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Nakamura Lab
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A lab that uses observations and models to understand coral reef and mangrove ecosystems.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the dynamics of ecosystems.
The Nakamura Lab studies coastal ecosystems in coral reef and mangrove areas.
Ecosystems are always in motion, changing their form in response to changes in the surrounding environment.
The lab conducts ecological surveys, water quality monitoring using geochemical methods, biological experiments, and physical observations.
It builds models that integrate these approaches to predict how ecosystems will behave under global warming and ocean acidification.
Key terms
- Ocean acidification
- A change in which carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean, shifting the properties of seawater toward the acidic side
- Reef-building coral
- Corals that build coral reefs. They pile up calcium carbonate skeletons that become the foundation of the reef
- Biogeochemical cycling
- The movement of elements such as carbon and nitrogen as they circulate among living organisms, water, and the atmosphere
ResearchResearch themes
Ecosystems are constantly changing dynamically in response to various environmental changes. Targeting coral reef and mangrove areas, the lab develops an integrated modeling system to understand and predict the complex behavior of ecosystems through surveys, experiments, and observations.
*Illustrative imageModeling Reef-Building Corals
Corals live amid many intertwined stressors, so it is difficult to assess their effects through rearing experiments alone. The lab is therefore developing a coral polyp model that describes coral responses based on physical, chemical, and physiological elementary processes.
*Illustrative imageBiogeochemical Cycling in Coastal Ecosystems
Shallow-sea ecosystems store large amounts of carbon, and biogenic elements cycle actively within them. Through water sampling, mesocosm experiments, and coring in coral reef and mangrove areas, the lab estimates how carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are taken up, accumulated, and returned.
*Illustrative imageIntegrated Models of Coastal Ecosystems
In shallow, gently sloping seas such as coral reefs, currents, water temperature, and water quality fluctuate greatly. The lab is building an integrated modeling system that couples the coral polyp model with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and biogeochemical cycling model to reproduce how ecosystems respond to these fluctuations.
*Illustrative imageReconstructing the Past of Sekisei Lagoon
Targeting Sekisei Lagoon in Okinawa, the lab reconstructs past coral reef environments using high-resolution hindcast simulations. Calculated sea surface and seabed water temperatures are published on the lab's website.
MembersFaculty
The Nakamura Lab consists of faculty, researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorTakashi NakamuraPublications ↗
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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: “Coral Outcrop Flynn Reef” Toby Hudson / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Modeling Reef-Building Corals: “AcroporaCloseUp” RevolverOcelot / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Biogeochemical Cycling in Coastal Ecosystems: “Mangrove roots in the Laguna de La Restinga” Wilfredor / CC0 (cropped)
- Integrated Models of Coastal Ecosystems: “Aerial view of Ishigaki island Taketomi and Kohama 2014” Junpei Abe / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Reconstructing the Past of Sekisei Lagoon: “ISS005-E-10686 Sekisei Lagoon” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
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