The “International Workshop on Regional Ecology and its Environmental Effect: Dust Sand Storm, its Impact and Mitigation Countermeasure” organized by the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) of Japan, the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CREAS), and the National Institute for Environmental Research (NIER) of Korea was held in Beijing from December 3 to 5, 2006.

As this workshop was held as a side event of the Eighth Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM8), the three environmental ministers were present at the opening ceremony of the workshop on December 3. At TEMM8, dust sand storms (DSS), which have the potential to effect great damage in the northeast Asian region, were identified as an issue for cooperation among the three countries. It was agreed that a director-general level meeting be held to identify specific strategies, including the establishment of joint research projects. This agreement, along with the workshop, will work to strengthen awareness of DSS among the general public in the northeast Asian region.

Approximately 100 people from Japan, China, Korea, and Mongolia participated in the workshop. Research presentations and debates focused on a wide range of issues including evolvement, transportation and monitoring of DSS, simulation modeling and prediction/warning, physical and chemical characteristics and transformation, the impact of regional ecosystem changes on the occurrence of DSS, the environmental impact of DSS, and preventative measures and technologies.

In addition to presenting their research and serving as chairs for various sessions, researchers from NIES helped to prepare for and run the workshop. Their presentations can be seen by clicking on the following links.