2/8/24, 5:44 AM

GP-RSS Seminar
International Joint Graduate Programin Resilience and Safety Studies (GP-RSS), Tohoku University

FEBRUARY 19, 2024 (14:00 – 17:30)
Main conference room, 3rd floor, GSES main building
AOBAYAMA CAMPUS TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XAN1NGyKv4Tccaqf8
Invited Speech Session (14:00 – 15:30)

River Ecology and Physical Geography§ Increasing river resilience by reconnecting channels and floodplains at low flow
Dr. Matthew Johnson (Associate Professor, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom)§ How have rivers changed under the long-term climate changes?
Dr. Takayuki Takahashi (Assistant Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University)§ Developing functional flow recommendations to guide operation of a large tropical hydropower dam
Dr. Chris Gibbins (Professor, University of Nottingham, Malaysia)§ Monitoring biodiversity of freshwater macroinvertebrates in polluted rivers by eDNA
Dr. Noriko Uchida (Assistant Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University)

Invited Speech Session (15:40 – 17:30)

Urban Planning and Human Geography
S C RO L L§ Flood adaptation and mitigation in Japan under climate change
Dr. So Kazama (Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University)§ Sponge Cities in China – Progress, challenges and the way forward
Dr. Faith Chan (Associate Professor, University of Nottingham, China)§ Opportunities and limitations of disaster reduction efforts in rebuilding
https://www.ggi.tohoku.ac.jp
Dr. Kanako Iuchi (Associate Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University)§ The loc-in dynamics hindering adaptation action
Dr. Meghan Alexander (Assistant Professor, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom)§ Utilizing Spatial Big Data for Human Geography Research
Dr. Shohei Nagata (Assistant Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University)

Commentators:
Dr. Sabine Loos (Assistant Professor, University of Michigan, United States)
Dr. Kozo Nagami (Professor, Green Goals Initiative, Tohoku University)
Dr. Sediqi Mohammad Naser (Post-doctoral research fellow, Green Goals Initiative, Tohoku University)

Invited Speech Session (14:00 – 15:40)

River Ecology and Physical Geography
Opening address & Chair: Professor Daisuke Komori (Green Goals Initiative, Tohoku University)
Matthew Johnson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, UK
Title: “Increasing river resilience by reconnecting channels and floodplains at low flow”
Past river management has left many river systems vulnerable to ongoing climate change aschannel systems cannot adjust to changing drivers. I will talk about the benefits ofreconnecting river channels to floodplain valleys to increase resilience to extreme flows andtemperatures, and increase freshwater biodiversity.

Chris Gibbins, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Nottingham,
Malaysia
Title: “Developing functional flow recommendations to guide operation of a large tropicalhydropower dam”
Environmental flow regimes are typically designed to protect important species, but in many
tropical rivers we know very little about what species are present, let alone what flows theyneed. In this talk I will outline some alternative approaches to providing flow
recommendations, using a case study of a Bornean River that will soon be dammed.

Takayuki Takahashi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University
Title: “How have rivers changed under the long-term climate changes?”
Fluvial terraces formed due to the climate and sea-level changes in long term can be regarded
as “fossils” of rivers and are also the basis of our society activities frequently. I will introduce
the latest research topics of fluvial geomorphology and Quaternary geoscience.

Noriko Uchida, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University
Title: “Monitoring biodiversity of freshwater macroinvertebrates in polluted rivers by eDNA”
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an increasingly essential tool for understanding the ecologicalimpacts of anthropogenic activities. This talk will compare insect collection and eDNA
methods and present the response of macroinvertebrates to heavy metal pollution.
approach to river management. Freshwater macroinvertebrates are popular as environmental

Commentators:
impact indicators because their response to environmental changes is immediate. In this talk,
response
Sabinethe
Loos,
Ph.D.of macroinvertebrate communities toward heavy metal pollution from anabandoned
two methods:
insectcollectionofandeDNA will be shown.
Assistant
Professor,mine,Civil &comparing
EnvironmentalEngineering,
University
Michigan
Furthermore, the obtained eDNA data was used as ecological impact indicators and examine

Kozo Nagami,Ph.D.
its usefulness.

Professor, Green Goals Initiative, Tohoku University

Sediqi Mohammad Naser, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral research fellow, Green Goals Initiative, Tohoku University

Invited Speech Session (15:40 – 17:30)

Urban Planning and Human Geography
Faith Chan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, China
Title: “Sponge Cities in China – Progress, challenges and the way forward”‘Sponge City’ is the term used to describe the Chinese government’s approach to urban
surface water management. While ambitious and far-reaching in its aim (of reducing nationalflood risk, increasing water supply and improving water quality), In this session, we will discuss
the interpretation, progress, challenges and the way forward in urban future.

Meghan Alexander, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, UK
Title: “The loc-in dynamics hindering adaptation action”
There is a growing Adaptation Gap, which means adaptation action is failing to keep pace withthe worsening impacts of climate change. I will explore how the concept of ‘lock-in dynamics’
can shed new light on the reasons behind the Adaptation Gap and how this could be used tohelp inform ‘unlocking’ strategies to accelerate adaptation action.

So Kazama, Ph.D.
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Title: “Flood adaptation and mitigation in Japan under climate change”
A flood simulation is applied to whole Japan to evaluate impacts in the future and adaptation
options. 2D non-uniform flow is modeled to obtain the inundation depth and duration, which
are used for calculation of flood damage in each land use according to the economic manual
for flood protection.

Kanako Iuchi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku UniversityTitle: “Opportunities and limitations of disaster reduction efforts in rebuilding”
Using the case of the 2018 Central Sulawesi earthquake five years after, this talk showcases
government efforts to reduce hazards in rebuilding and the complications of achieving its goalof resilience in practice.

Shohei Nagata, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University
Title: “Utilizing Spatial Big Data for Human Geography Research”
Spatial big data acquired from cell phones and various sensors enable dynamic observation ofpeople's activities and urban environments. This presentation will introduce the use of spatial
big data in human geography research, particularly health geography research.