CIC NEWSLETTER

No.15 2017

Center for International Collaboration
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute
The University of Tokyo

The 29th Session of the Assembly of theIntergovernmental Oceanographic Commission(IOC-29)

Contents

Yutaka MICHIDA

Professor, Center for International
Collaboration
Prof. Michida, reporting the outcome of
IODE-24, on the podium at the 29th IOC
Assembly.

The 29th Session of theAssembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) was
held on June 21–29, 2017, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Professor
Mitsuo Uematsu, director of the Center for International Collaboration (CIC)of AORI, participated as the head of the Japanese delegation. Professors
Yutaka Michida and Hiroaki Saito also attended the meeting as delegation
members. The session adopted various decisions to prioritize the programsof the IOC. These decisions included the IOC’s contribution toward Agenda
2030 of the United Nations, which contains a set of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, SDG-14, calling to “conserve andsustainably use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development”, is directly relevant to the work of the IOC. One of the
Resolutions adopted by the Assembly proposes “an International Decade of
Ocean Science for Sustainable Development,” with which the Assembly
requests the IOC Executive Secretary to convey the proposal to the United
Nations General Assembly for consideration at its 72th Session in 2017.
After the UN General Assembly, the proposal was approved and the UN
adopted the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development forthe period 2021–2030. Professor Michida, co-chair of International
Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE), reported to the IOC
Assembly on the outcome from the 24th Session of IODE Committee heldon March 28–31, 2017, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and recommendations
adopted at the IODE Committee. IODE is one of the IOC projects with thelongest history, over 50 years, and has been required to implement
restructuring in its management, taking into consideration the recent
developments in information technology. The proposal from the Committee
on the reorganization of IODE management structure was strongly supportedby the IOC Member States and approved by the IOC Assembly.

Japanese delegation at the 29th Session of the
IOC Assembly. Front row from the left: Prof.
Uematsu, head of the delegation; Mr.
Watanabe, Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and
Dr. Kawano (JAMSTEC). On the left end of thesecond row: Prof. Saito. Second from the rightend of the second row: Prof. Michida.

1.

The 29th Session of the Assembly of
the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC29)

2.

WESTPAC XI Intergovernmental
Session
AORI/UTokyoTraining Course 2017
“HAB Mitigation and Managementin the WESTPAC Region”

3.

International Workshop for Future
RTRC Networking in the WESTPAC
Region4.

Report from the 23rd ICSU Regional
Committee Meeting for Asia and thePacific

5.

PICES-2017 Annual Meeting

6.

Progress of the Ocean KAN activity
Core-to-core RENSEA Seminar on
Coastal Ecosystems in Southeast
Asia

7.

University of Tokyo and Universityof Hawai‘i The 4th Joint
Symposium on Ocean, Coastal, andAtmospheric Sciences
ANU–UTokyo students joint shortcourse “International Seminar”

9.

University Allied Workshop 2017:
Workshop for Typhoon, Cloud andClimate Study, August 22–24, 2017

10. Looking back on my life until now,
my retirement age
11. Visiting Professors
12. Visiting professors’ reports

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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

WESTPAC XI Intergovernmental Session
Hiroaki SAITO

Professor, Center for International Collaboration

The Eleventh Intergovernmental Session of the IOC SubCommission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC-XI) was held in
Qingdao, China, from April 21 to 23, 2017. Prof. Mitsuo Uematsu,
director of the Center for International Collaboration of AORI,
participated as the head of the Japanese delegation. Prof. Yutaka
Michida and Prof. Hiroaki Saito also attended as members of theJapanese delegation
Japanese delegation. Regional projects and working group activities
were reviewed, and five recommendations were adopted.
In the session, Dr. Vo Si Tuan from Vietnam was elected as Chairperson. Dr. Fangli Qiao from China, Dr.
Zainal Arifin from Indonesia, and Dr. Kentaro Ando from Japan were elected as Vice-Chairpersons for the next
intersessional period. Prior to the session, the 10th WESTPAC International Scientific Conference was held. The
conference was quite successful and was attended by more than 800 scientists from 19 countries to advance ocean
knowledge and foster sustainable development.

AORI/UTokyo Training Course 2017
“HAB Mitigation and Management in the WESTPAC Region”
Mitsunori IWATAKIAssociate Professor, Asian Natural Environmental Science Center

The AORI/UTokyo Training Course “HAB Mitigationand Management in the WESTPAC Region” was held from
October 31 to November 4, 2017 at AORI, Kashiwa Campus.
It was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT) andsupported by WESTPAC-HAB project; Asian Natural
Environmental Science Center, University of Tokyo; Schoolof Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University; Japan
Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology(JAMSTEC); and IOC/WESTPAC.
The Course was participated by 12 trainees working mainly on monitoring and/or management of harmful
algal blooms (HAB) from eight countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand,
and Vietnam). The Training Course aimed at sharing knowledge on HAB monitoring/management and better
understanding of HAB mitigation under the concept of sustainability science, and was composed of lectures, country
reports, excursions, discussions, and presentations. Lectures on sustainability science and HAB-related topics weredelivered by Drs. Akimasa Sumi (University of Tokyo), Yasuwo Fukuyo (Tokai University), Lim Po Teen (Universityof Malaya, Malaysia), Dao Viet Ha (Institute of Oceanography, Vietnam), Kazumi Wakita (Tokai University),Toshiyuki Suzuki (National Research Institute of Fisheries Science), Mitsunori Iwataki, and Toshifumi Yamatogi(Nagasaki Prefectural Institute of Fisheries). Excursions were held at the Tsukiji Tokyo Metropolitan Central
Wholesale Market and National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Japan Fisheries Research and Education
Agency at Yokohama. Each trainee had a presentation on the status of HAB monitoring and management in theirrespective country, and then participated in group discussions on theestablishment of HAB monitoring and countermeasures, as well as thepresentations and discussions among peers.
Since the monitoring and management of 1) harmful red tide species
responsible for fish kills and 2) toxin-producing species causingshellfish/fish poisoning are different in HAB studies, trainees were separated
into four groups, in which they discussed one of these two different topics.
The trainees worked hard and engaged in discussions and presentation
preparation until morning. They also prepared copies of newspaper articles
related to recent HAB events in their respective country, later used for the2

CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

discussion. All local logistics of the training course had been arranged by
AORI staff, Drs. Mitsuo Uematsu, Yutaka Michida, and Hiroaki Saito, withthe help of Ms. Akiko Kasuya. Drs. Teruhisa Komatsu (Yokohama Collegeof Commerce) and Kentaro Ando (JAMSTEC) supported the planning andarrangement of the training course.
Another purpose of the training course was a feasibility
assessment of Regional Training and Research Center (RTRC) for
Sustainability Science in Japan, taking into consideration the RTRCs
already established in China and Indonesia in the WESTPAC region.
This trial of a training course on sustainability science led further
discussion on the establishment of an RTRC in AORI/UTokyo, Japan.

Presentation given by a participantInternational Workshop for Future RTRC
(Regional Training and Research Centers)
Networking in the WESTPAC Region
Yutaka MICHIDA

Professor, Center for International Collaboration

An International Workshop for Future RTRC (Regional Training
and Research Centers) Networking in the WESTPAC Region was held on
January 23–24, 2018, jointly organized by the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI) and Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) at the MEXT building in Tokyo. The IOC SubCommission for the Western Pacific Region (WESTPAC) has been promoting capacity development in marine
sciences and services in the Region through the establishment of Regional Training and Research Centers (RTRCs).
Each RTRC is endorsed by the Sub-Commission based on the proposal of a Member State of WESTPAC. Two RTRCs
are already in operation, and a couple of more RTRCs are under consideration. The workshop aimed at establishing
the most effective networking of existing and planned RTRCs, based on the discussion by the experts in the region,
including regional research and service requirements and the present level of regional capacity. The workshop
recommended the following:
Prof. Uematsu gives a presentation at the workshop

i)

ii)
iii)

iv)

It highlighted the importance of the activities of RTRCs and strongly encouraged the host institutions tocontinue, and leading universities and research institutes in the region to propose new RTRCs to enhance thecapacity development in WESTPAC,
It recommended to establish a discussion group to identify the required targets of capacity development in
WESTPAC and find the effective ways to implement,
It also recommended existing and planned RTRCs and Regional Training Center (RTC) under theInternational Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) and other capacity development
initiatives to communicate closely with
WESTPAC Officers and Secretariat,
Emphasizing the importance of theconcept of sustainability science, which
well reflected the medium-term strategy
of UNESCO, it expressed its strong
support to the proposal of establishmentof RTRC for Sustainability science(RTRC4SS) in general.

Participants in the Workshop for Future RTRC Networking in the WESTPAC region

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Report from the 23rd ICSU Regional Committee Meeting for Asia and the PacificMitsuo UEMATSU

Professor and Director, Center for International Collaboration

The International Council for Science (ICSU)
is a non-governmental organization with a global
membership of national scientific bodies (122 Members,
representing 142 countries) and International ScientificUnions (31 Members). ICSU has three Regional Offices:
Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the
Caribbean. The offices support scientific networks in theirregions, facilitate the participation of scientists fromdeveloping countries in the activities of ICSU and its
members, and ensure that the ICSU strategy and activities
are responsive to the needs of developing countries.
The 23rd ICSU Regional Committee Meetingfor Asia and the Pacific (RCAP) was held in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, for two days on July 17–18, 2017. The
Visit the ICSU Reginal Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) withmembers
event commenced with opening remarks from Chair
Lourdes Cruz from the Philippines. Four new members
were introduced: Dr. Gensuo Jia (Atmospheric Physics) from China, Dr. Monthip Sriratana (Strategy for Climate
Change) from Thailand, Mitsuo Uematsu (Oceanography), and Dr. Stuart Carr (psychology) from New Zealand, who
could only participate from the second day owing to aircraft trouble. The meeting was attended by current committee
members Dr. BVR Chowdari (Singapore) and Dr. Aswatini Raharto (Indonesia), and previous committee members
Dr. Ahmad Faizal Mohd Zain (Science Council of Malaysia, as observer), Prof. Kazuyuki Tatsumi (ICSU liaison
from Japan), and Charles Erkelens (Operations Director from the ICSU Paris headquarters). Jung-Hye Roe (South
Korea) and Togtokh Chuluun (Mongolia) were absent.
After confirming the minutes of the previous meeting, there was a report on the progress status of activities
on three priority issues. Regarding “danger and disaster,” there were reports of four related meetings. The ten
countries participating advocated raising the recognition of these activities and strengthening the cooperation of all
countries. On “health and good life in urban areas,” the 3rd ICSU Reginal Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP)
Science Planning Group on Epigenetics (SPGE) workshop was held in Phnom Penh in June 2017 and the scienceplan will be compiled at the next meeting. Regarding “ecosystem (SIMSEA project),” an international symposium
was held in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, in September 2017, and there was a report that it has been approved
as Future Earth’s regional activity project. With the renewal of the memorandum of understanding between thegovernment of Malaysia and ICSU in April 2017, the Malaysian government will issue 1,000,000 MYR(approximately 26 million JPY) from September 2016 to September 2021, and 75,000 EUR (9.7 million JPY) in
activity funds from ICSU will be contributed to ROAP.
The merger of the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and ICSU was approved by the 32nd ICSU
General Assembly, and an extraordinary ISSC General Assembly was held in Taipei in October 2017. Subsequently,
it was confirmed that there is no reduction in the current number of members of both sides of the merger of ISSC and
ICSU, and no particular impact on ICSU/RCAP management. Further, discussions were made as to whether or not
the cooperation of academic conferences among Asia Pacific countries is sufficient, involving the social sciences
members as members of a new organization, International Science Council (ISC). From the view of the Secretariat,
there was no problem in the budget for some members’ increase in number.
Dr. Sriratana delivered a lecture on Future Earth’s efforts in Thailand. The lecture touched on the active
collaborative research and human resources exchange with China, including the budget size. However, there was
doubt whether the regional secretariat of Future Earth grasped and supported such activities. The 24th meeting, witha new Director, Professor Emeritus Mazlan Othman, was held in Hong Kong in December 2017.

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PICES-2017 Annual Meeting
Hiroaki SAITO

Professor, Center for International Collaboration

The North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) is anintergovernmental scientific organization promoting and coordinating marine
research in the North Pacific and adjacent seas. Its members are Canada, Japan,
China, Korea, Russia, and the USA. The 26th Annual Meeting entitled“Environmental Changes in the North Pacific and Impacts on Biological
Resources and Ecosystem Services” was held in Vladivostok, Russia, on
September 22 and October 1, 2017. The venue was a new campus of Far Eastern
Federal University that faces the beautiful Golden Horn Bay.
At the Opening Ceremony, Prof. Hiroaki Saito, chair of PICES Science
Board, summarized the annual PICES activities, which included publications,collaboration with international organizations/projects, and capacity development
activities. More than 300 scientists from 11 countries attended and presented
recent advancements on North Pacific marine sciences. Many session topics
targeted the complex responses of marine ecosystems to multiple anthropogenic
forcing and/or the impact on human society. PICES established the new ScientificCommittee of Human Dimension (SC-HD) in November 2017. This proceededfrom the collaboration between natural and social scientists to tackle a variety ofsocial issues induced by environmental change and the degradation of marine
ecosystem services.

Prof. Saito (right) celebrated the 2017
Wooster Award winner.

At the closing session, Prof. Saito announced that a study from the PICES ADRIFT project was highlighted on
the cover page of Science magazine’s September 29, 2017, issue. Japan’s Ministry of Environment is supporting the
PICES ADRIFT project to monitor marine debris induced by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and toassess potential impacts from marine debris and associated non-indigenous species on coastal ecosystems in PacificNorth America. This paper is the fruit of the collaborative work of scientists from both sides of the North Pacific andaddresses concerns from the general public on environmental and human health impacts of the marine debris. The
next annual meetings will be held in Yokohama, Japan, on October 25 and November 4, 2018.

Far Eastern Federal University Campus

5CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

Progress of the Ocean KAN activity
Mitsuo UEMATSU

Professor and Director, Center for International Collaboration

The Ocean Knowledge-Action Network (Ocean KAN) is supported by the international programs Future
Earth and its marine core projects, WCRP-CLIVAR, IOC-UNESCO, and ICSU-SCOR, and aims at advancing
integrated ocean research globally to chart a course from knowledge of ocean systems to changes in policies, practices,
governance, and behaviors that will assist in sustaining those systems. In a bottom-up process, the Ocean KAN
facilitates the formation of transdisciplinary teams and new integrative initiatives that will address these challenges
by co-designing scalable and integrated systems-approaches, in collaboration with users of knowledge and decisionmakers worldwide.
After the workshop on the development of Future Earth’s “Oceans KAN” in Kiel, Germany, in December
2016, a process was set in place to launch an open call for the Ocean KAN Development Team. The primary role of
the Development Team (DT) is to mobilize the scientific and stakeholder community into designing andimplementing activities aligned with the vision of KAN and then engaging in the more specific planning of the Ocean
KAN ambition. Anna Zivian (Ocean Conservancy, USA) and Rachel Cavanagh (British Antarctic Survey, UK) havebeen elected as co-chairs of the DT among 20 members from various fields. A webinar has been held monthly since
September 2017. The DT will finalize the research plan of Ocean KAN by September 2018.

Core-to-core RENSEA Seminar on Coastal Ecosystems in Southeast Asia
Hiroaki SAITO

Professor, Center for International Collaboration

Southeast Asia is a marine–biological-diversity hotspot. However, the richness of biological diversity andmarine ecosystem services in Southeast Asia is in crisis because of increasing human activity and demand for marine
ecosystem services. In spite of their importance, our knowledge of the structure and dynamics of the ecosystems isseriously limited. Building an international network to advance marine ecosystem studies in this region is an emergent
issue.
To enhance multilateral collaboration on research and education on coastal ecosystems among five Southeast
Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) and Japan, a new project, “Research and
Education Network on Coastal Ecosystems in Southeast Asia (RENSEA),” was started in April 2016 and is supportedby the Core-to-Core Program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). RENSEA succeeded theprevious 5-year JSPS project “Establishment of Research and Education Network on Coastal Marine Science inSoutheast Asia (Asian CORE-COMSEA:2011–2015).” There are three research groups in RENSEA; each groupfocuses on physical processes, biodiversity, and environmental pollution, respectively.
The 1st RENSEA seminar was held at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, from March 14 to 16, 2017. In theseminar, recent research highlights were presented, along with scientific results of Integrative Ecosystem Research(IER) focusing on the seagrass ecosystem in the Merambong shoal, Johor, Malaysia. Attendees discussed marine
ecosystems, as well as the scientific contributions to societal issues, since decision-making processes vary in member
countries. Exchanging best practices on making scientific contributions to marine ecosystem issues was also
beneficial to attendees. The 2nd RENSEA seminar will be held at the University of the Philippines, Visayas, Iloilo, in
February 2018.

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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

University of Tokyo and University of Hawai‘i
The 4th Joint Symposium on Ocean, Coastal, and Atmospheric Sciences
Susumu HYODO

Professor, Department of Marine Bioscience

The 4th Joint Symposium on Ocean, Coastal, and Atmospheric Sciences was held on September 7–8, 2017 at
the East-West Center in the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa campus in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Support for the
symposium was provided by the Uchida Ocean Science Scholarship at AORI and the University of Hawai‘i Sea
Grant College Program. AORI and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the
University of Hawai‘i established an academic exchange agreement and have been conducting collaborative
research in various fields in ocean and atmospheric sciences.
To facilitate further exchange and promote new collaborations, joint symposiums were held in 2008 and 2015
in Japan and in 2012 in Hawai‘i. For the 4th symposium, nearly 60 researchers participated, including young
scientists and graduate students; two plenary lectures by Profs. Mitsuo Uematsu and Kazuhiro Kogure, as well as
27 oral and 13 poster papers, were presented. The RV Hakuho-maru was in port at the Honolulu harbor on the half
way point of research cruise KH-17-4. Therefore, the event invited four researchers, including the chief researcher
of KH-17-4, Prof. Ken Furuya, to participate in a special symposium session on the transdisciplinary project “New
Ocean Paradigm on its Biogeochemistry, Ecosystem and Sustainable Use” (NEOPS). It is highly expected that thepartnership will continue to contribute to further promotion of new academic exchanges and collaborations between
Japanese and U.S. scientists.

ANU–UTokyo students joint short course “International Seminar”
Yusuke YOKOYAMA

Professor, Analytical Center for environmental Study

A joint short course, “International Seminar and Field Excursion, Earth and Planetary Environment
Studies,” for students from the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) and Australian National University (ANU) under the
strategic partnership program was held from September 5 to 15, 2017. Fifteen students from both ANU and UTokyo
as well as more than a dozen academic staff from the two universities attended. The class began with lab tours at the
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), including a visit to a fish culture facility guided by Professor S.
Hyodo. As the students varied in terms of background, from the sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, andlaw, as well as in years of study, from second year of undergraduate study to PhD study, two days of classes wereconducted on the different aspects of the geosciences, including seismology, volcanology, tsunami, fishery,climatology, and even philosophy (“Some arguments why you should think the planet Earth is conscious”); thesesessions familiarized the students to the topics they learned in the field trip.
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The trip consisted of a visit to three different regions in Japan: 2011 tsunami sites in Tohoku, including
Onagawa (Tohoku Univ), to study the recent devastating event; cultural and geomorphological sites in Zushi;
volcanic and fluvial environmental studies sites in Mt. Fuji; a field station at Lake Hamana (hosted by Profs. Kikuchi
and Hirase), to study the biological and environmental changes and its surroundings, as well as the historical andcultural aspects of Nankai trough earthquakes; and Fujitsu Research Institute (hosted by Dr. Oishi, an alumna of
UTokyo), to learn recent IT technologies and so forth.
Throughout the course, students were divided into five groups that had a mix of UTokyo and ANU
students. They submitted daily reflection reports. The students worked hard collectively, and the reports were
uploaded to designated social networking service sites. The final presentation was given by each group at AORI. The
success of the course was readily observed during the preparation of presentation materials in English. The course
was marked officially closed with the Director and Professor A. Tsuda’s remarks. All of the attendees moved to“Hama” for the farewell party. The students learned many things not only from visiting fields around Japan but
working together in international environments.
More information can be found at the following websites and Twitter. The second tour is going to be heldin 2018.
http://lams-yokoyama.blogspot.jp/search/label/17%27withANU#GeoHazardsNCP

8

At Nakahama elementary school, the participants listened
to a discussion by the then-school principal of thesituation when the tsunami struck.

At Onagawa Hospital on a hill, Prof. Kijima explained thatthe red line on the pillar indicates the height of the tsunami
wave at this location.

Discussion to write reflection report, conducted each night

Farewell Party at Hama, a sushi restaurant in AORICIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

University Allied Workshop 2017: Workshop for Typhoon, Cloud and Climate
Study, August 22–24, 2017
Masaki SATOH

Professor, Center for Earth Surface System Dynamics

The University Allied Workshop 2017 wasorganized for the period of August 22–24, 2017 by the
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan
University (NTU), held at GIS NTU Convention Center.
Students and post-doc researchers, as well as faculty
members were invited to participate in the workshop toshare recent research results and synthesize jointly
outstanding research issues to promote communicationand collaboration. The focus of this workshop was todiscuss the recent advances in theories, observations, andhigh resolution modeling, which provide great
opportunities for basic research on convection and water
cycle and their interaction with weather and climate. In
addition, the complex nature of the relevant scientificissues and huge amount of data pose great challenges forsynthesizing all information to make breakthroughs insuch studies.

Group photo at the Cape Fuguei Lighthouse during the field trip to thenorthern tip of Taiwan, August 23, 2017.

This workshop was a follow-up of the previous workshop held at the Atmosphere and Ocean ResearchInstitute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, last September 29―October 1, 2015, in the spirits of the previous
University Allied Workshop (UAW). UAW had been held almost every year until 2009 to encourage communicationand collaboration among students and young career researchers of Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan. UAW was
terminated after that, but in 2015, it was renewed as a more focused workshop mainly between NTU and AORI.
Atmospheric numerical modeling studies and collaborative studies with observations, particularly on typhoon, cloud,and climate, are the main focus of the workshop.
More than 60 scholars participated in the workshop, with about 20 from AORI. Three students also
participated from Seoul National University this time. In the workshop, the representative students from NTU and
AORI formed a convener team and formulated the program. Ms. Iwasaki and Mr. Takasuka were in charge of the
AORI side. In the afternoon of August 23, a field trip was scheduled: participants visited the observation site at thenorthernmost tip of Taiwan, Cape Fuguei Research Station, Academia Sinica. This was a great opportunity to learn
observations at NTU on atmospheric chemical constituents and aerosol transports.
The next UAW will be held in AORI in 2019. Apart from the workshops, students are encouraged to visit
mutual universities either for short- or long-term stay. In addition, the meeting confirmed the advantage of UAW in
enabling mutual faculties to observe continuously the progress of research by students. There was also a proposal forholding student-based small sessions as a future improvement plan in the next workshop.

Group photo at the Workshop for Typhoon, cloud and climate study,
August 22, 2017. GIS NTU Convention Center.

The student convener team (three from the right) andProf. Chung-Hsiung Sui (NTU) (second from left) andProf. Masaki Satoh (AORI) (far left). Mr. Daisuke
Takasuka (AORI) stands in the middle.

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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

Looking back on my life until now, my retirement age
Mitsuo UEMATSU

Professor and Director, Center for International Collaboration-There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if
everything is a miracle.My life has been fulfilling since birth, thanks to the endless array of miracles to date.
The Center for International Cooperation was established in the Ocean
Research Institute in June 1994, and I was appointed as an associate professor under
Prof. Makoto Terasaki in the Research Cooperation Division in April 1997. I was
promoted to a professor in April 2004, and I have served as center director since April
2006. In April 2010, the Ocean Research Institute was reorganized into the
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, and at the same time, the Center forInternational Cooperation was reorganized into the Center for International
Collaboration. I took office as the director of the center and became a professor of the Division of International
Advanced Research.
I have worked mainly on marine atmospheric chemistry as a principal investigator of the Core Research
for Evolutionary Science and Technology (CREST/JST) project “Variability of Marine Aerosol Properties and Its
Impact on Climate Change (VMAP)” (1998–2003). We developed the “Self Cruising Ocean Observation Platform(SCOOP),” determined marine air quality, and established a Chemical weather FORecasting System (CFORS).
Under the Advancing the New Century Priority Research Creation Plan (RR 2002), “Advanced Carbon
Cycle Modeling in the Pacific (BIOCARBON)” (2005–2007), an eddy correlation method on shipboard was evolved.
By the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas, “Linkages in Biogeochemical Cycles between the
Surface Ocean and the Lower Atmosphere; Western Pacific Air-Sea Interaction Study (W-PASS)” (2006–2010), we
developed a marine atmospheric observation system for ship observation, through which we grasped the spatialtemporal variation of marine atmospheric composition. To this end, a new research field of air–sea exchange wasestablished.
During my tenure, I received the 2004 Geochemical Society of Japan Award, 2009 Oceanographic Societyof Japan Award, PICES 2011 Science Board Best Presentation Award, and 9th Prime Minister’s Commendations forContributors to Promote the Country as a “Maritime Nation.” In education, I acquired 19 master’s degrees and 7
doctoral degrees in 21 years. Eight postdoctoral fellows and six foreign researchers, as well as members from eight
countries, including students, have shared time with me in the laboratory.
I have been a small cloud nucleus drifting and growing in the air, as miracles of encountering thesurroundings and forming a part of big clouds shaped me. It seems the time has come to be a raindrop about to returnto the sea.

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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

Visiting Professors
Name / Affiliation
OLSON, Kenneth R.

NationalityLength of stayUSA

2017/2/6-2017/3/6

Role of hormones in cardiovascularregulation in fishUK

2016/9/12-2016/10/11

Effects of global warming on
homing migration in salmonids

USA

2016/7/1-2016/8/31

Coupled biophysical modeling in the
Kuroshio-Oyashio Current System

Germany

2016/7/1-2016/10/10

Climate reconstruction in IndoAsian Monsoon region

Australia

2016/7/1-2016/8/31

Investigating the development of
red muscle endothermy in young
juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna

Taiwan2016/6/1-2016/7/31

Observation
andmodeling
hierarchical convection organizationin the MJO

Taiwan2017/1/9-2017/2/12

Fish migration ecology by otolithgeochemical analysis

Belarus2016/11/14-2017/3/31

Russia2016/12/19-2017/3/10

Development of analytical method
for retrieving carbon dioxide andmethane concentrations fromsatellite measurements
Estimation of methane emission
from wetland in West Siberia

Indiana University
Emeritus professor
TODD, Christopher David

School of Biology, University of St Andrews
Professor
CURCHITSER, Enrique

Rutgers University
Associate Professor
MOHTADI, Mahyar Hamadani

MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental
Sciences, University of Bremen
Senior/principal scientist and team leader
SCHULLER, Kathryn

Flinders University of South Australia
Associate Professor
SUI, Chung-Hsiung

Department of Atmospheric Sciences,
National Taiwan University
Professor
SHIAO, Jen-Chieh

National Taiwan University
Professor
BRIL, Andrey

Institute of Physics of National Academyof Sciences of Belarus (IPNASB)
Senior Researcher
ROKOTYAN, Nikita
Ural Federal University
Researcher

Subject for study*Visiting professors’ reports of Division of Climate System Research are included in the CCSR NEWS11

CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

Visiting professors’ reports
Kenneth R. Olson

Emeritus Professor of Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine South Bend
Adjunct Professor of Biological Science, University of Notre Dame
Concurrent Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Notre Dame

It is a great honor and privilege to be invited by Professor Yoshio Takei as a
Visiting Professor at The Atmospheric and Ocean Research Institute from February
6 to March 6, 2017. My stay here comes 20 years and three months after myprevious visit to AORI and brings the illustrious and productive research career of
Yoshio and my association with him full circle.
I knew of Yoshio’s early work on volume regulation in birds and fish, as a comparative cardiovascularphysiologist, and was eager to initiate collaboration with him. This resulted in our first paper 23 years
ago in which we described the sequence and physiological effects of the first natriuretic peptide isolated
from the rainbow trout heart. This was followed by a number of papers in the ensuing years that
identified related natriuretic peptides from this fish. In 2008 I had the privilege of writing a review article
in tribute to Yoshio’s career.
My work with fish has changed directions in the past 10 years and we have begun focusing on anovel signaling mechanism that uses the noxious smelling gas hydrogen sulfide (H2S) as the signalingtransmitter that allows cells to detect hypoxia. This work has extended into the role of H2S and other sulfur
molecules in evolution and in redox regulation. Yoshio invited me to AORI to discuss my recent work on
sulfur metabolism with his group and interested colleagues. As a result, I have given three lectures,“Design and Endocrine/Paracrine Regulation of the Fish Cardiovascular System”, “The Role of Hydrogen
Sulfide in Evolution, Oxygen Sensing and Redox Signaling” and “Geochemical and Biological Features of
Sulfur Cycling and Signaling.”
I have already had the opportunity, as a result of these talks, to initiate further dialogue with Dr.
Tomihiko Higuchi regarding his work with sulfur utilization in coral and symbiotic algae. I hope to continue
to pursue this as well as my long-standing association with Prof. Takei for many more years and I am evergrateful to AORI for this opportunity.

Christopher Todd

Professor
Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews

It has been an honour and a privilege to be able to visit colleagues at AORI thisautumn (2016), and to have had the opportunity of visiting Iwate Prefecture to see the
AORI research activities associated with chum salmon in Otsuchi. Personal researchcontacts and collaborations between St Andrews University and AORI (and previously ORI)
date back to the 1980s and continue to this day. For me, personally, the most rewarding
parts of my visit were threefold: first, the opportunity of discussing research problems of
mutual interest with colleagues; second, the chance to visit Iwate Prefecture with
Shigenori Nobata and to see the chum salmon hatchery operations and continuing
developments and reconstruction work; third, the opportunity of discussing with the graduate students
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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017and postdocs their research and future aspirations.
The latter persons are the future, and it is mysincere hope that a formalised agreement between
St Andrews and AORI might encourage mutual
exchangesofpersonnel
andresearch
collaborations for many years to come. Certainly,
when I return to Scotland I will do my utmost toensure that AORI visitors achieve all their
aspirations, and receive from us the high level ofhelp and hospitality that I have received here.

Adult male chum salmon successfully returned to Otsuchi river, October 9
2016

I am especially grateful to Professor Yoshio Takei for hosting my visit. I hope to develop sharedinterests with Professors Toshi Nagata and Susumu Hyodo, and to perhaps to facilitate development ofcollaborations between postdocs in St Andrews and AORI who have complementary skills and interests inapplying stable isotope techniques to marine environmental challenges and responses for Pacific andAtlantic salmon at sea.
In Kyoto, I saw a poster intimating that a koi carp is a dragon in heaven.
Having watched adult salmon having successfully returned to the Otsuchi
river after their journey to Gulf of Alaska I shall have to reflect on how that
metaphor might extend to salmon and their incredible sojourns across theWorld Ocean.

Chum salmon sculpture, Kamaishi

Mahyar Mohtadi

Principal Scientist
MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences
University of Bremen, Germany

I was very honored and delighted to be a visiting professor at the
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo for
3 months in 2016. I joined the Analytical Center for Environmental Studygroup directed by Prof. Yusuke Yokoyama from July 1 until October 8 that included a one-week interruption
for attending and speaking at the 12th International Conference on Paleoceanography in Utrecht, theNetherlands. I really enjoyed working at the Center for Environmental Study group of AORI and deeply
appreciate the excellent hospitality and support of the entire group particularly of Mrs. Megumi Ikeda.
One of my primary objectives during my visit to AORI was to discuss and reach an agreement
between AORI and MARUM to implement, on a regular basis, the exchange of faculty staff and students
ideally based on collaborative research projects. Fortunately, this idea was well received and we were able
to draft a departmental agreement on academic exchange ready to be signed by the respective directors.
Once established, this program will facilitate and maintain the collaborative research and exchange ofacademic information and material between the two institutions.
Upon my arrival at the AORI, I started to discuss and consult my upcoming expedition with theGerman research vessel R/V SONNE to the Great Barrier Reef in April-May 2017 with Prof. Yokoyama. He
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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017is a well-respected expert in this region and was the co-chief scientist of the International Ocean Discovery
Program (IODP) Expedition 325 to the Great Barrier Reef and I am now fortunate that three scientists
from Japan including Prof. Yokoyama will be participating in the R/V SONNE expedition SO-256. During mystay at the AORI I was able to collect and finalize the necessary information and documents for the
research permit and submit them to the Australian authorities. Sample material collected during thisexpedition enables us to reconstruct past circulation of the East Australian Current and the eastern
Australian climate. Moreover, this joint endeavor serves as a promising start of successful collaborationand exchange of material and expertise between the two institutions in the coming years.
We will also start collaborating in two other projects related to the history of the South Asian andthe East Asian monsoon systems and their relation to the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool climate. The former will
start in the coming years whereas the latter two projects have already started and will benefit greatly fromthe available expertise and facilities at the AORI. In another project, we are investigating the history of
the storage and release of atmospheric carbon dioxide on glacial-interglacial timescales, as recorded inmarine archives from the Pacific Ocean. We will join our efforts with those at the Center for Environmental
Study group of AORI and improve the reliability and consistency of the existing data sets, and aim to
publish the results in the most prestigious scientific journals.
During my stay in Japan, I attended the annual meeting of Japan Association for Quaternary
Research that was held at the University of Chiba in September and had the privilege of being a keynote
speaker and presenting my latest research about the forcing and response of monsoon rainfall. During thismeeting, I had the opportunity to meet a number of colleagues and learn about the ongoing Quaternary
research in Japan, and fortunate enough to meet with emeritus professor Tadamichi Oba from the
Hokkaido University after a long while. In addition, I was honored to give two talks at the AORI in
September, for the Analytical Center for Environmental Study group on my ongoing research in the South
China Sea, and at the OFGS seminar by presenting the latest results from our research in the eastern
Indian Ocean.
I attended also a field trip to Kumamoto
Prefecture to sample seawater at a long-term coralmonitoring site in Shimoshima Island, combined withan outreach program at a high school and a visit to the
Geo-Park in Goshoura-Jima Island, hosted by Dr.
Yoshitaka Hase and his group from the Goshoura
Cretaceous Museum. Another highlight of my trip was
visiting R/V CHIKYU at the port of Shizuoka, arranged
by Dr. Steven Obrochta from the Akita University. We
received a detailed guidance through different labs anddecks of this impressive vessel for the entire afternoon
and gained valuable insights into the different drilling
techniques, opportunities and pitfalls.
My family arrived in the first month of my stay in Japan and greatly enjoyed their first visit to Japan.
We were fortunate to experience a beautiful country, delightful people and great scientists making thisstay in Japan unforgettable and filled with many wonderful memories. In summary, I had a great time
during my stay at AORI and had numerous stimulating discussions along with exchanging ideas andexperiences. I am looking forward to implement, together with my Japanese colleagues, a long-lasting
and fruitful collaboration and an efficient capacity-building program between MARUM and AORI.

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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

Kathryn Schuller

Associate Professor
School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering
Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia

It has been a great pleasure and an honour to have been
a Visiting Professor at the Atmosphere and Ocean ResearchInstitute (AORI) of the University of Tokyo for the 8-week period
from July 11 to September 2, 2016, and I am deeply indebted tomy host, Associate Professor Takashi Kitagawa, for his seemingly
limitless generosity with his time, advice and support both before
and during my visit. I was accompanied by my PhD student, Arif
Malik, and we would both like to thank the many staff and students at the institute who helped us with
our work. In particular, we would like to single out for special mention Dr Shigenori Nobata, Dr Minoru
Ijichi, Professor Yoshio Takei (Department of Marine Bioscience), Professor Kazuhiro Kogure (Director of
the Center for Earth Surface System Dynamics), Dr Marty Wong, Dr Taro Watanabe and Dr Naoya Otsuchi.
These people generously provided us with access to AORI’s state of the art equipment and facilities andassisted us with training on the equipment and other support. Last, but not least, we would like to thank
Mr Yoshinori Aoki, a graduate student with Dr Kitagawa, who not only helped us with our research but
also assisted us immensely with negotiating our way around the Japanese culture and language.
The purpose of my visit was to initiate a collaboration with Dr Kitagawa to investigate the ontogenyof endothermy in Pacific bluefin tuna. Endothermy, the ability to warm the body by conserving
metabolically-generated heat, is unusual in fishes. It is found only in tunas, certain shark species, and alimited number of other fish species. Proposed advantages include thermal niche expansion into cooler
waters at deeper depths or higher latitudes where prey are more abundant and improved sustainableswimming performance which would increase the volume of water able to be scanned in search of prey.
Both of these could potentially improve access to prey and thereby accelerate growth and development. I
was inspired by Dr Kitagawa’s previous research on the migration and thermal biology of tunas and thiswas the impetus for my request to work with him.
Endothermy in tunas has been well described in older/larger individuals where it is well-developed
but not in younger/smaller individuals where it is still developing. Research from Kindai University suggeststhat Pacific bluefin tunas develop the anatomical/physiological characteristics required for endothermyduring the first year of their life at a body size of approximately 55 cm fork length. However, the exact
timing and the precise sequence of events involved is unknown. It is important to understand when young
tunas develop the capacity for endothermy because this may affect their distribution in relation to the flowof warm ocean currents. This in turn may affect the results of surveys to estimate population sizes which
in turn may impact the setting of fishing quotas and conservation measures. In other words, small, preendothermic individuals may be restricted to warm ocean currents where prey are generally less abundant
whereas larger individuals (with well-developed endothermy) may be able to forage more widely because
they are more independent of environmental temperatures. Thus, variations in ocean current flows andconsequently water temperatures may interact with the stage of development of endothermy to affect the
distribution of young tunas.
Overall, the aim of our project is to use anatomical, physiological and molecular methods toinvestigate the ontogeny of endothermy in young Pacific bluefin tuna juveniles of various sizes around thesize we predict for the onset of endothermy in this species. The three size classes we are targeting are:(1) pre-endothermic (approximately 20 cm fork length and 3 months of age), (2) developing endothermy(approximately 35 to 60 cm fork length and 5 to 7 months of age) and well-developed endothermy (>80
cm fork length and >12 months of age). Specifically our aims are to determine how the following
parameters change with fish size/age: (1) red locomotor muscle, visceral and cranial temperature elevation
above ambient water temperature; (2) red locomotor muscle mass as % of total body mass; (3) elaborationof the specialised heat-exchanging blood vessels that retain the heat generated by the red locomotor
muscle, viscera and cranium; (4) activity of mitochondrial enzymes that are involved in supplying ATP to
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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

the red locomotor muscle to power its repeated contraction (a major source of metabolic heat); (5)expression of transcription factors and transcriptional co-activators that might be involved in regulating
the development of endothermy.
During this my first research trip to Japan, our plan was to capture and analyse the smallest of thethree Pacific bluefin tuna size classes mentioned above. To do this, Dr Kitagawa, my student and I madea field trip to Nakatosa in Kochi Prefecture where we worked with Dr Ko Fujioka from the National ResearchInstitute of Far Seas Fisheries, Bluefin Tuna Resources Division. Dr Fujioka and his team were undertaking
a large tagging program to investigate the migration of young Pacific bluefin tuna juveniles across the
Pacific Ocean. The fishes we sampled fell within the first size class, i.e., approximately 20 cm fork lengthand 3 months of age. We expected them to be pre-endothermic which we subsequently confirmed. For
this work, we were joined by Professor Kathryn Dickson from the Department of Biological Science,
California State University Fullerton, U.S.A. Professor Dickson is a world leading researcher in thephysiology of endothermy in fishes and one of the few scientists to have thoroughly documented its
development in young individuals. Her most impressive work has been done with the small tropical tuna,
black skipjack (Euthynnus lineatus) but this was the first time that she, or anyone, had worked with themuch larger temperate species Pacific bluefin tuna.
Following on from the success of our field trip to Nakatosa, we now have plans to sample the next
size class (developing endothermy; approximately 35 to 60 cm fork length and 5 to 7 months of age) ofPacific bluefin juveniles from Tsushima Island (Nagasaki prefecture) in late November 2016. We also hopeto access the largest of the three size classes (>80 cm fork length and >12 months of age) with the helpof Mr Chuck Farwell, Curator of the Pelagic Fishes Research Program and Co-Director for the Tuna
Conservation and Research Center at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. By an enormous piece ofgood luck, Mr Farwell was also present during our sampling trip to Nakatosa. Thus, what began as an 8week visit to AORI for my student and I has spawned an international collaboration between Japanese,
Australian and American scientists that we hope will long outlast our initial contact and generate fascinating
insights into the ontogeny of endothermy in tunas.

Chung-Hsiung Sui

Professor
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University

As a professor in atmospheric sciences at National Taiwan University, my major research interest is
cloud and climate related research in tropical meteorology that are originated from my PhD study guided
by Prof. Michio Yanai at UCLA. After my PhD study, I worked in Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), NASAfor about 15 years before returning to Taiwan in 2001. During the years in GSFC, I met Dr. Teruyuki
Nakajima and Dr. Yukari Takayabu during our early career years. We have remained good friends sincethat time.
I first met Mr. Masaki Satoh in CCSR at the Komaba campus in 1992 when I took a leave from GSFC
to spend six months as a visiting scholar at CCSR. Satoh san was a graduate student under Prof. Matsuno.
I remember vividly one of the conversations between Prof. Matsuno and Prof. Arakawa (visiting from UCLA)
about treating effect of cumulus in tropical circulation: Prof. Arakawa regarded parameterization of cumulus
necessary while Prof. Matsuno preferred resolving cumulus explicitly in global models. This was a few years
before the Frontier project started. Then I heard about the Japanese proposal to develop a new generalcirculation model based on non-hydrostatic dynamic framework to utilize the super computing power ofthe Earth Simulator. My understanding is that Dr. Satoh was one of the key developers of the new model
since 2000. It is a really impressive story for the Nonhydrostatic Icosahedal Atmospheric Model (NICAM)
to be developed so systematically and efficiently from that time on.
Since cloud and climate is my major research interest, I have worked with students and colleagues
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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

on the subject using cloud resolving models. Therefore, I have read reports of NICAM simulations of
mesoscale systems embedding in multiscale tropical circulation ranging from tropical cyclones tointraseasonal oscillations. I have also noticed climate simulations from NICAM. These simulations provide
important bench marks for the next generation weather and climate prediction. I am fully appreciative ofthe tremendous efforts involved in producing the results in about 10 years after the developing phase of
NICAM.
Therefore, I decided to take the opportunity of my sabbatical leave to visit Prof. Satoh to better
understand his modeling activities. In the beginning of my current visit, Prof. Satoh kindly arranged ameeting for me with his project members. From the ongoing research activities, I learned many interesting
issues in cloud microphysics, satellite data applications, topographical representation schemes, TC
dynamics, and MJO dynamics. I am most impressed by an overview of NICAM researches provided by Prof.
Satoh’s presentation and his review article.
The visit results in the following joint efforts. One is to work out a review article of precipitation
efficiency and its role in cloud-radiative feedbacks to climate variability. We also plan to hold future
workshops between students and colleagues in my department and the climate group here to enhancecommunications and collaborations.

SHIAO, Jen-Chieh

Full professor in the Institute of Oceanography, College of Science, National Taiwan University

It is my great honor to visit Atmosphere and Ocean
Research Institute (AORI) and to make use of the state-of-theart instruments with the distinguished scientists here. I knew
Professor Yuji Sano from his pioneering works on the analysis
of otolith Sr isotopes by NanoSIMS several years ago. Then I
had some chances to meet him in person in Japan, USA andTaiwan. During the conversations with him, I found that he is a
generous and warm-hearted person and I were always welcome
to use the NanoSIMS when I visited AORI.
My cooperation with the assistant Professor Kotaro Shirai
has started from two years ago when we wrote a chapter in the book “Biology & Ecology of Bluefin Tuna”.
Last year, Dr. Shirai visited my lab and we had some stimulating discussions on various projects. By
discussions, I was inspired with a new cooperative study on the analysis of nitrogen isotopes in the fish
otoliths. Afterward, we planned to study the mechanism of nitrogen incorporation in the calcified otolith
located in fish inner ear. To the best of my knowledge, no one ever investigates this topic; therefore, we
may be the first team to disclose the mysterious route through the nitrogen deposition in the otolith. We
set up the experimental designs and arranged the research works in Taiwan and also in Japan respectively.
We cultured the algae with 13C and 15N labeled chemicals and fed the spiked algae to tilapia fish for aperiod of time in Taiwan. Then, the otoliths were extracted from the fish and I brought the otoliths to AORI
where the nitrogen and carbon isotopes were analyzed by using NanoSIMS, which was kindly provided byProfessor Sano.
I am grateful and pleasurable to work with such an active team directed by Professor Sano andProfessor Shirai. Also, Dr. Satoko Motai and Dr. Shirai help me embed the otolith with a new resin that I
have never used. They also showed me the different methods and instruments to grind and to polish theotolith samples. The whole process for sample preparation is very efficient and reliable and it leads theresults to a high-quality achievement, which is essential for the analysis by NanoSIMS. Assistant Professor
Naoto Takahata and Dr. Kentaro Tanaka help me tune NanoSIMS to optimal condition and they also assist
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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

me to measure the nitrogen and carbon isotopes. Frankly speaking, it is very difficult to manipulate
NanoSIMS but they can hand this machine smoothly and tightly to produce useful data. I am lucky to get
the excellent data from four otoliths spiked with 13C and 15N before the filament of the electron gun was
broken on the 3rd day after the analysis of my samples. I am surprised that the filament of the electron
gun had been used for more than 10 years without replacement. This record represents the world-classexpertise of NanoSIMS operators in AORI. The data measured in AORI together with other data which will
be incorporated into a new publication planned for this year.
During the last week in Japan, we have a chance to visit the fishery scientist, Dr. Nobuaki Suzuki, whoworks at National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries and the director Dr. Masaya Katoh of the
Research Center for Bioinformatics and Biosciences, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science. They
showed me various instruments included the next generation DNA sequencers, which are used to do the
genome typing of Pacific bluefin tuna. We also shared our experiences and experimental results of the
genome typing on the Pacific bluefin tuna to each other. Based on the agreement made in this meeting, asolid cooperation on the close-kin analysis of Pacific bluefin tuna will be developed later this year.
To summary, I enjoy my study life in Japan and our cooperation in AORI is very successful. The
scientists in AORI show their expertise, team works and warm hospitality to visitors. I am grateful to havethis unforgettable experience to work here in AORI.

Andrey Bril

Leading researcher of Centre "Optical Remote Sensing",
Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (IPNASB)

It has been a great pleasure and honor to be a Visiting
professor at Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute of the
University of Tokyo for 4 month from December 2016. I joined theAtmospheric System Modeling stuff directed by Associate Prof. Ryoichi
Imasu.
This is not my first visit to Japan. For more than nine years I
worked at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) in
Tsukuba within the GOSAT (Greenhous gases Observing SATellite)
project. My task in NIES was the development of the algorithm toretrieve concentrations of the atmospheric greenhouse gases, carbon
dioxide and methane. The main difficulty we tried to overcome was inevitable impact of light scattering
by clouds and aerosols on the measured signals. My colleague Sergey Oshchhepkov and I had proposedto account for atmospheric light scattering effects in terms of optical path statistics and we implemented
this idea as PPDF-based algorithm (PPDF is abbreviation for Photon path-length –Probability Density
Function) . This algorithm is run now in NIES in parallel with operational algorithm in similar operationalmode. The Atmospheric System Modeling stuff and students analyze and validate PPDF-retrievals before
their release for general users. I joined this validation activity. I hope that my experience andunderstanding of the algorithm advantages and weaknesses were helpful to my AORI colleagues.
Another joint study aimed on the improvements and further development of PPDF-basedalgorithms having in mind its possible applications in future missions such as GOSAT-2. We focused on thedevelopment of the numerical simulator for the algorithm testing.
I am also thankful for the possibility to continue during my stay in AORI the study within Joint
Research Agreement between IPNASB and GOSAT project parties (JAXA, NIES and Ministry ofEnvironment). It aims on using the synergy of satellite and ground-based observations of the greenhousegases to improve the quality of GOSAT retrievals. The problem I focused on was the extrapolation of18

CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

limited information from collocated GOSAT and ground-based observations onto global scale using EOF(Empirical Orthogonal Function)-based regressions. I had useful meetings and discussions with mycollaborators in Japan. During my stay in AORI, our joint paper with first results on EOF-based regression
algorithm for GOSAT data processing was accepted for publication in Journal of Quantitative spectroscopy
and Radiative Transfer. I was offered the possibility to present these results at the seminar within GOSAT2 Science Team meeting.
I also had nice time beyond AORI. I had many favorite places (gardens, museums, shrines) inTokyo, Tsukuba, Kamakura and I used the opportunity to visit them. I hope I'm lucky to catch the
beginning of the sakura blossom before my departure.

Nikita Rokotyan
Researcher, Ural Federal University

Dr. Nikita Rokotyan from the Climate and Environmental Physics Laboratory, Ural Federal University(CEPL URFU, Russia), have visited AORI from the 26th of December 2016 to the 16th of March 2017 inframe of scientific collaboration between UrFU and UTokyo. Collaboration between the two universities hasstared more than 17 years ago when the head of CEPL Prof. Vyacheslav Zakharov together with R. Imasusensei started analyzing IMG ADEOS spectral measurements in order to retrieve water vapour isotopic
distribution HDO/H2O in the atmosphere firstly.
Dr. Rokotyan is a research scientist at CEPL focusing on ground- and satellite-based Remote Sensing
applications to study Climate Change, mainly through isotopic measurements. Monitoring isotopic
concentration ratios in atmosphere can provide important information about sources and sinks ofgreenhouse gases. During his stay in Japan, Dr. Rokotyan has analyzed TANSO-FTS/GOSAT spectra andperformed a feasibility study of retrieval of δ13C (13CO2/12CO2) from satellite measurements. The ratio of
13CO /12CO can be used to characterize carbon cycle of an ecosystem because plants absorb heavier CO222
isotopologues less efficiently. In turn, anthropogenic CO2 emissions have a different isotopic signature thannatural carbon dioxide, and information about CO2 sources and sinks can be obtained through isotopic
analysis.
Also Dr. Rokotyan has participated in the 25th IIS forum"Earth observation, disaster monitoring and risk assessment
from space" which was held in UTokyo at Komaba research
campus on the 2nd of March 2017. In his presentation Dr.
Rokotyan has described joint research activities between UrFU
and AORI in the field of atmospheric Remote Sensing and gave
an overview of the Ural Atmospheric Station in Kourovka, which
is located in Western Siberia and operated by CEPL.
UrFU and Dr. Rokotyan would like to thank AORI and R.
Imasu-sensei for organizing this visit and they look forward tocontinue fruitful collaboration between the institutes.

Dr. Rokotyan at his poster presented at the 29th IIS
forum

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CIC NEWSLETTER No.15 2017

CIC STAFF
Director of CIC
International Scientific Planning
International Advanced ResearchInternational Research Cooperation

Prof. Mitsuo UEMATSU
Prof. Yutaka MICHIDA
Prof. Mitsuo UEMATSU
Prof. Hiroaki SAITO

Prof. Koji INOUE
Prof. Ryoichi IMASU
Assoc. Prof. Jin-Oh PARK

Center for International Collaboration
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute,
The University of Tokyo

5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, JAPAN
Phone&Fax : +81-4-7136-6361
URL : http://www.aori.u-tokyo.ac.jp/20