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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Professor Jotaro Urabe, Department of Environmental Life Sciences, Tohoku Univeristy

Biological monitoring targeting impact assessments of tsunami large scale disruption on the eco-system, and regional regeneration

Research grant

Project Description

Tidal flats, paddy fields and islands are important as ecosystems at the boundary between sea, land and water, but there is concern about the serious impact of the Tsunami from the Great East Japan Great Earthquake. This objective of the research is, in addition to understanding the tsunami wrought disturbance and regionally-based variances of the same, to provide information for more beneficial land usage targeting restoration and business promotion, by detecting the recovery conditions of the eco-system that was disrupted, and inhibiting factors, and create a path facilitating the use of regional eco-system functions and service (benefits).

Fields
Preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem
Grant year
FY2011 Research Grants
Grant term
3 years and 4 months
June 2011 - September 2014
Grant amount
17,784,000 yen
Activity region
Coastlines in Fukushima, Miyagi aud Iwate Prefectures, Japan
Survey guidance in Matsushima bay

Overview of the Organization

Professor Jotaro Urabe
Representative
Professor Jotaro Urabe
Profile
Specialist field
Ecology
Affiliated academic associations
Ecological Society of Japan, The Japanese Society of Limnology
Background
In 1997, dropped out after completing the academic portion of the doctoral program, at Tokyo Metropolitan University, Graduate School of Science, and in 1998, became a Doctor of Science from Tokyo Metropolitan University, Graduate School of Science. In 1989 took the post of Curator and Researcher, Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba, and in 1993 became Assistant at the Department of Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan University. In 1995 took the role of Associate Professor, Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University. In 2003 became a Professor at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University. Is engaged in research related to structure determination mechanisms of bio-communities focused mainly on lake and river eco-systems, and biodiversity responses to environmental variations. International Science Committee for Integrated Area Land Research (Scientific Committee: 2004-2006), Limnology, Editor in Chief, Oikos, Editorial committee member, The Ecological Society of Japan, Tohoku area Chairman
Collaborating researchers
Shigeki Iwabuchi (Executive Director NPO Tanbo), Masakado Kawata (Professor, Tohoku University), Jun Yokoyama (Professor, Yamagata university), Takao Suzuki (Professor, Tohoku University), Gen Kanaya (Project Researcher), others.
Research record
  • (1) Urabe, J. et al.(2011) Within-lake and watershed determinants of carbon dioxide in the surface water: a comparative analysis for a variety of lakes in Japanese Islands. Limnology and Oceanography, 56:49-60.
  • (2) Urabe, J., S. Naeem, D. Raubenheimer, and J. J. Elser (2010) The evolution of biological stoichiometry under global change, Oikos,119:737-740.
  • (3) Urabe, J. and N. Tsugeki (2009) Recent and past restoration and monitoring of the lake ecosystem using a paleolimnological method, Hereditary Biological Science, 63:66-72.
  • (4) Urabe, J., Takeda, H., eds., (2006) The Global Environment and the Eco-System, The Science of Land Eco-Systems, Kyoritsu Shuppan Co., Ltd.