I want to contribute to the safe operation of aircraft through data-based meteorology research

In my first year of high school, I was invited by a senior student, an alumnus of my high school club who had gone on to SFC, to attend the SFC Open Research Forum (ORF), which SFC holds as a venue to present the results of its research activities to the public. Numerous booths were set up in a large venue in the heart of the city, Tokyo Midtown (the venue at the time I attended), and I remember being incredibly excited by the sight of cutting-edge research results being presented through poster presentations and talk sessions. Although many of the presentations were on difficult topics for me at the time, I was able to experience firsthand the breadth of academic fields that can be studied at university. Furthermore, seeing unique presentations like a live performance using drums reinforced my feeling that "university seems like a lot of fun."

At that time, my interests were broadly divided into three areas: airplanes (aerospace engineering, meteorology), music/instruments (music neuroscience), and media (video production). Because of this, choosing a faculty for my future path was difficult, and for my entrance exams, I applied to SFC and several other universities' faculties in science and technology, information and media, and the humanities without being able to narrow down my choices. As a result, I received offers of admission from multiple universities. The reason I ultimately chose SFC from among them was that I wanted to keep my options open for the future. SFC, with its system that allows you to decide your major while you study, the wide range of research groups you can join from your first year, and a curriculum that lets you add and multiply fields as needed, was extremely attractive to me, as I had interests in various academic disciplines.

During my first year, in addition to the science and technology, music, and media fields I was already interested in, I took classes in various other areas that seemed interesting, such as politics, and data science, which I felt would be essential for research in any field in the future. I then determined that I was suited to translating phenomena into numerical values and analyzing data, and decided to join Professor Yoshiaki Miyamoto's meteorology research group to study aviation meteorology using these methods.

The research topics in Professor Miyamoto's lab are wide-ranging, and the research of senior students was diverse, ranging from basic research exploring the mechanisms of meteorological phenomena like typhoons and torrential rain, to applied research aimed at understanding the causes of environmental problems such as global warming, air pollution, and the heat island effect, and applying this knowledge to various industries related to daily life, disaster prevention, and urban development. Even for research related to aircraft, which I am interested in, there were many possible approaches, so I first learned the research methodology by emulating the themes of my senior students. Then, by examining a large amount of meteorological data, I was able to discover the research theme I wanted to pursue.

The research theme I am currently working on is "Clarifying the Causes of Fog at Takamatsu Airport." For safe operations, airlines decide on flight cancellations or delays based on the weather conditions at the departure and arrival airports. Fog, in particular, reduces visibility (a measure of atmospheric turbidity, with a scale from 0 to 9 representing the maximum distance at which an object can be distinguished by the naked eye), making safe takeoffs and landings impossible. Takamatsu Airport in Kagawa Prefecture is located on high ground, making it susceptible to rain and dense fog, with over 90 flights canceled annually due to dense fog in some years. Therefore, I decided to undertake research aimed at clarifying the types of fog that occur at Takamatsu Airport and the meteorological field (the state of surrounding temperature, wind, etc.) at the time of their occurrence. In my research, I conduct time-series analysis using regularly observed meteorological data from the airport (temperature, wind direction, wind speed, visibility), as well as data observed by AMeDAS stations around the airport, to clarify trends in the times of day when fog is likely to occur and its duration. Furthermore, I aim to clarify the characteristics of the meteorological field during fog events using 3D numerical forecast data for the area around the airport.

This research was selected for SFC's Yamagishi Student Project Support Program in the spring of 2024. The Yamagishi Student Project Support Program is a research grant system for undergraduate students that supports research activities expected to have an impact on the world. While there are many grants for graduate students, grants for undergraduates are rare, and I was very grateful to be able to conduct my research without financial worries thanks to this support. Moreover, passing the rigorous screening process gave me confidence in my research, and at the same time, it has allowed me to approach my work with high motivation and a positive sense of pressure, thinking, "I was selected and am receiving support."

Looking ahead, I aim to achieve concrete results with my current fog research. It's impossible to achieve 100% accuracy in these kinds of predictions. However, by clarifying the conditions under which fog occurs—in the case of Takamatsu Airport, easterly winds are deeply involved—it becomes possible to create things like prediction models. If we can more accurately predict the timing and duration of fog, it will be easier to plan aircraft operations in advance, which will help eliminate the economic losses and passenger inconvenience caused by cancellations and diversions. Research, the process of uncovering the unknown with my own hands, is enjoyable, and I think it's something that is difficult to do once you become a working professional. That's why I want to cherish this current period where I have the environment to learn and conduct research at university.

Currently, while job hunting with a focus on the aviation industry, I am also considering graduate school as there are still research themes I would like to tackle. In my job search, in addition to roles where I can leverage my knowledge of meteorology, such as flight dispatcher or air traffic controller, I am also considering the path of becoming a pilot. Whether I will take a job or go on to graduate school is not yet decided, but in any case, I want to become a person who can provide value that only I can create.

Finally, a little about the interesting aspects of meteorology, the field I am researching. When you think of meteorology, the image of weather forecasts by meteorologists comes to mind, but as I mentioned earlier regarding the research in Professor Miyamoto's lab, meteorology is broadly connected to society—from global environmental issues to various industries like transportation, disaster prevention, and policy-making for urban planning—and is an indispensable field of study for our lives. Furthermore, with the global increase in weather-related disasters such as typhoons and heavy rains, it is a field that will attract ever-increasing attention in the future.

I'm sure everyone has seen a weather forecast, but when you study meteorology, you begin to understand the background of the forecast, such as "how do they know it will be sunny tomorrow?" or "how do they know it will rain in a few hours?" Also, just by looking up at the sky and observing the movement of the clouds, you can ponder the various phenomena occurring in the upper atmosphere. I find having such a new perspective on the world to be very enjoyable, and I feel it enriches my life. I truly hope that many people will come to know the appeal of meteorology.