ISEE

From Director

Director  Kanya Kusano

   As a result of the rapid development of science and society, the activities of humankind are now expanding even to space and also affecting the circulation systems in nature. Under such rapid progress of civilization, we need to grasp our environment from a holistic aspect. Based on such a new viewpoint and looking to the future, the Institute for Space–Earth Environmental Research (ISEE) was recently established by collaboration between researchers from various fields of science. The mission of ISEE is to clarify the mechanisms and relationships between the Earth, the Sun, and cosmic space, treating them as a seamless system, and to contribute to solving issues related to the global environment and human society spreading in space. In addition, ISEE plays a role as the only joint usage/research center linking space science and earth science, and promotes various collaborative research projects.

   Our environment comprises various interacting elements and evolves with time. In particular, the dynamics of solar activity sometimes have a great influence on the global environment and human society. A huge solar flare explosion occurring on the solar surface severely disturbs the Earth’s magnetic field, the atmosphere, and the radiation environment, and it may cause serious impacts on satellites, electric power, communications, aviation, and other infrastructure. Long-term variation in sunspot activity may also affect the global climate. Cosmic rays arriving from far away in the universe are also an element of our environment, and the cosmogenic isotopes in tree rings provide us with valuable information to explore past environments. On the other hand, it is important to understand the mechanisms of climate change and extreme weather phenomena, both of which may cause disasters. For this purpose, it is necessary to clarify not only the greenhouse effect but also the hydrological circulation, in which aerosols, clouds, and precipitation interact, as well as the interaction between meteorological dynamics and the land–ocean ecosystem with solar influence.

   In order to explore the space–earth environment, interdisciplinary research across different fields is necessary. ISEE aims to play a role in promoting domestic and international research collaboration between researchers, and to develop a new discipline of space–earth environmental research. We look forward to your continued support and cooperation.