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Kasai Lab (Marine Environmental Science Group)
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The lab explores the marine environment and marine life through the connections among forest, river, and sea and through environmental DNA.
AboutAbout the lab
Toward conservation of the marine environment and marine ecosystems
The Kasai Lab studies what is happening in the ocean and why such phenomena occur.
Estuaries and coastal seas have productivity exceeding that of tropical rainforests and provide us with abundant benefits.
However, it is difficult to observe the inside of the sea directly, and much remains unknown.
Using the connections among forest, river, village, and sea, environmental DNA, and numerical simulation as clues, the lab aims to contribute to the conservation of the marine environment and marine ecosystems.
Key terms
- Environmental DNA (eDNA)
- DNA left in water or soil by organisms in the form of feces, mucus, and so on. Analyzing it reveals which organisms live there
- Stable isotopes
- Atoms of the same element that differ slightly only in mass. Measuring their ratios makes it possible to trace where a substance came from
- Nutrients
- Water-soluble substances containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and other elements, which phytoplankton and seaweeds use to grow
NewsLab news
Student wins Best Presentation Award at the Ocean and Earth Symposium
Study using nationwide environmental DNA surveys to explore factors determining fish distribution published in Scientific Reports
Paper on the effects of Arctic environmental change on marine ecosystems published in Polar Science
Paper on long-term changes in water quality in Hakodate Bay published in Regional Studies in Marine Science
Study using environmental DNA to examine jellyfish diversity in the Pacific side of the Arctic Ocean published in Environmental DNA
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to clarify what is happening in the ocean and why such phenomena occur, and to apply this to the conservation of the marine environment and marine ecosystems. Its research uses stable isotopes, environmental DNA, and numerical simulation.
*Illustrative imageConnections among forest, river, village, and sea
When too many nutrients flow from land through rivers into coastal waters, environmental degradation such as red tides and hypoxia occurs. By examining the isotopes and concentrations of organisms and nutrients, the lab seeks to clarify the cycling of materials from forest to river, village, and sea.
*Illustrative imageSurveying organisms with environmental DNA
Examining DNA released into the water by organisms (environmental DNA) reveals the types and abundance of organisms living there. Because organisms do not need to be captured, the method is well suited to surveys of rare and endangered species.
*Illustrative imageTransport simulation of eggs and juvenile fish
Eggs and juvenile fish spawned in the sea are carried by ocean currents, and only those that reach places suitable for survival go on to become future resources. The lab uses numerical simulation to reveal this process and explore the mechanisms behind fluctuations in fisheries resources.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Kasai Lab consist of faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, master's and undergraduate students, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorAkihide Kasai
- Project Associate ProfessorTatsuya Kawakami
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “Mise à l'eau d'une rosette de bouteilles Niskin et sonde CTD depuis le navire océanographique Thalassa” Phycoplankton / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Connections among forest, river, village, and sea: “Where the river meets the sea - geograph.org.uk - 1480443” K A / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Surveying organisms with environmental DNA: “Using the peristaltic pump to pass water through a filter. (d88f9813-525c-4630-95ff-ff011ade9a36)” NPS / Public domain (cropped)
- Transport simulation of eggs and juvenile fish: “Perpetual Ocean 2- Western Boundary Currents (SVS5425 - perpetual ocean2 CLOSE 093 4k clean noDate 00000 print)” NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio - NASA/GSFC/Greg Shirah, NASA/GSFC/Horace Mitchell, NASA/GSFC/Atousa Saberi, ADNET Systems, Inc./Laurence Schuler, ADNET Systems, Inc./Ian Jones, JPL/Josh Willis, Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc./Kathleen Gaeta / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Marine Environmental Science Lab (Associate Professor Hatsumi Nishikawa)): “Open- and Closed-Cell Clouds over the Pacific Ocean (MODIS)” MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Ueno Lab (Marine Environmental Science Group)): “A Sea Aswirl With Chlorophyll (154699 - pce 20250712 lrg)” NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using PACE data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview and the NASA Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center OB.DAAC. Story by Lindsey Doermann. / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Acoustic Measurement Lab (Marine Measurement Science)): “See the depth for yourself^^ - geograph.org.uk - 381639” Des Colhoun / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Fisheries Information Engineering Lab (Fisheries Engineering Division)): “Ouray National Fish Hatchery-Grand Valley Unit's 24 Road indoor recirculating facility ( )” USFWS Mountain Prairie / Public domain (cropped)
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