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Yokoyama Lab (Center for High-Resolution Environmental Analysis)
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The lab reads past climates from corals and ice to trace changes in Earth's environment.
AboutAbout the lab
Reading past climates to think about the future of the Earth.
The Yokoyama Lab uses geochemical methods to study climate change and shifts in the marine environment, mainly over the past 2 million years.
The lab analyzes records preserved in coral skeletons, ice cores, tree rings, and sediment cores from the seafloor and lake bottoms.
It determines when these records were formed by dating them with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS).
Its main themes are environmental change in Antarctica, environmental change in the mid- and low latitudes, solar activity and variations in the Earth's magnetic field, and changes in the solid Earth and the evolution of the surface environment.
Key terms
- Accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS)
- An instrument that counts the extremely small number of atoms in a sample one by one, providing clues for dating.
- Cosmogenic nuclides
- Trace amounts of radioactive atoms formed when galactic cosmic rays from space react with the atmosphere or rocks.
- Sediment core
- A column-shaped sample of mud extracted from the seafloor or a lake bottom. The deeper the layer, the older the record it preserves.
NewsLab news
Additional participants sought for International Training in Earth and Planetary Environmental Science II
Paper co-authored by the lab published in Water Research; press release issued
Additional participants sought for International Training in Earth and Planetary Environmental Science I
Prof. Yokoyama elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
ResearchResearch themes
The lab uses geochemical methods to study climate change and shifts in the marine environment, focusing mainly on the past 2 million years. It analyzes samples such as corals, ice cores, sediments, and tree rings to reconstruct what happened in the past and when.
*Illustrative imageEnvironmental change in Antarctica
The Antarctic ice sheet holds about 70% of the Earth's fresh water, and there is concern that its melting would lead to sea level rise. The lab uses ice cores, rocks, and marine sediments to determine whether the Antarctic ice sheet is stable.
*Illustrative imageEnvironmental change in the mid- and low latitudes
The western equatorial Pacific has high surface water temperatures and serves as a heat engine for the Earth. The lab studies the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and monsoon variability driven by this region, using corals, sediments, and models.
*Illustrative imageSolar activity and variations in the Earth's magnetic field
Cosmogenic nuclides, produced by reactions between galactic cosmic rays and the atmosphere, record past changes in the Earth's magnetic field and solar activity. The lab analyzes trace amounts of these nuclides in ice cores, sediments, and tree rings to explore the mechanisms behind these variations.
*Illustrative imageChanges in the solid Earth and the surface environment
During glacial periods, ice sheets as thick as 3 km covered the land. When they were removed, the Earth deformed and caused changes in sea level. The lab works on determining mantle viscosity and on the relationship between mountain building and climate.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Yokoyama Lab include faculty and researchers, PhD and master's students, undergraduate thesis students, research trainees, academic specialist staff, technical assistants, and administrative support staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorYusuke YokoyamaPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorShoko Hirabayashi
- Project Assistant ProfessorYosuke Miyairi
- Project Assistant ProfessorBethany Christine Behrens
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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: “CSIRO ScienceImage 518 Air Bubbles Trapped in Ice” CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Environmental change in Antarctica: “Coast Port-Martin Antarctica” Pepys / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Environmental change in the mid- and low latitudes: “Habitats at Kingman Reef - Peerj-81-fig-2A” Williams et al. (2013) / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Solar activity and variations in the Earth's magnetic field: “Sunspots 1302 Sep 2011 by NASA” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Changes in the solid Earth and the surface environment: “On the road to San Pedro de Atacama (road to san pedro)” ESO / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (平田研究室): “ICP-AES Plasma Torch - 001” Sigmo / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (山野研究室): “Shirahoreef ＆ New Ishigaki Airport by Peach Airbus A320-214 Shiraho Coast Coral Reef and New Ishigaki Airport DSCF9566a” 松岡明芳 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (地形学・地理学研究グループ(OGUCHI & YAZAWA & WANG LAB／小口・矢澤・王研究室)): “Mount Rainier glaciers 01 lidar hillshade color ( )” Washington DNR / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (森研究室
（火山性流体／火山化学） ): “Mount Aso acid lake seen from helicopter by ET” Wikiwanito / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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