Kickoff of blue carbon joint research on Wakame cultivation in Fukuura in December 2022
Itochu Enex Co., Ltd., Fukuura Fisheries Cooperative, Yugawara Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, and the University of Tokyo have started a joint research on carbon sequestration by new Wakame (a kind of seaweed) cultivation aiming for blue carbon implementation. Blue carbon is defined by the United Nations Environment Programme as sequestered carbon absorbed by marine ecosystems. Seaweed cultivation is expected to contribute to both carbon sequestration and fishery. There have been few examples of new seaweed cultivation aiming for blue carbon, and we will pursue co-benefits between carbon absorption and aquatic resources through new Wakame cultivation. Group photo of collaborators Representative members from the University of Tokyo, Fukuura Fisheires Cooperative, and Itochu […]
Lab's welcome and year-end party in December 2023
We welcomed one doctoral student and four master’s students from overseas in October 2023. We held a year-end party together with them, taking into account measures against the novel corona-virus infection.
FY2022 Coastal Engineering Paper Award
The following paper, published in Journal of JSCE B2 (Coastal Engineering), received Coastal Engineering Paper Award from the JSCE Coastal Engineering Committee. This research focused on a blue carbon function of Tokyo Bay, one of the world's representative urban bays. This paper reported on the continuous observation of partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in the surface seawater in a harbor using an inexpensive and practical handmade sensor system. Congratulations to Masanori Endo, Project Academic Specialist, and SUN Jing, 2nd-year master's student. Publication Endo, M., Sun, Jing and Sasaki, J.: Continuous observation of partial pressure of carbon dioxide in winter at a port in the head of Tokyo Bay. Journal […]
Seminar by Prof Changsheng CHEN on November 2022
A seminar was held inviting Prof. Changsheng CHEN, a project professor (Montgomery Charter Chair Professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), both in person and online on Kashiwa Campus, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, on November 18, 2022. The title of the talk was "Potential Impacts of Offshore Renewable Wind Energy Development on Marine Environment over the US Northeast." The talk was on predicting and evaluating the impact on coastal circulation, environmental fields, and aquatic resources such as scallops regarding offshore wind power generation plans along the North Atlantic coast of the United States. The presentation used many easy-to-understand animations and there was a lively Q&A […]
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!