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Iga Lab (Dynamic Marine Meteorology Group, DMMG)
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The lab studies how vortices in the atmosphere and ocean work, including typhoons and polar lows.
AboutAbout the lab
Uncovering how atmospheric and oceanic vortices work
The Iga Lab studies the mechanisms of disturbances such as vortices and low-pressure systems that occur in the atmosphere and ocean.
The lab belongs to the Dynamic Marine Meteorology Group at the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, and students in the group join either the Sato Lab or the Iga Lab.
The group uses a variety of methods, including observational data analysis, numerical simulation, dynamical theory, and laboratory fluid experiments.
The Iga Lab works on the motion of vortices such as typhoons and polar lows, and on the fundamental properties of vortices in the atmosphere.
Key terms
- Polar low
- An intense low-pressure system that forms over high-latitude oceans in winter, with a typhoon-like eye and spiral cloud bands
- Vortex street
- A pattern in which vortices line up in a row, formed in strong currents or downwind of mountains
- Rotating tank
- An experimental apparatus that rotates a container filled with water, allowing flows affected by the Earth's rotation to be reproduced in the laboratory
NewsLab news
An explanatory article on tracking methods for cutoff lows was published in Gekkan Kaiyo
A paper by a doctoral student and Associate Professor Iga was published in Monthly Weather Review
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to clarify the actual state, structure, and mechanisms of disturbances in the atmosphere and ocean, such as convection, turbulence, and low-pressure systems, which are involved in air-sea interaction. The Iga Lab works on simulating the motion of vortices, elucidating their mechanisms, and conducting laboratory experiments.
*Illustrative imageVortices such as typhoons and polar lows
Over high-latitude oceans in winter, intense low-pressure systems called polar lows form, with eyes and spiral cloud bands strikingly similar to those of typhoons. These vortices develop through complex interactions with cumulonimbus clouds and with the exchange of heat and water vapor between the atmosphere and the ocean.
*Illustrative imageFundamental properties of vortices in the atmosphere
Downwind of mountains, or from strong currents such as the Kuroshio Extension, vortices can line up in a row to form a vortex street. Using simplified models, the lab reproduces the process by which a vortex street forms from a straight flow and investigates its properties.
*Illustrative imageLaboratory experiments with a rotating tank
The lab captures phenomena seen in atmospheric and oceanic flows in the simplest possible form, and reproduces situations that extract their essence in a laboratory rotating tank. Through these experiments, it clarifies the mechanisms of complex flows.
MembersFaculty
The Dynamic Marine Meteorology Group, to which the Iga Lab belongs, consists of faculty members, professors emeritus, project researchers, administrative assistants, doctoral and master's students, and visiting researchers.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorKeita IgaPublications ↗
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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.
- Top image: “Sea of Japan polar low Z” VIIRS image captured by NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite / Public domain (cropped)
- Vortices such as typhoons and polar lows: “Sea of Okhotsk polar low Z” MODIS image captured by NASA’s Aqua satellite / Public domain (cropped)
- Fundamental properties of vortices in the atmosphere: “Jeju Do Von Karman Vortex street Jan (UTC)” NASA, MODIS/ LANCE / Public domain (cropped)
- Laboratory experiments with a rotating tank: “Taylor column” Kterletska / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Satoh Lab): “Super Typhoon Oscar SE of Japan near peak intensity (2268-432)” NOAA
（GMS-5衛星） / Public domain (cropped) - Related lab (Sato Lab): “ISS-47 Earth’s limb during a starry night pass above the Indian Ocean” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Hasumi Lab): “Perpetual Ocean - Gulf Stream ( )” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Kosaka Lab (Global Climate Dynamics)): “Himawari 8 Full Disk Aug Z” Himawari 8 satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency / Public domain (cropped)
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