Prof Changsheng CHEN's seminar at Osaka University in October 2022
On October 27th, 2022, Project Professor Changsheng CHEN (Montgomery Charter Chair Professor at Massachusetts University) gave a seminar at Osaka University. We would like to thank Professor Masayasu IRIE and everyone else involved for their support. Seminar After the seminar, we visited Dotonbori, Osaka, followed by a social gathering.
Lab's trip to Lake Kawaguchi in October 2022
We went on a laboratory trip for the first time in several years from October 21st to 22nd, 2022. It was at Lake Kawaguchi. Professor Chen and his wife also participated. We stayed at a business hotel where everyone could stay in a private room as a measure against the COVID-19. We went from Akihabara to Kawaguchiko Station by highway bus and then moved by rental cars. Lunch barbecue at Kawaguchiko Craft Park. Group photo with Mt. Fuji in the background Room at Noborizaka Hotel Fugaku Wind Cave Asagiri Plateau Asagiri Food Park Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station Mt. Fuji 5th Station View of Lake Yamanaka from Mt. Fuji 5th […]
Commencement and Lab's farewell party in September 2022
The commencement was held on September 22nd, 2022. Lab's farewell party was held that night in the laboratory. Two master’s degree students and two doctoral students (one of whom graduated in June) received their degrees. Congratulations on your graduation! Group photo after the commencement of Department of Socio-Cultural Environmental Studies Lab's celebration and farewell party. Also lab's welcome party for project professor Changsheng CHEN. Presentation of commemorative gifts. One of the Ph.D. Awardees joined online as he had come back to his mother country. Group photo
Project professor appointed in September 2023
From September 1st, 2022 for three months, Montgomery Charter Chair Professor Changsheng CHEN of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has been invited as a project professor at the University of Tokyo. Professor CHEN is well known as the developer of the unstructured grid, finite volume, community ocean model called FVCOM. Originally scheduled to be invited two years ago, it was postponed due to the novel corona-virus infection and finally we could invite him. He stays in Kashiwa with his wife. Welcome party at Tokujuan in Kashiwanoha
Field survey in the Fukido River mangrove on Ishigaki Island in the summer of 2022
We conducted a one-month field survey in the Fukido River mangrove forest in Ishigaki Island again in the summer of 2022; Nakamura (D2) and Phyo (M2) were major contributors. We again received supports from the Port and Airport Research Institute, the National Institute for Environmental Studies, and Osaka Metropolitan University. This summer, we mainly investigated the process of inorganic carbon export from mangrove soils and the carbon cycle between mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs. We express our gratitude to the members of Fukui Prefectural University for their assistance in collecting and analyzing groundwater samples. We will continue our research to understand the whole picture of blue carbon in mangroves in […]
Award for Outstanding Student Presentation at the 2022 Congress of Japan Geoscience Union
Wataru Nakamura, a second-year PhD student, received the Outstanding Student Presentation Award in the Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences Section at the 2022 Congress of the Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU Meeting 2022). More than 550 students entered the competition; about 5-10 % of the entries in each section received this award in the 2022 Congress. The title of the presentation was "Tidal-driven high CO2 evasion from mangrove swamp to the air and adjoining waters over spring-neap tidal cycles in the estuary of Fukido River, Ishigaki Island". Congratulations!
Lab's welcome party in June 2022
We held a welcome party for our laboratory on June 4, 2022. International students who arrived late due to COVID-19 and bachelor's thesis student participated.
Mapping of subtidal and intertidal seagrass meadows via application of the Feature Pyramid Network to unmanned aerial vehicle orthophotos
Research Overview Seagrass meadows, including eelgrass beds, are expected to contribute to blue carbon, defined as carbon sequestered and stored by the ocean, and to provide co-benefits with ecosystem services such as fisheries. Although the restoration of seagrass meadows has long been undertaken by local non-profit organizations, it is necessary to annually monitor the distribution of seagrass meadows in an inexpensive, simple, and high-resolution manner for the certified assessment of carbon dioxide sequestration. In this study, we proposed a method for mapping seagrass meadows distributed from subtidal to intertidal zones by employing consumer-grade aerial drone photography and deep learning of Feature Pyramid Network (FPN). Extensive efforts were made to create […]
Filed survey on Fukido River mangrove in Ishigaki Island
With the cooperation of the Port and Airport Research Institute, Nakamura (D1) and Phyo (M2) have started to study carbon dioxide sequestration and emission by mangrove forests. In August 2021, they conducted a one-month field survey in the mangroves of the Fukidori River in Ishigaki Island. Fukido River mangrove in Ishigaki Island Mangrove forests are said to have a high carbon sequestration capacity due to carbon sequestration by photosynthesis and the deposition of organic matter by complex above-ground roots. The carbon sequestration is also promoted by the fact that the soil is always in a reducing state due to the high organic matter content, and the rate of soil decomposition […]
Comprehensive Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment in the Makran Subduction Zone
Research Overview Although earthquakes in the Makran subduction zone (MSZ) can cause tsunamis along the southern coast of Iran, little research has been done because of ethnic minority settlements and undeveloped areas. Chabahar is an important port city in this region and some areas are considered to be an important coastal zone in Iran as a free trade zone. In this study, a probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis (PTHA) method is proposed to apply to the source and coastal areas where information is scarce, and the probability of tsunami height exceedance for different recurrence periods (50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 years) is presented for several areas along the southern coast […]