Science Tokyo Kinouchi Lab
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Research

Assessment and prediction of regional water resources through the integration of advanced science and technology

Water is an irreplaceable resource that supports ecosystems and human activities on Earth, but it is unevenly distributed in space and time, often causing droughts and floods. Climate change and the expansion of human activities are expected to intensify these problems, while water pollution may also become more serious. Our laboratory studies these issues in Japan and abroad, aiming to better understand the underlying processes and to propose practical solutions through comprehensive and interdisciplinary approaches that make use of advanced science and technology.

Research image

Recent research topics

Mekong River Basin and Tonle Sap Lake Basin

Objective: To assess impacts of basin development and climate change on water resources, water-related disasters, water quality, and ecosystems

  • Impacts of land-use change and dam development on runoff
  • Analysis of runoff, inundation and sediment transport using satellite data
  • Prediction of climate-change impacts on regional water resources
  • Assessment of fish assemblages and biodiversity using eDNA
  • Analysis of relationships between fish ecology and hydrological/water-quality environments

Chao Phraya River Basin

Objective: To improve flood and drought forecasting accuracy

  • Streamflow estimation using satellite data and hydrological data
  • Numerical modeling of rainfall-runoff and flood inundation processes
  • Prediction of extreme weather using climate indices and global climate data

Cities in Southeast Asia

Objective: To assess flood vulnerability caused by urbanization and climate change

  • Impacts of extreme rainfall on flood risk
  • Improvement of urban flood and inundation simulation
  • Assessment of health impacts caused by urban inundation
  • Projection of future vulnerability under land-use and climate scenarios

South Asia

Objective: To quantify terrestrial water and groundwater dynamics

  • Quantification of terrestrial water dynamics using satellite data and land-surface models
  • Assessment of agricultural drought impacts
  • Evaluation and prediction of water resources in the Indus River Basin

High-altitude tropical Andes basins

Objective: To secure long-term water resources for the La Paz–El Alto region

  • Extraction of glaciers and wetlands using satellite images
  • Monitoring and modeling of glacier melt and runoff
  • Projection of water demand and supply and proposal of adaptation measures

Kasumigaura Lake watershed

Objective: To predict and mitigate eutrophication in the lake

  • Projecting the influence of climate change on lake water quality and ecosystem
  • Forecasting algal bloom using machine learning models
  • Distributed hydrological modeling of nutrient transport in major tributary watersheds
  • Application of UV-VIS spectroscopy for monitoring organics, nutrients, and suspended sediments

Abukuma River watershed

Objective: To predict changes in contamination levels and downstream impacts of radioactive materials

  • Modeling transport of eroded sediments with radioactive cesium
  • Understanding sediment erosion processes using a rainfall simulator
  • Source identification of suspended sediment based on elemental composition

Tama River watershed

Objective: To understand anthropogenic impacts on aquatic environments and ecosystems

  • Modeling stream temperature rise and its controlling factors
  • Analysis of groundwater–surface water interaction

Japan (nationwide)

Objective: To understand hydrologic cycle and rainfall-runoff processes

  • Identification of factors dominating rainfall-runoff processes in headwater forested catchments
  • Projecting the influence of climate change on extreme rainfall over Japan