Climate and earth scientists gathered in Tokyo for a seminar on Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) hosted by Picarro’s partners in Japan, Sanyo Trading Co. Ltd.  Special guest speakers, Dr. Naohiro Yoshida of Tokyo Institute of Technology, Dr. Hideki Nara of the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) and Dr. Yoshito Chikaraishi of the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) provided talks on their diverse fields of research.  Highlights included Dr. Yoshida’s detailed progress on the study of isotopomers of N2O, CO2 and other molecules in the fields of earth and planetary sciences, food and biosciences.  Dr. Nara described his group’s extensive instrument methodology and data collection from the Picarro instruments included in the NIES Voluntary Observing Ships Program and Dr. Chikaraishi discussed his recent work on the use of stable isotopes to determine aquatic food-webs.

Overall, the program also emphasized the progress that CRDS has made in provided high precision, high sensitivity detectors for an amazing breadth of applications. The question and answer sessions and the discussion periods at the breaks encouraged new ideas that will help develop climate and ecological applications.

This seminar was an excellent way for scientists to get together and discuss what is, for many, still a novel technique. After the meeting the attendees were able to see a G2301 CO2, CH4. H2O analyzer in action, some for the first time.

I would like to sincerely thank our partners in Japan, especially Mr. Hideki Nakagawa, Senior General Manager, Mr. Ken Nishimoto, Division Manager and Mr. Masaharu Yokoi, Technical Manager for their closing words, introductions and technical explanations – and for hosting my visit.  We certainly look forward to supporting similar seminars around the world in the future.