The concentrated deep seawater has been discharged abundantly in the processes manufacturing many kinds of goods from the deep seawater. In this study, a suitable application of the concentrated deep seawater for the high quality tomato production was examined by analyzing effects of the short-term salt stress treatment with the concentrated deep seawater on plant physiological functions and fruit quality with special reference to osmotic adjustment, antioxidation and sensory properties of fruits. Tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) with four fruit trusses were grown in the NFT system with the intermittent applications of the short-term salt stress and the continuous application of the long-term salt stress, where the concentrated deep seawater was applied to the standard nutrient solution. The short-term (one week) salt stress was applied three times to the respective fruit trusses of 1st to 4th at one-week intervals. This intermittent salt stress treatment to each fruit truss significantly affected osmotic adjustment and antioxidation in tomato plants and brought the value-added high quality tomatoes enriched in sugar, minerals, antioxidants and flavor etc. Furthermore, the intermittent applications of the short-term salt stress showed the possibility to improve the extreme depression of fruit growth, the higher incidence of blossom-end rot and the depression in plant vigor which were caused by the continuous long-term salt stress treatment. In this study, a new methodology to produce value-added vegetables was demonstrated by applying the natural resource, the environmental stress and plant adaptive functions.

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We have estimated natural beech forest decline at Tanzawa mountains spreading over Kanagawa, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, in which the decline has become a serious problem since 1980s, using multi-temporal 8day-composite data obtained from MODIS aboard the Terra satellite, AMeDAS data in 2007 and GDEM (Global Digital Elevation Model) obtained from ASTER aboard Terra. The NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and WDI (Water Deficit Index) maps, which indicate vegetation density and the difference of transpiration rates between similar vegetation density areas, were derived from these data and compared with an existing mortality-map of beech forests at the study area in order to verify their accuracy. To produce WDI-map, we calculated maps of air temperature using AMeDAS data and GDEM. The interpolation method using the environmental lapse rate calibrated air temperature maps with the good accuracy of RMSE = 0.49K. The WDI-map could detect the mortality more accurately than NDVI-map in summer although both maps were effective in spring. Considering the characteristic of WDI, the index detects forest decline inducing the reduction of transpiration rates caused by air pollution and water deficit. Therefore WDI could be expected as an index for monitoring vegetation decline.

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To choose an appropriate method for the long-term measurement of air leakage from the Closed Geosphere Experiment Facility (CGEF), a simpler facility-specific method was examined and compared with a conventional method. The CGEF, which is highly airtight, was designed to investigate carbon cycles of terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, a wetland ecosystem is scheduled to be installed in the facility. The facility comprises a Geosphere Module (GM) and a Geosphere Material Circulation (GMC) System. The size of the GM is a 5.8 m × 8.7 m ground area and 11.9 m average height including 3.1 m soil depth. In this study, air leakage from the CGEF was measured with two different methods. One was the facility-specific method that measures air supply to the GM by a mechanical pressure controller (PC) system. If losses are recorded, air leakages are indicated. The other was the conventional method, which estimates air leakage by measuring tracer gas concentrations. A good agreement was found between the two methods with relative errors of 14%, 4%, and 3% in the three replications of experiments. Although the air leakage relative to the GM's volume (air exchange rate) is very small (4.6 × 10^-3 h^-1), the long-term monitoring of the air leakage is essential to estimate the influence of air leakage on the carbon balance in the wetland ecosystem during the several-year investigation. This study suggests that the facility-specific method (air supply to the GM by the mechanical PC system) is simple and accurate to monitor air leakage from the CGEF over long periods.

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We review climate geoengineering, which is receiving increasing attention due to the slow progress of global climate policy and recognition of potential catastrophic effects of climate change. Climate engineering schemes are intended to modify part of the global climate system to countervail the effect of global climate change. There are two main categories of climate engineering options: carbon dioxide removal (CDR) such as ocean iron fertilization and CO₂ air capture; and solar radiation management (SRM) including stratospheric aerosol injection. SRM options are generally affordable, and timely in their effect, but come with side effects. CDR techniques tend to be costly and slow, but address ocean acidification as well as climate change. Terminating an SRM scheme would cause a rapid rise in global-mean temperature, whereas CDR does not pose such a problem. Both options entail significant uncertainties, which should be resolved through further research. Discussions on governance of climate engineering have already begun at various forums, mainly led by the United Kingdom and the United States.

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Recently, so-called geoengineering appears to be championed by some in the fight against global warming as a possible alternative to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, I believe that there is a root cause for the emissions that should be first taken care of. In this paper, I argue that what needed most is not a fix to the global warming and that the current conditions of our environments need to be viewed in the context of Earth system evolution. The terrestrial life began to be present around four billion years ago; however, it only achieved the enduring basis for its continued existence when the oxygen respiration emerged. It, thus, took two billion years to become a sustainable sphere with its own rule, the biosphere. Then, about ten thousand years ago, humans started agriculture, departing from the biological rule. It formed a bud of the humanosphere and kept growing until the 16th century, when the need for larger amount of metals and other goods turned our eyes to underground resources. Unfortunately, these resources are not renewable. Thus, we unknowingly derailed ourselves from the path to the formation of an enduring sphere of humans, the humanosphere. Now we are seeing the end of our way that has lasted for five centuries and some of us might be at a loss in front of the deteriorating environments. During this period, however, our understanding about this universe and its various laws has advanced greatly and it will help us to return to the course to the humanosphere. Some notes to be observed for successfully getting back to the track are also discussed.

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Bio-geoengineering (BGE) is a biological version of geoengineering and it aims at increased carbon-sequestration capacity of the terrestrial ecosystems by enhancing and suppressing activities of producers and decomposers, respectively. The main targets of BGE are agroecosystems with degraded and/or problematic soils. Hereby, BGE not only alleviates global warming but also contributes to other critical global issues such as the shortage of water and food and the growing discrepancy between the rich and the poor. BGE techniques must be formulated to be effective, economical and easy-to-use even for the local poor, paying due attentions to indigenous technologies that are fit to natural and social conditions for the target agroecosystems. Thus, BGE would consist of renovated indigenous technologies and highly intelligent technologies opposed to the high technologies. In addition, BGE may contribute to a richer biodiversity by reviving and/or reinforcing the damaged and impoverished terrestrial ecosystems.

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In Europe and the United States, scientists are looking for ways of modifying the Earth's environment to control global warming - it's known as geo-engineering. But it is also pointed out that geo-engineering may induce unknown side-effects to the environment. In Japan, the concept of geo-engineering commonly doesn't come to be recognized yet. But at least we should know this issue and this is the time to make the principle about research on geo-engineering. In future, if we found a safe method of geo-engineering, social acceptability will become very important. In order to win the support of the public, it is better that we communicate with many people in many ways from now. In particular, rather than presentation, discussion is important and effective.

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