conversations, and scientific research? Climate skepticism wasn't a concept that I was greatly familiar with; as a firm believer in the influence of human activity on global warming, I decided to read this book to see what the other side was thinking about.

After a couple of hours of reading, I could see why it had caused such a sensation.  It quoted 'Greenhouse Warming Advocates" and "alarmists" and then directly refuted the details. This was a truly effective way to get the readers to question everything they had learned through primary and secondary education, newspapers and presentations. I began to realize that there may have been imperfections and flaws in the explanations for human impact on global warming. However, I noticed some serious errors and flaws in the book as well. Here's an example of a point that I found to be misguided or unfounded:

- What the book says: The rise in temperature caused by human industrial activity is insignificant. There has only been a few degrees increase. 
  What I noticed/realized: Nowhere in the book is ocean acidification mentioned. A huge bulk  - 25%, according to Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory - of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is dissolved in oceans and other water bodies like rivers and lakes. The reaction with water forms carbonic acid which eventually gives a bicarbonate ion and hydrogen ion, increasing the water's acidity. This is a reason why the actual number of degrees increase in temperature has not been increasing as much...although this may change when the threshold for the maximum carbon dioxide for absorption is reached.

As you can see, there are some aspects of the story in the book that I cannot agree with. Throughout the series of these blog posts, I will give a glimpse of what the book says, as well as my own opinions and questions that I had while reading this book. 

Now, I will talk briefly about the relationship between the Earth and the Sun, a point that the authors make early in the book. Remember, the opinion in this book is that big alterations in our climate are not due to human activity but through inherent cycles of change that the Earth goes through anyway. It will give you a hint as to how they set out their story, as well as the science that is important to know in understanding how the Earth's climate system works. 

One crucial "linkage" between the Earth's climate and the changes in the sun is cosmic rays. Under normal conditions, the sun emits a "solar wind" that shields our planet from cosmic rays that "bombard the rest of the universe". When the sun is weak, more cosmic rays reach the Earth's atmosphere. Here is a direct quote from the book: "... more of the cosmic rays get through to the Earth's atmosphere. There, they ionize air molecules and create cloud nuclei. These nuclei then produce low, wet clouds that reflect solar radiation back into outer space. This cools the Earth."

We must consider another aspect which, of course, concerns the ozone layer in our stratosphere. According to climate models mentioned in the book (Ah, climate models! Another matter that has to be discussed, maybe in the next post), "a 0.1 percent change in the sun's radiation could cause a 2 percent change in the Earth's ozone radiation, affecting atmospheric heat and circulation." When the sun is in a more active state, there is an increase in the ultraviolet rays reaching the Earth. Below is a diagram of how ultraviolet rays break oxygen molecules, some of which turn into ozone. 

Image from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

Derivative work by Smartse

What do you guys think? Do you think factors such as the sun's cycles of change give enough reasons for believing that we aren't really responsible for global warming? Why do you think our teachers, politicians and non-governmental organizations tell us otherwise? Why are some people so adamant on denying our impact on the Earth's system? 

If you would like to share your ideas, please post comments below! 

Next post will be on the authors' reasons why the "Greenhouse Theory fails". 

Read part of the book here: 

http://www.reasontofreedom.com/unstoppable_global_warming_by_s_fred_singer_and_dennis_t_avery.html

Reading "Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years"

Recently, I was strolling through the library aisles when I came across "Unstoppable Global Warming" by Fred Singer and Dennis T. Avery. From the cover, I could immediately see that the book was about how mankind isn't responsible for "global warming" - or, the recent surges in global temperature. In fact, according to the book, the climate change phenomena are a result of 1,500-year climate cycles that the Earth has been going through for 4.5 billion years.

The book expresses its doubts about the Greenhouse Effect - the absorption of solar radiation by greenhouse gases such as CO2 and N2O; the emission of GHGs from human activity cannot have an effect as large as a global temperature surge. The writers of this book assert that instead of trying to cut down on the production of such gases, we should try to develop the adequate technologies and other measures to prepare for the changes in climate for the years to come - inevitable, because that is how the Earth's system has always been, going through repetitive circuits of warm periods and little ice ages. 

* Anyone who's been following my blog will know that what I believe in doesn't agree with what the book says. I've talked extensively about global warming, greenhouse gases and climate change, all from a point of view that is quite the opposite of that of the book. But in the last few years, I've met people who share the book's ideas - surprisingly not a very small number. Investigating what the book says is a way of figuring out what they believe in and clarifying or reinforcing my own knowledge.

For the next few months, I'll be posting about my reading of this book, with picture and weather posts in between. I hope it will interest you as much as it did to me; after all, global news are often scattered with articles about climate change, and in order to interpret them in the most accurate or balanced way, we should be armed with the appropriate knowledge. 

Cheers :)

Discovering Petrified Wood

At the end of my last blog post, I asked you what the picture below showed:

Wood...with a "metallic, rocky texture"

And the answer is...petrified wood!

Blocks of it were scattered around the bonsai park of the Hwa Dam Forest Arboretum in Gwangju. When I first touched one, I couldn't believe it was a type of "wood" because it felt just like the veneer of polished marble. The entire shape was of an ordinary log, but there was nothing less than extraordinary about it. It  Below are some pictures:

Looks like silvery paint brushed over an oily surface

There were even massive sculptures made of this material along with a notice board that explained briefly how this came to be:

Can you see two sculptures lurking in the background?

The sign talks of "the tree that became a stone" and as much as this sounds like something out of a fairy tale or a fantasy novel, the formation of this magnificent matter can be explained quite scientifically. 

Petrified wood, also known as silicified wood, is a type of fossil...or more accurately, "fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation". It is formed when a tree's organic materials get replaced with minerals such as silica, calcite, pyrite and quartz. This occurs when the wood becomes buried in sediment through which dissolved solids flow through. The plant's lignin and cellulose decay, making room for stone mold to set. It is essential that there is protection from oxygen and various organisms to prevent aerobic decomposition. Petrified wood is an incredibly unique fossil: its original outline and shape are preserved without getting compressed or impressed like other types do. In fact, it would be quite accurate to say that it represents an three-dimensional record of the initial form. 

Enjoy more pictures! :)

Continued From The Last Post: Why is Changma Changing?

In the last post, I introduced the changing patterns of the Korean Monsoon (Changma) and how this crucial part of Korean summers was making all of us - including me - quite confused. I wanted to investigate what factors were contributing to the changes in Changma; in today's post, I'll talk about the relationship between Eurasian snow cover and Korean summer rainfall. While I was researching specifically for information that pertains to Korea, I found quite a lot more research done on other regions such as Punjab of India - if you are interested in Eurasian snow cover and the rainfall in your own country, I'm sure you'll find a huge number of research papers done on that topic :)

The first document I used for my little research was the Korean Meteorological Administration's Changma Report of 2011. I was incredibly impressed with its rich content of diagrams and graphs, although the explanations and reasoning for the information they provided was a bit lacking. Still, I was able to find the work of many researchers such as Bamzai & Shukla 1999, Bhanukuma 1988 and Liu & Yanai 2002. I'll put the links to all the information I used at the end of this blog post. 

Before I go further, though, I realize that changes in rainfall patterns are part of climate change, and climate change may be considered a natural phenomenon. On the other hand, the biggest contributor to the recent change in climate is thought to be global warming. With my own experiences and research scientists' statements and findings*, I also agree that the increased global temperature and rainfall variability are anthropologically related. Please tell me what you think in the comments below - debate on climate change is always interesting :)

Western Eurasia is considered a unique geographical region where there is notable inverse correlation between winter snow cover and the subsequent summer monsoon rainfall in South East Asia. This inverse relationship is observed especially when the snow cover was greater or less than usual for both winter and the consecutive spring season. 

When the snow cover of Eurasia's western region is greater and eastern region less than usual in the spring, Korea's summer rainfall tends to increase. With excessive snow cover anomalies, the cooling and cyclonic circulation anomaly in the lower troposphere appear over northern Eurasia. This leads to a huge circulation response and then a weakened East Asia summer monsoon with deficient rainfall. Eurasian snow cover forms more than 60% of the Northern Hemisphere's snow cover, thus the changes in its snow cover give rise to massive changes in the nearby regions. 

But all of the above information still doesn't specifically answer why Eurasian snow cover influences the rainfall other regions...so what it is about the snow anomalies that cause changes in precipitation patterns? Persistent Eurasian snow irregularities in winter and spring cause changes in the temperatures of the surface and atmosphere. This causes albedo and soil hydrological effects; these are particularly important because they widen the difference between the land and sea thermal temperatures and the monsoon that follows. Albedo is known as the power of reflection of a surface (ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it). Snow albedo is particularly more variable: 0.2 for dirty snow, 0.4 for melting snow, and 0.9 for freshly fallen snow. 

I think this explains at least an important part of the relationship between Eurasian snow cover and Korea's Changma...but it's important to realize that although a lot of studies have been done on this topic, there is little data spanning many decades. Also, most of the research I found was focused on the Indian or Chinese monsoon, rather than other regions of Asia. If you happen to know a good source for information that is specifically about Korea, do tell me :)

Next post will be about an absolutely AMAZING discovery I made on my trip last weekend to Gwangju - see the picture below:

Can you figure out what this is? It looks like wood...

but there is also a metallic/rocky texture! 

* Before the 1970s, the variation and monsoon rainfall in East Asia  showed generally varying increases. Since the 1970s, global precipitation's divergent data demonstrated increases that almost coincided with increases in global temperature anomalies during the same period. For further information, please check out this research paper.


 - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.784/full
 - http://www.pmd.gov.pk/rnd/rnd_files/vol5_issue10/8.%20The%20Effect%20of%20Eurasian%20Snow%20Cover%20on%20the%20Monsoon%20Rainfall%20of%20Pakistan.pdf
 - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.784/pdf
 - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711400036X
 - http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/q-and-a-climate-change-and-the-monsoon/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Science&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=Blogs
 - http://www.climatenewsnetwork.net/2014/04/south-asian-monsoon-is-on-the-change/
 - http://web.kma.go.kr/eng/

Whimsical Weather - the Monsoon/Changma

It's already mid-July, and the Korean peninsula should be under a really heavy monsoon or "Changma", as we call it here. Although it rained during early morning on Friday in Seoul, it remained sunny throughout the day. It was slightly humid, but bearable. The sun was out and there was even a slightly cool breeze when I walked on the sidewalk. This would have been considered a pretty pleasant summer day, but there's also something to worry about: the Changma is starting really, really late.

See any sign of rain, anybody? (Photo taken at Yangjaecheon)

Having lower levels of humidity and not having to worry about rain boots, rain coats and umbrellas may be convenient to most of those who live in the city, but this means big trouble for the farming industry and the natural environment. When I watched the news last weekend, I was astonished at how some small lakes had dried up in the countryside, leaving only a threadlike streak of water in the middle of cracked soil. Last night, though, I was relieved to watch the report of rains falling throughout the country. That the Changma has begun is evident, but there are reports of low levels of precipitation compared to the previous years'. A Changma during which there is little rain is called "Dry Changma", and this year's definitely one of those. Even if the rain has been becoming heavier in some regions, the accumulated rain volume remains less than a quarter of last year's. Low levels of rain also mean many hotter days, so Seoulites must brace themselves for the suffocating warmth!

And why is any of this so significant? Here, summer has always meant Changma; the stickiness and the omnipresent beads of precipitation are things we've always accepted as the norm. The Changma is such a consistent part of the season that its vastly changing patterns observed in recent years can become a source of confusion and bewilderment. And of course, as I mentioned, vastly negative impacts on the environment.  

Whereas a Changma as late as this is not something Koreans are used to (yet), a Changma that is irregular, heavier and extends to the autumn months has become a somewhat common trend in the last few years. Since the rain season is such a crucial part of life in this country, it is important to be aware of at least a few factors that influence its fluctuating patterns. A lot of research has been done on this subject - not just the Korean Changma but that of entire South East Asia - which deal with Eurasian ice cover, marine and continental temperatures among other factors. 

The next post will be about such factors; it will be posted by the end of this month! Cheers :)

http://w3.sbs.co.kr/news/newsEndPage.do?news_id=N1002467806
http://news1.kr/articles/?1768511
http://www.kjdaily.com/read.php3?aid=1405338616324842001

Pictures: Whimsical Weather

The title of this blogpost says it all. There has been really capricious weather lately. A streak of lightning would burst into the sky with tempestuous rainfall only to be suddenly replaced by marvelous sunshine and a gentle breeze. Here are some pictures from the past two weeks! Hope you enjoy :)

 Shaky, but it was this picture that best captured the speed of the rainfall!

A slightly eerie air about the apartment blocks

Behind the classrooms - the statues say hello!

Young summer leaves intact after the rain 

A very light burgundy brown among the greens...wait, hair dye, anyone? :P

Now a much sunnier collection - !

If you could really fall in love with a color...

The artworks under the sunshine - an entirely different scene from the previous picture

The school's old library - red bricks and red leaves

The Korean national flower - Moogoonghwa (Rose of Sharon) 

See you again in a week or two! :)

"Dream, Design, Play": Dongdaemun Design Plaza

Last week, I FINALLY got the chance to see the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) - an incredible multipurpose cultural complex officially inaugurated on the 21st of March 2014. Built by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, it is hoped to become the hub of the Dongdaemun district of traditional markets and shopping centers. 

The exterior seemed perfectly seamless to me; as I crossed the Miraero Bridge, the curves simply flowed along walls and ceilings...Wait, it would actually be a bit inappropriate to distinguish between the two...because you can't. A surface here would merge with another there, and when I wandered around the plaza's grounds, it became a bit difficult to figure out how far a distance I had come, for the lines poured into the center, and then out to the edges again. But this is not to say that it was 'dizzying' or 'confusing' by any means. Perhaps the pleasant weather helped, but I felt completely at peace as I walked; the dusty grey of the concrete felt smooth under my fingertips and the soft glow of the aluminum panels gave off a luminescence calming and soothing. 

The soft glow of the aluminum panels give off a luminescence calming and soothing

Every step was amazement itself. There were hardly any straight lines and right angles. I had never seen acute and obtuse angles just dominate the design of a building before. What was really remarkable, I thought, was a wisp of cool breeze followed me everywhere I went. At an intersection pictured below, I could have forgotten that it was summer - was it the last bit of spring lingering under the ripping arch? 

A wisp of cool breeze - quite improbable, but maybe...

the last bit of spring lingering under the ripping arch?!

I particularly loved the Miraero Bridge I mentioned above. An entrance (there are many) into the plaza led to the bridge at the end of which you could enter the interior of the structure. Everywhere I went, I noticed concrete was used to set the base, but the material at one location reflected an intensity unlike any other. When I crossed the bridge, the trusses seemed almost off-white, a sandy shade of beige. I loved it.  

Miraero Bridge - to the future-!

Sadly, I couldn't spend a lot more time after taking a walk around the open grounds. I did take a look inside, of course, and it was wonderful to go around the 533 meters' spiral pathway (Design Pathway) that led me to fascinating exhibition halls. Next time I visit DDP, I'll focus more on the interior of the structure :)

After I came back home, I looked up the design of the plaza in greater detail. I was surprised it had a number of very important environmentally-friendly features - a geothermal system, an insulating glass fiber reinforced gypson board, a 3-dimensional solar power system, a rainwater harvesting system. I was surprised because the entire time I was there, I never saw any information about the green aspects of this structure. Whereas I saw many screens featuring Zaha Hadid and beautiful shots of the plaza, such features were not mentioned, not even in the detailed promotional leaflet. Did the operators believe the architectural achievements and the social prospects should be the focus? Or maybe, they thought that people would not be as interested in such information? Whatever the reason, I'm glad that I got to know about the environmentally-conscious sides in the end. Add that to my agenda the next time I visit - check out the green features, even if they're hard to find!

Hello again, Yangjaecheon!

          In early May, I was reading the local newspaper when I came across a short article about the Yangjaecheon Visitor Center holding a display of flower samples from the area. Naturally, I got quite excited. Firstly, it was the first time I had heard of the center; I took it as a sign that it must be a bit far away from where I usually roam about. Besides, what a perfect excuse to spend an afternoon getting a little lost here and there, exploring a new area of the stream! Secondly, I knew this would probably be the best way to find out the names of the countless flowers I had taken pictures of. There were so many photos of flowers stashed away in my hard drive; I really wanted to get to know the curious little smiling faces - their names at the very least. 
          So off I went! I started from the stepping stones of the Yangjaecheon area I usually go to and headed in the direction of the Daechi Station. It was a relief to get away from the tight, sometimes smothering towers of concrete, glass and steel and just let myself wander around the sparkling water, cooling myself under the shadows of the bright green foliage. I was a little worried though, as I went further and further away. There was not a single sign to help me go in the right direction. Plus, the journey was turning out to be a little longer than I expected. After walking for about an hour, I finally saw a little arrow beside a lamp post telling me to go up some wooden steps. I hurriedly ran up...and saw this:

The greens, the bridge, and stream...all of them made up the painting that was simply breathtaking. If you have read my early posts on Yangjaecheon, you would have seen many pictures...none of which look anything like this. I felt incredibly happy to see it all before me. I had never seen this part of Yangjaecheon before...and probably wouldn't have for some time if it hadn't been for this little trip to the Visitor Center. 

After taking some time to take the scenery in, I finally went into the building. I went up a flight of stairs and found an entire wall of flower samples and more displays of the flora and fauna of the area. 

Every sample was labeled with its scientific name as well as its Korean name. Just like I mentioned in a few older posts (Ginkgo biloba: "trees with apricots of a silvery glow"; Ligustrum obtusifolium: "Rat poo tree" or "Black bead tree"), Korean names can be incredibly funny and charming at the same time with a hint of innocence. So here are a few of the most memorable names I learned that day: "Embracing Spring" (Androsace umbellata), "Wind Facing Skies" (Fimbristylis miliacea), "Baby Poo Grass" (Chelidonium majus). 

The following are some more pictures!

"Plants at the center of Yangjae stream"

 The blue mint beetles I adore

Before and after the makeover process

A very important thing I thought I should tell everyone: As recent as the early 1990s, the stream was heavily polluted. From 1995 to 2000, it went through an intense makeover process. One of the most profound effects it had on this environment was the reintroduction of the great biodiversity it once had. Now we can even see raccoons on our daily morning walks :) 

If you would like to go to the Visitor Center yourself, check out the website for more information: http://www.gangnam.go.kr/portal/main/contents.do?menuNo=200652