Monbetsu is an international city for drift ice research-Four scientists who take over "Aota Ism"-

In Monbetsu City, which advocates the international city of drift ice research, the Northern Region International Symposium "Okhotsk Sea and Drift Ice" has been held every February, where researchers from Japan and abroad gather. One of the creators was the late Masaaki Aota (1938-2012), who was known as Dr. Drift Ice. By devoting themselves to drift ice research for many years at the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, which is located in Monbetsu, and clarifying the effects of drift ice on the fishery, people's awareness of drift ice should be "welcome" from "troublesome people". I turned it 180 degrees. In the process, we installed drift ice observation radars in Monbetsu, Abashiri, and Esashi to investigate the movement of drift ice in the coastal area in real time, and went to Saharin to investigate where the drift ice came from and flowed a buoy with a transmitter. And act energetically to stick to the field principle. We talked to four scientists who will take over such "Aota Ism".

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Encounter with Mr. Aota

There are various encounters between the four and Mr. Aota.
Mr. Takahashi deepened exchanges between university students who share a common research field, and was invited to "I'm a friend of Eastern Hokkaido. Let's do it together" when observing the lake ice of Lake Komuke (Monbetsu) in winter. chance. After retiring from Kitami Institute of Technology, he was appointed as the director of the center as "Mr. Aota's will".
Mr. Katakura had been friends with Mr. Aota through the symposium since the time of the Fisheries Agency (Hokusui Lab.), But he became a city employee with the support of Mr. Aota as a successor to Mr. Soji Hamaoka, who was in charge of plankton research in the city. .. From drift ice to seals, we are conducting research centered on fish.

When he was a student, Mr. Iwamoto studied the effects of drift ice on the local climate, and then worked at the National Institute of Polar Research's Arctic Observation Center. Became a city employee as an operation manager of the Doppler radar (successor to the drift ice observation radar) installed at the summit of Mt. Oyama (Monbetsu), and is currently dispatched to Antarctica because of his achievements.
Mr. Kuwahara met Mr. Hamaoka and Mr. Aota while working as a sales person and a person in charge of collecting Clione at the Monbetsu base of a manufacturer that manufactures and sells Clione aquariums. At the 2008 Toyako Summit, where Clione was exhibited as a symbol of drift ice, Mr. Aota introduced him as "the best Clione hunter in Japan." After that, he became a curator of the center.

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International symposium

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Mr. Aota has made various academic achievements, but he has also left a new culture of annual "international symposium" for Monbetsu City. The main event is academic research presentations by researchers from Japan and overseas, but it is unique to have held the "Children's Drift Ice Symposium" for local elementary school students for many years. Mr. Takahashi said, "Since the Sea of ​​Okhotsk has a low salinity, it is easier for ordinary adults to acquire knowledge, such as the fact that it freezes more easily. Science begins with the question" Oh? " I would be happy if you could feel mysterious and enter the world of science from there. "

The Ryuhyo Science Center actively develops science education events. Mr. Kuwahara, who is in charge of classes at junior high schools and high schools and has turned children's attention to familiar natural sciences, said, "Now all three junior high schools in the city are presenting their research at the junior high school section of the educational symposium. It is the role of the only science museum in the region to do this. I would like to make it an opportunity for people to be interested in science, not just drifting ice. " Mr. Takahashi also praised this, saying, "In a big city, it is difficult to have such a consistent education in elementary and junior high schools. Children in Monbetsu are in an environment where they can receive generous science education." Since the coast of Hokkaido Okhotsk is the southern limit of drift ice in the northern hemisphere, we hope that children will be interested in it, saying, "Through the visible phenomenon of the decrease in drift ice, we can think about global warming and carbon dioxide emission problems." 

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Human resource development and fishery promotion

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Another major pillar of "Aota Ism" along with the on-site principle is human resource development.
Monbetsu City signed a partnership agreement with Hokkaido University Marine Studies Department in 2017. Not only Hokkaido University but also students from Kitami Institute of Technology and Tokai University have been accepted, and not only basic research on drift ice, biology, ecology, etc., but also engineering demonstration experiments such as sonar and self-propelled underwater robots have been conducted. According to Mr. Katakura, "There is an environment where young students can study freely. The total length of stay of students exceeds 100 nights a year."
Such research has brought about a virtuous cycle in the fishing industry.

During the period when the sea is closed by the drift ice and fishing is not possible, the phytoplankton "ice algae" grows on the back side of the drift ice, which is eaten by scallops and zooplankton, and further circulates as nutrition for fish. Because I understood. Furthermore, the recovery of the resources of Hokkai Shrimp and the world's first Cho
There are also high expectations for research on seawater aquaculture of sharks.
The monitoring of water temperature and water quality at the Hyokai Observatory, Okhotsk Tower, etc. is also useful for grasping the timing of migratory fish. It is also an advantage to know immediately if there is something wrong with the sea. Mr. Katakura said, "Last year, the damage caused by red tide became a problem on the coast of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
May have been found. In that respect as well, it is important to continue ocean monitoring. "

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Mr. Iwamoto is dispatched to Antarctica.

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The selection of Mr. Iwamoto as a member of the Antarctic Research Expedition is also a bright topic. Before leaving, Mr. Iwamoto said, "I would like to convey to the children the harshness of the polar regions and the environment in which the base is set up. I hope that you will be interested in nature, polar regions, snow, ice, etc."
One of the things I want to convey to children is that I was able to realize my dream of going to Antarctica since I was a student. "I was in charge of the Arctic observation at the Polar Research Institute, and after that I came to Monbetsu City, so I thought it was impossible. Thanks to the Doppler radar, I was able to connect to the dream Antarctic." The results of my continued involvement in my field of expertise have paid off.

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Future of the symposium.

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The Northern Regions International Symposium is also progressing. "The Sea of ​​Okhotsk and drift ice" has been the main theme for many years, but in recent years the scope of research has expanded not only to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk but also to the entire frozen sea.
Not only is the experience of Mr. Takahashi, who participated in the 23rd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in 1982, and Mr. Iwamoto, who was engaged in Arctic observations, being utilized, but the Arctic Ocean Route, which has become more important, is also attracting attention. Furthermore, Mr. Iwamoto's experience in Antarctica will be added here.
Mr. Takahashi talks. "I'm grateful that so many human resources gathered in Monbetsu. (Before the Corona disaster), researchers from Japan and abroad will come because of the symposium. However, some researchers came to drink. All of these were triggered by Dr. Aota's enthusiasm. "
It has been 10 years since Mr. Aota passed away. "Aota Ism" has been passed down to the next generation.

\ The person who wrote this article /

Nobuyuki Takizawa / Born in Asahikawa City. I was impressed by the large ice field of drift ice that I saw in Monbetsu-Omu when I was 14 years old. Lived in Sapporo for 11 years to go on to school and get a job, and moved to Monbetsu in 1999. As a local newspaper reporter, I am trying to convey the charm of the area.