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Haruka Okui, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, wins JSPS Ikushi Prize
Kaoru Sato, Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Science
Ms. Haruka Okui
The stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower thermosphere, which are located at an altitude of about 10 to 100 km, are collectively called the mesosphere. The mesosphere and lower thermosphere in particular are dominated by small-scale atmospheric gravity waves (hereafter referred to as gravity waves), which are driven by buoyancy forces. On the other hand, it is well known that the variations in the middle atmosphere cover the ground, and their elucidation is indispensable for improving the accuracy of seasonal forecasts and climate prediction such as global warming. Using a high-resolution atmospheric general circulation model, Dr. Okui succeeded in reproducing the realistic middle atmosphere including gravity waves for the first time in the world. After validating the model using observation data of mesospheric gravity waves from the International Joint Atmospheric Radar Network, he has clarified the mechanism of the upper/lower coupling of the middle atmosphere and the variation of the coupling between the northern and southern hemispheres by carefully analyzing the interaction between the various layers of the atmosphere using the reproduced data. We have also studied the generation, propagation, and breaking of planetary-scale waves and gravity waves, and their signal transmission from the Arctic stratosphere to the upper Antarctic mesosphere. The mechanism of remote coupling in the dynamic mesosphere was successfully elucidated. He also studied at the University of Bath through the Graduate School of Science's Graduate Research Student Program (GRASP), where he verified models based on satellite observations of the stratosphere and clarified the distribution of gravity waves that cannot be detected by satellites and the reasons for their absence. These and other research achievements led to the award for "Research on the Role of Gravity Waves in Remote Coupling of the Middle Atmosphere Using a High-Resolution Atmospheric General Circulation Model". We look forward to your continued success and research development.