[in Japanese]

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 This study was conducted to assess river water and groundwater interaction using long-term river discharge data from the Kurobe River alluvial fan. This study newly produced a quantitative geologic map using 731 boring data and its resistivity data. This paper presents five profile and cross-section geologic maps used to characterize the sedimentary structure in the Kurobe River alluvial fan. River discharge data of 30 years (1983-2012) from national and local governments were organized and studied to elucidate the mechanisms of spring and recharge in the Kurobe River. Results show that recharge water was more dominant than spring water in the Kurobe River during the study period. Recharge water was increased. Moreover, river water and groundwater interaction there exhibited seasonal and long-term changes.

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 Soil moisture is a crucially important hydrological element that is closely connected to the earth’s surface heat budget and climate change in semi-arid and arid regions. Recently, satellite remote sensing has been demonstrated as an effective means of determining soil moisture in large areas over long time periods. AMSR-E soil moisture measurements derived from passive microwave time-series data are available. This study was conducted to validate AMSR-E soil moisture data using in situ soil moisture measurements and to ascertain the relation among soil moisture, hydrological factors (precipitation), and vegetation (NDVI) in Shanxi Province, China. Results show that 64 of 108 in situ stations exhibit good correspondence between AMSR-E soil moisture and in situ soil moisture. Furthermore, high correlation coefficients were found for measurements taken in the following three conditions: 1) sufficient density of in situ observation areas, 2) uniform land use type region, and 3) flat terrain area. Consideration of those three factors can raise the accuracy of estimation for AMSR-E soil moisture in large regions.

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 The author introduces a new research framework in urban bio-meteorology, “Lagrangian Human Biometeorology: LHM”, in which variations of microclimates and physiological responses are traversed along human pathways using a unique wearable measurement system. The wearable measurement system acquires relevant thermal data such as ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, and short/longwave radiation fluxes, along with some physio-psychological data such as skin temperature, pulse rate, subjective thermal sensation, and state of body motion. Wind speed and radiation components are measured using a globe anemo-radiometer, which is a suitable sensor for Lagrangian tracing. This measurement system was applied to outdoor experiments to assess thermal physiology along a subject’s pathway during 22-24 August, 2011. Every healthy Japanese adult subject wore a set of the instruments that recorded individual microclimate and physiological responses along the designated pedestrian route that traversed various urban textures. Subjects underwent various thermal environments that could not be evaluated using fix-point routine observations. The amount of sweating increased as the thermal load increased. Clear dependence of sweating on gender and body size was found. Skin temperature showed a linear relation with the thermal load. Clear dependence on gender and body size differences was found, reflecting differences in evaporative cooling by perspiration.

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 The Uchikawa River (UR), located in the Hokuriku region of Japan, has water pollution and odor annoyance caused by a density current. The UR connects to the Toyama Bay at three points. Therefore, almost no flow takes place in this river. Moreover, details of the flow mechanisms of the UR are poorly understood. The UR stream regime was observed using the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), which has supported simulation of the UR current mechanism using computational fluid dynamics analysis. First, ADCP observations revealed a backward current of all layers immediately before a saline wedge run up in the Western UR (WUR). Second, a simulation model was produced using the three-dimensional volume of fluid (VOF) method. Numerical analysis results show partial reproduction of the backward current of all layers.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

View full abstract