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Introduction of Hitoshi Tamura, who joined our Program in August 2005.
I joined the climate variations
research program in August 2005. I have studied on the physical environment of coral reef areas inTokyo Institute of
Technology. One of major research activities was to observe the environment of the Nansei Islands such as Okinawa, Kerama, Miyako, and Ishigaki Islands and to realize the present
condition of the coastalenvironment. |
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In fact Ishigaki Island is faced with the serious environmental
problems due to theairport construction and the red-soil deposition. The other was, based on the field
observations, to evaluate the current and thermal environment in coral reefs using a numerical model
specializedfor very shallow ocean with only about 5m depths. In the FRCGC, I would like to develop
a newocean current and wave forecast system based on the JCOPE model and investigate its
applicabilityto societies. |
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| GAME (GEWEX Asian Monsoon Experiment; GEWEX is Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment), in which many membersof our HCRP have participated, was formally finished in March 2005. A new framework is being prepared in order to furtherpromote studies related to GEWEX in Asia partly based on the heritage of GAME. Though its name and details have not yet beendecided, its concept at an interim stage as discussed in an international workshop held on 28 August in Kyoto is as follows. Itsmain objective is to build capacity of hydro-meteorological prediction of the time scales up to seasonal through betterunderstanding of Asian monsoon. The impact of human activity, such as emission of aerosols and greenhouse gases and land-usechange, on the hydrological cycle is one of the key issues to be examined. The target area is the whole monsoon Asia, and it canalso be considered as four subregions: Tropical Asia (including not only Indochina Penisula which was the target area of GAME-Tropics but also Indonesian Maritime Continent and Indian Subcontinent), Tibet/Himalayas, East Asia, and Northeast Asia (includingMongolia). Studies of the hydrological cycle in Siberia will be promoted mainly in the context of another international researchprogram CliC (Climate and Cryosphere).
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| The Acid Rain 2005 Conference was held on 12-17 June 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic, andbrought together more than 600 scientists from more than 40 countries. Three researchers,i.e., DrsBin Zhu, Pakpong Pochanart and Xiaoyuan Yan, and one sub-leader, Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, fromAtmospheric Composition Program, attended the conference. Acid Rain is a series conference takingplace every 5 years. The previous Acid Rain was held in Tsukuba Japan, and the next one will be heldin Beijing, 2010 and chaired by Dr. Zifa Wang, an alumnus of Atmospheric Composition Program. |
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The focus of these conferences has evolved over the years starting with focus on questions regarding the causes and effects of acidrain, to measures required to reduce the problems, to the degree and rate of recovery, and now to the complicating role of otherpollutants. And it was proposed that the next conference be named Acid Rain and Air Pollution.The Acid rain problem originated from Europe and North America in 1970s withextensive damage to fish and risk to forest. Now in these regions, emissions of sulphurand nitrogen has declined, acidification of soil and surface water has ceased in large areas,and ecosystems are beginning to recover. However, emissions are increasing rapidlyelsewhere, especially in regions such as China, Japan, and the Indian sub-continent arenow at risk for damage to human health and to freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.Thus more research and policy response are needed in these regions. |
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