Asian Environment Research Group
Outline of Research ( pamphlet )
In addition to its efforts in managing the “Priority Program on the Asian Environment”, the Asian Environment Research Group conducts fieldwork and laboratory experiments, creates databases and provides information to the research community and the public, and strives to create a exchange of information and human resources in the spirit of international cooperation.
Integration of Research on the Asian Environment
The targets of our research in the priority program on the Asian environment, namely the atmosphere, the water environment, and watershed ecosystems in Asia, should not be considered discrete topics. For example, atmospheric environment impacts the water environment and ecosystems-and vice versa. It is therefore important to study the interactions among the atmosphere, the water environment, and ecosystems and the common mechanisms of their changes. This kind of comprehensive perspective is especially necessary in developing policies that strive to bring about a state of healthy co-existence between humans and nature. The Asian Environment Research Group aims to integrate research on the Asian environment in this way.
Fieldwork and Laboratory Experiment
Fieldwork is an integral part of environmental research in Asia. The Asian Environment Research Group manages a number of fieldwork projects, including: examining the current state of atmospheric pollution in East Asia with aircraft; continuous monitoring of atmospheric pollution at Cape Hedo Atmospheric Aerosol Observation Station; observation of dust and sand storms through the Kosa Network; water quality studies of the Chiang Jiang River watershed area in China; and research on the ecosystems of the Mekong River watershed area. We consider research on monitoring methods and development of equipment used in field research and experimental research on ecosystem function to be fundamental to fieldwork in this discipline, therefore we emphasize these areas.
Exchange of Human Resources and Information
The Asian Environment Research Group engages in personnel exchange by participating in joint research projects with international researchers. We also hold workshops on the East Asian environment, participate actively in a variety of workshops, and contribute to accumulation of international scientific knowledge through reports such as the 2007 mid-term report on “Hemispheric Transport of Atmospheric Pollutants”. Furthermore, we put data from our monitoring activities at Cape Hedo and the results of our model calculations into databases.
