With a focus on marine and atmospheric sciences, researchers from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa and University of Tokyo, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI) convened in Tokyo, Japan for a three-day conference in early October.
The 2025 Joint Conference on Ocean, Coastal, and Atmospheric Sciences, the fifth such joint event since 2008, is designed to facilitate the exchange of research findings and provide opportunities for future collaboration and partnership on grants, research and publications among participants.
“This long-standing collaboration between UH Mānoa and the University of Tokyo reflects the best of international science—grounded in trust, shared purpose, and a collective commitment to understanding and protecting our planet¡¯s ocean and atmosphere,” said Darren Lerner, interim associate dean for research at the UH Mānoa (SOEST) and (Â鶹´«Ã½ Sea Grant) director.
Sharing knowledge, expanding connections
Twenty faculty members, postdocs and graduate students from SOEST and other UH departments shared their latest work on marine debris and microplastics; changing ocean currents and climate; biology and ecology of sharks, coral, and deep-sea animals; sustainable aquaculture; and more. After two days of presentations, UH Mānoa participants were invited to visit AORI laboratories and field research activities related to their interests.
“Meeting with collaborators at AORI expanded my understanding of how processes that affect our home communities in Â鶹´«Ã½—like ocean warming, deoxygenation, and changing climate cycles like El Niño–manifest in Japan¡¯s coastal waters,” said Sara Kahanamoku-Meyer, SOEST assistant researcher and Early Career Research Fellow who participated in the conference.
The Joint Conference on Ocean, Coastal, and Atmospheric Sciences is aligned with an agreement between UH Mānoa and the University of Tokyo to encourage the exchange of faculty, scholars, students, academic information and materials for the benefit of both institutions and the participants. Â鶹´«Ã½ Sea Grant has been the lead coordinator of the conference and the facilitator of the related memorandum of understanding since 2007.
.