About us

The Pan-Okhotsk region is the area centering the Sea of Okhotsk, which is surrounded by the Eurasian continent, the North Pacific Ocean, the Arctic, the subtropics and tropics.

The Sea of Okhotsk is one of the southernmost seasonal sea ice zone in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, it is expected that the generation of sea ice in the Sea of Okhotsk is very sensitive to the global environmental changes, such as global warming. Aiming to properly evaluate role of the Sea of Okhotsk in the global environment, the Pan-Okhotsk Research Center (PORC) was inaugurated in the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University in April 2004. The Center covers physical, chemical and biological aspects of the environment in the Sea of Okhotsk and its surrounding areas.

Field observations and monitoring have been conducted using various instruments, such as the dynamic monitoring system for sea ice areas, which enables simultaneous observations of the oceanic currents, sea ice drift and atmospheric circulation above the ice-covered sea, unmanned meteorological monitoring towers, and research vessels. Moreover, researchers at the center have been developing numerical models of the climate system to clarify physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms of the environmental variations in the Pan-Okhotsk area and to predict them. Properly evaluating the impact of and predicting the future of climate change require conducting intensive observations and developing predictive models based on the collected data.

Moreover, the establishment of observation and research networks is also indispensable for continuing long-term, extensive observations. This Center has been proceeding with comprehensive monitoring and modeling efforts for the Pan-Okhotsk region in collaboration with universities and research institutions not only in Japan, but also in Russia, China, Korea, the U.S., Canada, and numerous other nations.