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

Tints of Coral Pink & Carmine

I've wanted to share my pictures of spring flowers for ages; I've been saving them up, hoping to capture the delicate beauties as well as I could. Some are a little shaky, some are overexposed...but I hope you'll enjoy these photos of spring colors as much as I did!

They remind me of bacteriophages...

Is it just me, or do these azalea buds look like heads of bacteriophages? Maybe I've been studying biology too much...haha. Tell me if you agree with me! (See a diagram of a bacteriophage here!)

The shade of green - somewhere 
between citron and avocado?

By the school gallery - blushes of pastel magenta 

I adore these flowers - but I can't help but think

of feather dusters whenever I see them. :S

Upside-down lanterns smiling down at me :) 

These are same flowers mentioned in an older post! Their petals became a gorgeous plum^^ Their name is simply "viola", belonging to the Violaceae family. They're called 제비꽃 (pronunciation: "Jebi-ggot"; literal translation: "Barn swallow flowers") in Korean because they are known to bloom when barn swallows come back from their migration in the winter.





Please leave comments below if you know the name of other flowers in this post! :D

'Should I Be Worried?' 4 - Finding The Answers

The page that prompted my question

Do you remember the question I had on the first blogpost of this 'Should I Be Worried' series? (For those of you who are new to my blog, there are three previous posts leading up to this final one; please read those first if you are interested in acidic precipitation!) I had wondered whether the following argument in the book was a strong one: since beverages such as orange juice and coke are strong acids that are harmless for our consumption, acid rain - of much lower acidity - cannot have the head-balding effects that many Koreans fear. Pushing aside the "absurdity" of the fear, I'd thought that this perhaps was not a very accurate argument. Everyone knows that strong acids like HCL and H2SO4 should not be consumed...but the above mentioned drinks - also strong acids - can be safely consumed. What makes certain acids drinkable and others dangerous? I'd thought that maybe there was a different type of acids...so I set out to find out. As I mentioned in my previous post, I couldn't get the information I wanted on the Internet. So I asked my chemistry professor and earth science professor and got a somewhat clearer picture. 

          According to my chemistry professor, there is no different type or kind of acidity that decides whether a certain beverage is drinkable or not. After talking with her, I realized that I hadn't thought deeply enough about how acidity works...even strong acids like hydrogen chloride and sulfuric acid can be diluted so that they are safe to drink. But then I got another question: suppose there is a sample of hydrogen chloride at pH 4 and orange juice at pH 4. When they're both at the same - and low - pH level, obviously the latter is the one we would drink. while what the book said felt more reasonable (that rainwater is acidic but only at a very low level, thus causes no harm to our health) I got yet another question, so I set out to ask my earth science professor. 

The book asks us to question

 "Acid Rain" itself

          We mainly discussed whether we could determine the safety - or lack of - in a certain food only based on its level of pH. He said (adding that he is not a biology teacher, haha) that the reactions a bit of food goes through our digestive system can be different from another. Our body reacts differently to each food so that even if a strong acid enters, there is a sort of "buffer system" that would make sure it causes no harm to our internal system. A classic example from high school biology class makes it clear: Cells in the duodenum - the beginning of the small intestine - secrete bicarbonate to neutralize any gastric acid before it is passed through the digestive tract. Likewise, a strong acid like orange juice does not harm us since it goes through a "system" that makes it harmless. Thus, it would be inaccurate to claim that certain foods are safer or more dangerous than others simply because of its pH levels. Plus, there would also be a difference between consuming acidic drinks (so that they actually get in our bodies) and having acidic liquids remain on our scalps. (Remember, Koreans do not fear getting in touch with rain...they fear what rainwater can do if we don't wash it away quickly from our hair roots.)
          Although the little "research" I did only scratched the surface, I think I can give a sort of conclusion to the question I had. Yes, rain usually has a much higher level of pH than liquids that we consume or use on a daily basis. This suggests that rainwater can be safe to drink, for example, so there shouldn't be such a great fear about acid rain when only looking at the level of acidity. On the other hand, drinking and getting in sustained contact with acid rain are quite different. Therefore, to say that rainwater would not cause any harm to our scalp ( it does sound a bit funny written down, doesn't it?) simply because it is less acidic than liquids that we drinkwould not be the strongest argument to make. What do you think??

There are some areas where the water sources have
Arsenic concentrations higher than 0.05 ppm

          So with my question answered somewhat satisfactorily, what have I got to say about this book? It shook me up, quite a bit. Although I only wrote about whether we should be worried about acid rain or snow, the book's later chapters provide knowledge and ideas for using rainwater as a resource. According to the professor, we may not even need to depend on dams, underground water storage or bottled water. Controlling the flow of rain efficiently could eliminate floods or the problems of poisoned water sources. The most important thing, though, was this: of course I agree with the parts about acid rain as a resource, but I struggled a little with what the book called "The Strange Story of Acid Rain". What the book said (that in Korea, acid rain should not be held accountable for acidified lakes and forests, corroded buildings and of course, baldness among other things) clashed with what I ideas I had accumulated over the years. The thinking process itself was one of the most valuable things I gained. Whether or not I completely agree with everything in this book is another matter; but I recommend it to anyone who wants to have their paradigms challenged, beliefs and ideas confronted and astonishing knowledge and concepts gained. So yes, I had quite a unique reading experience with "Rainwater and You" by Moo Young Han and Chang Rae Kang. 

Sorry about the delay in publishing this blogpost :((( This time, I'll be more specific: the next post will be up before May comes!

Oh, it's Spring!! ...And Leaving Already?

Pinks among the new greens

A few weeks ago, it seemed Spring had finally come. I no longer had to brace myself for an icy chill when walking out of a building, and to my utmost delight, there were glimmers of greens on tree branches. People on the streets seemed more relaxed, swinging their arms about, and embracing the sunlight. When passing shops and supermarkets, I could hear lyrics with acoustic melodies singing of the season "of new love", "hope" and "awakening of memories". Last year's popular spring song "Bom Bom Bom" (In English: "Spring Spring Spring") by Roy Kim flowed out of open car windows. I was incredibly happy at the coming of the new season; it felt serene and liberating (free of thick coats, suffocating scarves and gloves?). I wandered around delightedly - there were so many signs of new life, bursting near the brick walls of the library, by dust bins and next to lamp posts. I felt so blessed to be able to capture such tranquil beauty not only onto digital images but also onto my mind. 

"National cherry blossom bloom season"
and "cherry blossom festivals" are popular searches
(3/30/2014)

But there was tiny thought tugging at me; it was that the change in seasons was proceeding too quickly. The temperatures were not lingering around 8℃ to 13℃, rising little by little but reaching nearly 24℃ in just a week. Before I realized, the weather report was informing us of the imminent early summer weather. Spring festivals usually start in March and end in May; but by looking at the recent temperature changes, it seemed summer would be here much sooner than we expected. 

Shades of purple among crumpled leaves - anyone know what
these adorable flowers are called??

So what is responsible for such drastic changes in our seasons? Global climate change - an answer that is now neither informative nor unexpected. Yet, if we delve into the various effects and consequences of this new spring pattern (which will keep on changing throughout the years) we can grasp a fuller understanding of how our Earth is evolving. Plus, we will find ourselves asking questions that scientists and agencies all over the globe are pondering over. 




I have outlined some major points that give us a fuller picture of the changes in spring:

Right now, it seems like spring's just come
 - but summer is just around the corner!

1. The alteration of one of nature's most important cues, the arrival of spring warmth, means different organisms will react differently. Some species - those that manage to adapt - will benefit from this change whereas others will face a severe threat. 

2. Seasonal relationships between species can be disrupted. According to UK's Natural Environment Research Council, "different species change their seasonal timing to different degrees". The change in the action-reaction of behavioral patterns among organisms can bring about adverse changes in breeding rates and population size. 

3. Seasonal pattern changes occur differently by region; this means there can be further confusion among migrating animals as species from altered climate will interact with those from normal climate.

4. Short springs and longer summers mean mosquitoes and tics can be around for longer. Since they are capable of transmitting diseases, this is a threat to the vast majority of animal species including humans.

Humans activities are also affected: 

Both human and other species' activities are affected 

5. Businesses are among those who have to alter their strategies. According to Kook Min Il Bo News, fashion brands are hurriedly releasing their summer collections in Korea. Summer items are becoming more popular than spring items; accessories such as sunglasses which have been typically sold in "summer months" are now quickly being purchased in the "spring months". 

6. The distribution of number of visits to places such as public parks and water parks is changing. As weather becomes unpredictable, customer behavior that served as a model to businesses and governments is becoming unreliable. 

* Not directly related to the current Korean climate but another important point for when spring comes too early: If plants begin their fruition too soon, a later frost can destroy the foods produced. This affects not only animal species that rely on the foods but also farmers who depend on its produce. 

Final post for the blogpost series 'Should I be Worried?' to come soon-!

http://www.livescience.com/19679-climate-change-seasons-shift-mismatch.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2012/03/21/early-spring-may-signal-darker-climate-changes-ahead/

http://time.com/30638/the-end-of-spring-in-a-warming-world/

http://www.ceh.ac.uk/sci_programmes/shifting-seasons-uk.html

http://news.kukinews.com/article/view.asp?page=1&gCode=cul&arcid=0007178958&cp=nv

'Should I Be Worried?' 3 - Drinking Rain

Image from http://www.cloudjuice.com.au/Size_Matters.html

Clouds are usually pictured as wispy fluffs floating about in the skies. But what if you could 'squeeze' them like oranges and get 'juice'? Haha, I'm sure that's not exactly possible. But "Cloud Juice" is the name of an Australian bottled water brand - and quite an appropriate name it is! * This example is quite significant in this series of blogposts for it deals exclusively with the question of whether we can drink rainwater for its safety as well as taste. 

Drinking rainwater is something Professor Han strongly advocates. According to the professor, rainwater is the cleanest water on Earth. Koreans usually assume streams of water deep in the mountains are quite hygienic. Since such water is actually rainwater, the professor argues that Koreans should then have no problems with drinking rain even in industrialized areas. The Korean peninsula has a highly mountainous terrain; thus, it is quite common to see veins of clear water flowing past when up hiking. 

Some of us may have doubts about drinking rain, but the professor holds a strong belief in rainwater. In the book is described a trip to a remote village near the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. Professor Han and his team of several university students built rainwater collecting units in some individual houses to provide the villagers with water for drinking as well as farming and cooking. The villagers needed this new source of water badly- until then, they had to do with Arsenic-contaminated underground water. What I found the most remarkable was the simplicity of the unit: it is easy to set up and requires materials that are not difficult to find. I attached a photo in the book for you to see! The facility can be divided into three main parts: catchment (for collecting rain directly), bucket (for filtration) and series of tubes (for storing rainwater). The simplicity of the apparatus means it can easily be set up by the villagers themselves. Although I am yet to reach a definite conclusion about acid rain, it surely is a much better alternative to the poisonous water . 

Image from the book 'Rainwater And You' 

by Professor Moo Young Han and Chang Rae Kang

Through the explanations of such projects, the book discusses the importance of rain as a resource. All of us are familiar with the environmentally-friendly way rain is used in buildings. But like the rainwater collection units, we may be able to find even simpler solutions to solve the problem of water shortage.

*http://www.cloudjuice.com.au/Size_Matters.html