Watershed Hydrology Group
at Fukushima University, Japan
at Fukushima University, Japan
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 1964) defined Hydrology as "Hydrology is the science which deals with the waters of the earth, their occurrence, circulation and distribution on the planet, their physical and chemical properties and their interactions with the physical and biological environment, including their responses to human activity. Hydrology is a field which covers the entire history of the cycle of water on the earth".
Watershed hydrology studies the movement and distribution of water within a watershed, with scope ranging from a single soil column to the global scale. Due to this nature, hydrology is closely related to various activities both within watersheds and across the Earth.
Reference:
UNESCO (1964) nternational Hydrological Decade: Intergovernmental Meeting of Experts, Paris, 7-17 April 1964, NS/NR/106 + Annex I-III, WS/0464.197/NS. (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000153981)
The Watershed Hydrology Laboratory has consistently focused its research and educational activities on elucidating the rainfall-runoff processes within watersheds. In particular, up until the 2022 academic year, we dedicated ourselves to fundamental research topics with the aim of establishing a unique research foundation for the laboratory. This approach stemmed from the belief that engaging solely in applied research without such a foundation would inevitably lead to superficial work that merely chases passing trends. When I founded the laboratory, I reasoned that continuing down such a path would make it impossible to conduct world-leading research; consequently, we would fail to secure research funding and struggle to attract students interested in our work.
In 2022, realizing that I had entered the latter half of my career as a researcher and educator, I decided it was time to expand into applied research within the engineering field—the discipline in which I was originally trained. By incorporating applied research alongside my core focus on basic research, I believe the balance of research themes in my laboratory has improved, making the significance of the work easier for students to grasp. I believe that this also proved helpful to students wishing to pursue applied research when it came to selecting their research topics.
The Watershed Hydrology Group at Fukushima University began its operations in October 2009. It originated from the Watershed Hydrology Group established in September 2004 within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (as it was then known) at the Faculty of Engineering, Ashikaga Institute of Technology (now Ashikaga University). The laboratory has produced a total of 108 alumni: 19 bachelor's degree holders from Ashikaga Institute of Technology, and 72 bachelor's, 15 master's, and 2 doctoral degree holders from Fukushima University. To date, these alumni have gone on to successful careers in a wide range of sectors across Japan, including public service roles at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as well as at the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectural governments, and positions in private companies specializing in construction, environmental services, and water supply consultancy.
Hydrology is a scientific discipline that seeks to understand the fundamental truths of the water cycle. River engineering—a branch of civil engineering—represents its practical application of hydrology. Our research activities rely on a dual approach: computer-based modeling and field observations. This laboratory is an excellent fit for those who wish to utilize or develop computer skills, as well as for those who want to conduct direct observations in rivers and gain a deeper understanding of their dynamic nature.
For Fukushima University students interested in conducting their senior research project here, please note that we actively engage in writing academic papers in English and presenting findings at conferences based on our modeling and field observation work; thus, this laboratory is also ideal for students who wish to acquire these professional skills.
For those who wish to join our laboratory as master's students, I would like you to engage in research methods that differ from those used in your undergraduate thesis. While studies based solely on modeling or solely on observation are acceptable as undergraduate projects, they tend to lack robustness when viewed as academic research. By gaining experience in both modeling and observational research, I believe you will discover greater breadth, strength, intrigue, and potential in your work.