معرفی
Masashi Kohma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, a position he has held since April 2014. His research centers on middle-atmosphere dynamics, atmospheric turbulence, and polar meteorology using the Antarctic PANSY radar, satellites, radiosondes, and reanalyses.
Education
- Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, March 2014
- M.S. in Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, March 2011
- B.S. in Geophysics, Kyoto University, March 2009
Research Interests
Dr. Kohma investigates the dynamics of the middle atmosphere, focusing on gravity-wave propagation, wave breaking, and turbulence. He quantifies turbulent energy dissipation rates, studies polar stratospheric and mesospheric clouds, and examines tropopause variability. His work leverages unique Antarctic datasets to understand coupling processes across troposphere–stratosphere–mesosphere layers.
Recent Publications & Trends
From 2023-2025 his publications emphasize Antarctic gravity-wave climatology, large-amplitude inertia-gravity waves, and high-resolution numerical simulations of orographic wave breaking. Earlier works explore tropopause folding events, intraseasonal oscillations in the equatorial mesosphere, and statistical analyses of PMWE-derived turbulent dissipation.
Scientific Awards
- Yamamoto Prize 2016, Meteorological Society of Japan
- Best Poster Prize, SPARC General Assembly 2014
Grants & Advising
- Principal Investigator, JST ERATO Project (2023-2026) “Unexplored Areas of Atmospheric Observation: Whole-Atmospheric Distribution of Turbulent Energy Dissipation Rate”
- JSPS Young Scientist Research (2019-2023) “The role of turbulent mixing in the mass distribution and heat balance near the UTLS”
- JSPS Young Scientist Research (B) (2016-2019) “Study on minimum cloud occurrence frequency and seasonality of TIL in polar UTLS”
- JSPS Research Fellowship (DC1) (2011-2014)
Labs & Teams
Dr. Kohma is a key member of the PANSY radar consortium—the first MST/IS radar in Antarctica—and participates in the Interhemispheric Coupling Study by Observations and Modelling (ICSOM). He also contributes to the JAGUAR whole-atmosphere data-assimilation development.
