Hiroaki SOMURA
somura@okayama-u.ac.jp

Research Background
Agricultural Engineering (Hydrology, Water Quality)
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology(Modeling analysis of NO3-N pollution of groundwater in Nasunogahara alluvial fan)Academic Career2003 : Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institute for Rural Engineering, Tsukuba
2005 : Assistant Professor, Shimane University
2010 : Associate Professor, Shimane University(2010 – 2011 : Visiting researcher, Texas A&M University, USA)2011 – 2017 : Associate Professor, Shimane University
2018 – Present : Associate Professor, Okayama University

Teaching Experiences
Hydrology – Watershed ManagementHydraulics

Irrigation and Drainage
Water quality analysis

Healthy Lake Water
Environment

Field Survey

Agri. Field Management

Recent major research axis
Suitable Agri. Fields Management• Maintain ecosystem sustainability• Mitigate sediment and nutrient losses• Protect a downstream lake water
environment• Increase benefits for local farmers
Water Quality Analysis➢ Journal of Hydrology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.05.032➢ Hydrological Processes, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7321

Recent major
research axis
Sustainable Community
Forest Management

Inadequate Management
in a Mountainous Area

Export Crop Production

Severe Erosion

Maintain Reservoir Function• Ecosystem sustainability• Mitigate water discharge• Decrease erosion impact
and nutrient loss
• Maintain Reservoirfunction• Increase benefits for localfarmers➢ Water, https://doi.org/10.3390/w11112363➢ Environmental Monitoring and Assessment,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7890-5➢ Lakes & Reservoirs, https://doi.org/10.1111/lre.12221

Adaptation
for the future

Drought

Inappropriate water allocation

Recent major research axis
Management of Irrigation Water• Improve crop productivity• Make decision for future climate conditions• Increase benefits for local farmers

Semi-arid Region

Recent major
research axis

Environmental Flow
Sustainability• Ecosystem sustainability
in a river• Balance human water
cnsumption vs. agri. use• Increase benefits for
local communities

Students and colleagues in research activities

Additional References• H. Somura, H. Kunii, Y. Yone, I. Takeda, H. Sato (2018): Importance of considering nutrient loadings
from small watersheds to a lake – A case study of the Lake Shinji watershed, Shimane Prefecture,Japan, International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 11 (5): 124-130.
• H. Somura, T. Masunaga, Y. Mori, I. Takeda, J. Ide, H. Sato (2015):Estimation of nutrient input by amigratory bird, the Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus), to winter-flooded paddy fields, Agriculture,Ecosystems and Environment, 119, 1-9.
• H. Somura, I. Takeda, Y. Mori (2009):Influence of puddling procedures on the quality of rice paddy
drainage water, Agricultural Water Management, 96 (6), 1052-1058.
• H. Somura, A. Goto, H. Matsui, AM. Elhassan (2008):Impacts of nutrient management and decrease inpaddy field area on groundwater nitrate concentration: a case study at the Nasunogahara alluvial fan,Tochigi prefecture, Japan, Hydrological Processes, 22 (24), 4752-4766.
• H. Somura, K. Yoshida, H. Tanji (2008):Decadal fluctuations in the consumption of irrigation water
during the rainy season, Lower Mekong River, Hydrological Processes, 22 (9), 1310-1320.