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Sato Lab
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The lab explores atmospheric motions from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere through observations and simulations.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the dynamic motions of the atmosphere high above us
The Sato Lab studies atmospheric dynamics, investigating atmospheric motions using the equations of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics.
The lab focuses especially on the middle atmosphere, which extends from about 10 km to 100 km in altitude.
The middle atmosphere contains the ozone layer, which protects life on the ground from harmful ultraviolet radiation, and through the general circulation it also affects the troposphere below and the climate.
The lab conducts its research through observations with a large atmospheric radar in Antarctica and simulations using supercomputers.
Key terms
- Middle atmosphere
- The part of the atmosphere from about 10 km to 100 km in altitude, consisting of the stratosphere, the mesosphere, and the lower thermosphere
- Atmospheric gravity waves
- Waves in which buoyancy acts as the restoring force, propagating through the atmosphere while oscillating obliquely up and down
- Rossby waves
- Atmospheric waves produced by the effect of the Earth's rotation, with horizontal scales of up to several thousand kilometers
NewsLab news
A PhD student received an Excellence Award at the IGPEES Final Examination
A paper on the atmospheric circulation of Mars was accepted by J. Geophys. Res. Planets
A paper on normal modes of the middle atmosphere was accepted by J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.
A paper on vortices associated with gravity wave breaking was accepted by J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.
A master's student received the Matsuno Award from the Meteorological Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
In the atmosphere, a wide range of phenomena, from planetary scales down to a few kilometers, coexist in a hierarchy. The lab focuses especially on the middle atmosphere, from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere, and in addition to theory, data analysis, and modeling studies, it also carries out observations.
*Illustrative imageGeneral Circulation of the Middle Atmosphere
The middle atmosphere has a general circulation that spans the entire globe, producing temperature features such as the very cold summer polar mesosphere. The lab studies how this general circulation is driven by atmospheric waves propagating up from the troposphere.
*Illustrative imageAtmospheric Gravity Waves
The lab studies atmospheric gravity waves, which oscillate due to buoyancy, through observations, model simulations, data analysis, and theory. It works with atmospheric general circulation models that can resolve gravity waves, and with observations from a large atmospheric radar installed at Syowa Station in Antarctica.
*Illustrative imageSudden Stratospheric Warming
The lab investigates sudden stratospheric warming, in which temperatures in the Arctic stratosphere rise abruptly by several tens of degrees, and the large shift in the altitude of the temperature maximum that follows. Using a high-resolution model, the lab has shown that Rossby waves cause the warming and that gravity waves play an important role in the recovery.
*Illustrative imageDynamics of the Mesosphere
The lab studies the mesosphere, which has been difficult to observe and to simulate, using a model that can resolve gravity waves. It has become clear that the mesosphere is a dynamic world in which two types of waves work together, for example, with gravity waves giving rise to Rossby waves.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Sato Lab consist of faculty members, PhD and master's students, and a secretary.As of 2026
- ProfessorKaoru SatoPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorMasashi KohmaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorHaruka OkuiPublications ↗
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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: “ISS-47 Earth’s limb during a starry night pass above the Indian Ocean” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- General Circulation of the Middle Atmosphere: “Nacreous clouds Antarctica” Alan Light from Charlotte, USA. At Commons: Alan R Light (talk · contribs) / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Atmospheric Gravity Waves: “Lenticular clouds on Mount Fuji from Mount Ontake” Alpsdake / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Sudden Stratospheric Warming: “A Series of Rare Disturbances in the Stratosphere (153258 - stratosphericwarming mra lrg)” NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using GEOS-FP data courtesy of Lawrence Coy and the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFC. Story by Emily Cassidy. / Public domain (cropped)
- Dynamics of the Mesosphere: “Noctilucent-clouds-msu-6817” Matthias Süßen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Miura Lab): “Tropical Cyclone Robyn” NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Iga Lab (Dynamic Marine Meteorology Group, DMMG)): “Sea of Japan polar low Z” VIIRS image captured by NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Tozuka Lab): “El Niño Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly- January, 1997, through December, 1997 (SVS156 - sst 2d)” NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio - Greg Shirah, Antonio Busalacchi / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Masumoto Lab): “Timor Sea (MODIS )” MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / Public domain (cropped)
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