Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (MEXT)Research Revolution 2002 (RR2002)

Sustainable Coexistence of Human Nature and the Earth"
Advanced Prediction System and Counter Measures of Regional- and Meso- scale Water Cycle"
1. Purpose
ĦĦDevelop a coupled model, comprising of atmospheric, hydrological, and land vegetation components,
for the Asian monsoon region. The model outputs will be compared with the observations in order to
validate the simulations, and to improve its model performance, if necessary.
Also, based on above, new technologies such as local precipitation control and greening of desert,
which can be applied to possible scenarios, will be developed.
2. Outline
  1. Study on the generation and mechanism of coastal desert
    (Frontier Research System for Global Change)

    To understand and predict desert climate variability using a general circulation model
    on the Earth Simulator.

  2. Prediction of natural disasters caused by variations in the atmosphere-land-ocean
    hydrological circulation of East Asia.
    (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention)

    A set of models - high-resolution ocean-atmosphere coupled model, a wide area water budget model,
    and a regional atmospheric model of East Asia - will be coupled together
    and integrated on the Earth Simulator to predict and evaluate changes in East Asian flooding associated
    with future variations in the hydrological cycle.

  3. Development of coupled regional hydrological cycle model and prediction of
    hydrology/hydrological cycle of coastal desert and its variability
    (Kyoto University, Disaster Prevention Research Institute)

    In order to apply the outcome from the studies of global hydrological cycle (Frontier Research System
    for Global Change) to the development of water collection technology and
    agricultural measures for 'greening' of desert, it is planned to improve the atmosphere-ocean-land-vegetation
    interaction model and construct an integrated hydrological cycle model that can treat regional
    (~10km) to local (~100m) scale phenomena, clarify the mechanism of hydrological cycle in West Asia,
    and predict and evaluate the impact of greening of desert.

  4. Study on maintenance of water resources
    (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)

    Basic research on permanent water resource maintenance technologies using recyclable natural energy
    will be conducted for a coastal desert region near to the ocean.

  5. Development of water recycling-based oasis, creation of residential space,
    development of biological production system
    (Tottori University, Arid Land Research Center)

    It is planned to conduct basic research on technological development in
    "creation of water recycling-based oasis with high biological productivity by pooling the water resources
    obtained by the highly efficient water collection technologies". Also, evaluation methods to assess
    the effect of such oasis on the underground water system and the surrounding land environment will be developed.

  6. Assessment of the impact from improvement of coastal desert environment on the nature and human life
    (Sophia University, Faculty of Law)

    Impact of hydrological cycle variability, climate variability, regional control of precipitation,
    and desertification on the environment of West Asia will be studied. Scenario for the future human activity in West Asia,
    and its societal impact will be addressed, and mechanism for global warming and associated impacts on
    international relations and economy are analyzed and evaluated from the societal point of view.
3. Annual plan