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Energy and Environment Lab
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The lab makes good use of the subsurface to tackle problems in the environment, resources, and disaster prevention.
AboutAbout the lab
Putting the subsurface to good use for environmental and resource issues
The Energy and Environment Lab conducts research aimed at contributing to solutions for environmental problems, resource problems, and disaster prevention by making good use of the subsurface.
Many subsurface problems are difficult to observe directly, so the lab combines theory, simulation, laboratory experiments, and field surveys.
Its themes include land subsidence caused by groundwater pumping and ground-source heat utilization, which uses heat from the ground for heating and cooling.
The lab also conducts demonstration tests of a technology that uses fiber-optic sensors to measure tiny deformations in rock mass.
Key terms
- Ground-source heat utilization
- An energy-saving technology that uses the ground, whose temperature stays stable throughout the year, as the partner for exchanging heat in heating and cooling
- Fiber-optic sensor
- A sensor that measures strain, temperature, and other quantities from changes in the light traveling through an optical fiber
- Data assimilation
- A method that incorporates observation data into a numerical model to make estimates of the current state and predictions of the future more reliable
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to contribute to solving environmental problems, resource problems, and disaster prevention by making good use of the subsurface. Combining theory, simulation, laboratory experiments, and field surveys, it studies phenomena that occur in groundwater, the ground, and rock mass.
*Illustrative imageGroundwater Pumping and Land Subsidence
When the amount of groundwater pumped increases or decreases, the ground sinks or rises. The lab uses numerical simulation and other methods to examine appropriate groundwater use that balances industrial water demand with environmental considerations.
*Illustrative imageMeasuring Rock Strain with Optical Fibers
To evaluate the safety of underground structures and other facilities, the lab conducts demonstration tests of a technology that measures rock mass deformation with very high accuracy over long periods. The observation data are evaluated through numerical analysis and experiments.
*Illustrative imageSubsurface Changes Caused by Ground-Source Heat Utilization
To reduce the risks and costs of ground-source heat utilization, which is not yet widespread in Japan, the lab models and conducts experiments on phenomena in which heat transfer, groundwater flow, and ground deformation affect one another.
*Illustrative imageIntegrating Observation Data and Models
This research combines ground movements observed by radar, GPS, and leveling surveys with mathematical models. Drawing on approaches such as data assimilation, the lab explores methods to apply them to estimating current conditions and forecasting the future.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Energy and Environment Lab consist of faculty, project researchers, technical specialists, administrative assistants and dispatched staff, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and international students on short-term internships.As of 2026
- LecturerMasaatsu AichiPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Mud tank and shakers during groundwater well drilling” Nicole Fenton, USGS / Public domain (cropped)
- Groundwater Pumping and Land Subsidence: “Ciudad de México, edificios 1986 02” LBM1948 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Measuring Rock Strain with Optical Fibers: “Optical fiber with bend losses” photography taken by Christophe.Finot / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Subsurface Changes Caused by Ground-Source Heat Utilization: “Geothermaldrilling” Renegadeviking at en.wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Integrating Observation Data and Models: “Lost Hills Subsidence interferogram” NASA/JPL / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Ocean Industry Systems Lab): “Windfloat floating offshore foundation, Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal )” U.S. Department of Energy / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Kobayashi Lab): “U.S. Department of Energy - Science - )” U.S. Department of Energy / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Yoshida Lab): “Power County Wind Farm 002” ENERGY.GOV / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Tsuji Lab): “Full moon partially obscured by atmosphere” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
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