Takayama Field Station

Brief history of the Takayama site:

A 25 m flux-tower was constructed in 1993 in mountainous area at the foot of Mt. Norikura. This first flux-tower is located in a deciduous
broad-leaved forest (AsiaFlux code: TKY, La Thuile Synthesis code: JP-tak; 36°08’N, 137°25’E, 1,420 m a.s.l.) in a cool temperate climatic
zone that is affected by Asian monsoons. At first a continuous measurement of micrometeorolgical aspects (atmospheric CO2 concentration, CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and forest canopy) of the forest was initiated, and soon ecological research on biomass growth and soil CO2 efflux was started to reveal the ecological process of carbon budget of the forest. Since then, efforts to understand the interaction of the structure and function in forest ecosystems and the CO2 sequestration from the atmosphere and climatic processes have been made by numerous scientists worldwide.

In 2001, a canopy access tower (eco-tower) was constructed for ecophysiological investigations of tree canopies in a corner of the TKY site. The second flux-tower for eco-hydrological and ecological measurements was constructed in an evergreen coniferous forest (TKC; 36°08’N, 137°22’E, 800 m a.s.l.) in 2004 to enhance a new ecosystem science, “Satellite Ecology.” In the course of this project, several research sites of forest ecosystems with different stand ages were established in the area.

The multiple observations at the Takayama site have been dedicated to reveal the cross-scale mechanisms and dynamics of ecosystem functions and their relationships with climatic conditions over the space and time. The ecosystem structure / function for the sequestration of CO2 from the atmosphere can be focused intensively from the viewpoints of (1) ecosystem processes, (2) micro meteorological processes, and (3) satellite remote sensing to scale up the tower measurement to regional scale. The long-term measurements of these ecosystem processes and CO2 flux will enable us to evaluate the response of ecosystem under changing climate.

takayama_banner to Takayama Portal Site


Dissemination of Our Research Results: Special issues from the Takayama site and networks

  1. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (Vol. 134, 2005) 
    “Long-Term Carbon Exchange at the Takayama, Japan Forest” 
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/agricultural-and-forest-meteorology/vol/134/issue/1
  2. Journal of Plant Research (Vol. 123, Issue 4, 2010) 
    “The ecological process of carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems in East Asia” 
    https://link.springer.com/journal/10265/123/4/page/1
  3. Forest Science and Technology (Vol. 8, Issue 2, 2012) 
    “A3 Foresight Program special issue: carbon studies in forested ecosystems” 
    https://tandfonline.com/toc/tfst20/8/2
  4. Journal of Plant Ecology (Vol. 6, Issue 5, 2013) 
    “Carbon patterns and processes in East Asian ecosystems: multi-scale approaches” 
    https://academic.oup.com/jpe/article/6/5/323/899853
  5. Ecological Research  (Vol. 30, Issue 2, 2015) 
    “Special Feature on Long-term and interdisciplinary research on forest ecosystem functions: Challenges at Takayama site since 1993” 
    https://link.springer.com/journal/11284/30/2/page/1
  6. Special Virtual Issue – Joint contents from the “Journal of Plant Research” and “Ecological Research” (2015) 
    “Special virtual issue: Long-term and multidisciplinary research of the forest carbon cycle at the Takayama site, Japan” 
    http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/plant+sciences/journal/10265 
    (Editorial by H. Muraoka: http://static.springer.com/sgw/documents/1490036/application/pdf/VI_Editorial_Muraoka150120.pdf)
  7. Ecological Research (Vol. 33, Issue 1, 2018) 
    “Special Feature on Biodiversity and Its Ecological Functions in East-Asia and Pacific Region: Status and Challenges” 
    https://link.springer.com/journal/11284/33/1/page/1


Photo from Takayama site:

FieldExcursion_TKY

Field Excursion

TreeCensus_OSK

Tree Census

WinterLitterCollection_TKY

Winter litter
collection at TKY

TestTubeConcentrator_TFS

Test Tube Concentrator at TFS

GC_TFS

GC at TFS

LitterTrap_OSK

Litter Trap

LitterBag_TKY

Litter Bag

SoilSampling_OSK

Soil Sampling at OSK

SoilRespirationSyste(AOCC)_OSK

Soil Respiration System(AOCC) at OSK

RespirationSystem(OF)_TFS

Respiration System(OF) at TFS

PLFAExperiment_TFS

PLFA Expriment at TFS