HR: 1330h
AN: OS42A-0822    [PDF]
TI: R/V Mirai, her missions, facilities and special project "BEAGLE 2003"
AU: * Nagahama, N
EM: nagahama@godi.co.jp
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Fujioka, K
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Okumura, S
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Sueyoshi, S
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Tokunaga, W
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Imai, Y
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Okumura, S
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Maeno, K
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Kimura, R
AF: Global Ocean Development Inc., 1-13-8, Kamiookanishi Konan-ku, Yokohama, 233-0002 Japan
AU: Takao, K
AF: Marine works Japan Ltd., 1-1-7 2F Mutsuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0031 Japan
AU: Takizawa, T
AF: Japan Marine Science & Technology Center, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, 237-0061 Japan
AB: The R/V Mirai, with its large ice-strengthened sturdy hull, was launched in 1997. The ship, in particular, with its large size and its anti-rolling device of special design, is capable of undertaking missions to high-latitude and Polar Regions exposed to the extremely harsh weather and sea conditions. The ship is equipped with many state-of-the art oceanographic and marine meteorological instruments and is expected to act as a floating platform for sophisticated interdisciplinary researches, emphasizing on global change. The R/V Mirai has many characteristic features. Several examples are as follows; (1) Possible for longer survey voyages and wide area observation: She has abundance of laboratories and instrumentation for various observation and facilities for data processing and analyzing. (2) Superior navigation under rough weather with ice strengthened hull: Large class vessel in the world as research vessel, equipped with Hybrid type anti-rolling systems. Also its hull structure is ice strengthened for the voyage to the Arctic Ocean area in the summer seasons. (3) Ability to carry large types of observation instruments on board, and deployed and retrieval of equipment in research areas: Transport, deployment and retrieval of ocean observation buoy developed by JAMSTEC is effectively handled. Further, CTD/water sampling systems, 20 m length piston core sampler system etc. are possible to be installed and operated on board. The R/V Mirai has special missions for ocean science, because of her superior characteristic features. Several examples are as follows; (1) Observation at Arctic region for interaction among atmosphere, ocean and sea ice: Sea ice distributed over a high latitude area works as a lid, which controls the energy transportation between the atmosphere and the ocean. A global climate change will be supposed by ice reduction in a result of global warming. We investigate the interaction between sea ice, ocean and atmosphere. (2) Material cycle in ocean: Investigation of CO2 flux between the atmosphere and the ocean will help to predict a global warming. (3) El Ni¤o: To investigate the mechanism of El Ni¤o, Japanese buoys are installed along the Equator. Interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean, heat flux in the ocean is observed using the buoys. This year the R/V Mirai is surveying down to the southern hemisphere for the round trip of the world on the $30\deg$ S latitude. The cruise nickname was BEAGLE 2003 after Charles Darwin$'$s cruise "BEAGLE" The BEAGLE cruise will focus on the studies of three main themes: the heat and material transports and their variability in the general ocean circulation, the basin-scale biogeochemical changes of the chemical properties and chemical interaction between air and sea water, and the paleo-environmental changes in the ocean. This cruise are also designed to make clear the oceanic circulation at the southern hemisphere special references to the overturn of the Antarctic circulation of cold current, decadal change on the line of WOCE held on 1991 to 1996 again to get more precise data by using the much more sophisticated technique and instrumentations, and the paleoceanographic study on both Arctic and Antarctic area on the climatic and environmental changes.
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE (New category)
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (3309)
DE: 1724 Ocean sciences
DE: 4200 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting