National Institute for Environmental Studies

Spectral signatures of zenith sky radiance from surface-based sky radiometers: implications for clear- and cloudy-sky detection

Abstract. Accurate identification of clear- and cloudy-sky conditions is essential for reliable aerosol and cloud retrievals from ground-based remote sensing observations. This study investigates the spectral characteristics of zenith radiances measured by SKYNET sky radiometers...

The Influence of Rheological Properties on the Adhesiveness of Food Waste and Its Implications for Mechanical Separation

Abstract The viscoelastic and adhesive properties of food waste materials are critical factors influencing the efficiency of mechanical separation processes in waste management. This study investigated the moisture-dependent rheological behavior─specifically storage modulus in bo...

Limited global awareness of invasive alien species and little support for their management

Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the main drivers of global change and can cause a wide range of negative ecological and social impacts. Addressing these impacts requires management actions, which can fail to be effective when not supported by the public. Here, we conducte...

Cesarean delivery and overweight at 6 years of age: a prospective cohort analysis of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Abstract Cesarean delivery (CD) has been suggested as a potential risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity; however, evidence beyond early childhood remains inconsistent. We examined the association between CD and childhood overweight at age 6 years and explored early lif...

Modeling long-term and interannual crop area changes: Integrating socioeconomic and hydrometeorological factors in the Indus Basin

Water management is critical for policymakers in agriculture-dominated regions, where water demand and withdrawals change in response to variations in crop area, such as in the Indus River Basin (IRB). However, the mechanisms driving long-term and interannual crop area changes, p...

Neighborhood interaction at age 65 and subsequent initiation and cessation of social participation in Japanese older adults: the NISSIN Project

Whether neighborhood interaction is differently associated with initiation and cessation of social participation in early old age remains unclear. We analyzed 1,688 Japanese adults surveyed at ages 65 and 70. Initiation and cessation were examined separately using modified Poisso...

The Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project (CFMIP) contribution to CMIP7

Cloud processes constitute one of the key uncertainties for climate change projections. The fourth iteration of the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project, CFMIP4, contributes to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 7 (CMIP7), by providing a set of global climate...

Reconstructed XCO2 Reveals Seasonal Moisture Limitation Sensitivity Across Typical Steppe, Forest, and Gobi Desert in Mongolia

Satellite-derived atmospheric CO2 observations provide important information for regional carbon monitoring, but their sparse spatial and temporal coverage limits their use in data-sparse drylands. We reconstructed seamless monthly column-averaged atmospheric CO2 (XCO2) over Mong...

Carbon sink was strengthening in Yunnan’s vegetation: findings from trained eddy flux data with gradient boosting machine

Yunnan Province, a key forest region in China, plays a crucial role in the nation’s terrestrial carbon sink. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and driving mechanisms of vegetation carbon sinks in this topographically complex and ecologically diverse region is essential fo...

Decomposing Vehicle Production and Consumption Impacts in Japan under Mobility and Production Network Interventions

Abstract Passenger vehicles contribute approximately 8% to global energy-related emissions and drive other environmental impacts through the extraction of raw materials. In this study, a hybrid LCA approach is used to investigate emissions and material life-cycle impacts arising...

16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data of microbial communities associated with methane concentrations in sediment microbial fuel cell systems

ABSTRACT Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) were constructed using different sediments, and microbial communities were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Methane concentrations were lower in roadside ditch sediment under SMFC conditions than under control condition...

Short‐Term 6PPD‐Q Exposure alters Tight‐Junction‐Related Gene Expression Without Acute Lethality in Japanese Medaka Oryzias latipes

6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), a transformation product of the tire antioxidant 6PPD, causes acute mortality in several salmonid species, but its toxicity varies markedly among fish species. Disruption of vascular-barrier integrity and inflammatory signaling has been proposed as a key me...

Hysteresis and irreversibility in permafrost physical response to increase and decrease of CO 2 emissions

Abstract. Boreal permafrost over the Northern Hemisphere high latitudes, defined as areas where the ground temperature is below 0 °C for two or more years, stores more than twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. Therefore, thawing of the permafrost, a tipping element, due to glo...

Middle atmosphere chemical and dynamical effects in the CCMI-2022 stratospheric aerosol injection scenario

Abstract. Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) could slow surface warming, however, potential side effects include changes in stratospheric ozone and changes in regional surface temperatures and precipitation resulting from tropical lower stratospheric warming. Previous multi-mo...

The Zooplankton International Geospatial dataset: A global repository of spatiotemporal freshwater zooplankton community composition data from lakes and reservoirs to support ecological research

Abstract Zooplankton transfer substantial energy in aquatic food webs and are used as indicators of environmental change. Syntheses of zooplankton community dynamics globally require datasets that span a wide range of environmental gradients; however, these datasets are limited d...

Impact of a Stratocumulus Scheme on Clouds and Feedbacks in MIROC7

Abstract Marine stratocumulus (Sc) clouds exert a strong cooling effect on climate by reflecting solar radiation, yet many climate models underestimate their amount and cause uncertainty in equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS). Herein, we show that incorporating a physically bas...

Reduced Complexity Model Intercomparison Project phase 3: experimental protocol for coordinated constraining and evaluation of reduced-complexity models

Abstract. Reduced-Complexity Models (RCMs) are a critical tool for synthesising climate science knowledge and providing climate projections for a wide range of emissions scenarios. The Reduced-Complexity Model Intercomparison Project (RCMIP) provides a framework for the coordinat...