NEWS

2018/04/05: Our article on empirical upscaling of AsiaFlux CO2 flux has just released in iLEAPS newsletter (page 4-11).

2018/04/02: New school year has just started ! Now, our group has nine members ! Dr. Hideki Kobayashi (visiting associate prof.), Dr. Kazutaka Murakami (researcher), and Kawase-san, Hayashi-san, and Hayashi-san (undergraduate) have joined in our group. Welcome ! One research student will join soon ! 

2018/03/26-04/03: K. Ichii visited National Center for Agro-Meteorology (NCAM), Seoul National University for collaboration work.

2018/03/20: New paper in Nature Communications from our group ! Kondo et al. (2018) Land use change and El Niño-Southern Oscillation drive decadal carbon balance shifts in Southeast Asia.  Press release from Chiba University (in Japanese).

    

MISSION

Mission of our group is "monitoring and modeling of earth system toward better prediction of our future earth." Our approach is to integrate and synthesize of available data and models to understand earth system in more comprehensive ways. Our main target is 'terrestrial biosphere' from regional to global scales. We use network of ground observation (e.g. FLUXNET, AsiaFlux), remote sensing data, numerical models (terrestrial ecosystem models), and atmospheric observations.

RESEARCH

Data-driven estimation of terrestrial CO2 fluxes
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Using FLUXNET/AsiaFlux data, satellite remote sensing data and machine learning technique, we estimate spatial and temporal variation of terrestrial CO2-Energy-H2O fluxes at regional to global scales [Ichii et al. 2017; Kondo et al. 2015; Ueyama et al. 2013; 2014; Saigusa et al. 2010]. 

Satellite-based Monitoring of Vegetation Changes from Regional to Continental Scale

Using long-term data of satellite remote sensing, we analyzed and detected vegetation and land cover changes from regional to global scales [Sekizawa et al. 2015; Ichii et al. 2013; Ichii et al. 2002; Kawabata et al. 2001].
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Data-Model Integration toward refinement of terrestrial ecosystem models

By integrating satellite data into terrestrial ecosystem model, we estimated unknown ecosystem parameters and successfully improved models. [Kondo et al. 2017; Ichii et al. 2007, 2009]​. 

Top-down and Bottom-up Synthesis toward Better Understandings of Global Carbon Cycle

We are working on synthesis of multiple independent estimations of terrestrial CO2 fluxes. Estimations include top-down approach (atmospheric inversion model) and bottom-up approach (process-based model, data-driven model, satellite products). [Kondo et al. 2015; Ichii et al. 2017].

Earth System Modeling

We demonstrated that future projection of CO2 budget and climate might change if terrestrial carbon cycle model was improved using FLUXNET data. [Suzuki and Ichii, 2010].
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Model-data intercomparison in Asia etc.

We conducted model-data intercomparison project (Asia-MIP, CarboEastAsia-MIP, and Japan-MIP) to test current model performance using multiple models and observation data [Ichii et al. 2013; Ichii et al. 2010].