Earth & Space Sciences

This course covers Seismology, one of the main geophysical methods for studying the Earth.  The course introduces fundamental concepts and basic theory of seismic waves, and then applies them to earthquakes, Earth structure, and plate tectonics. Practical exercises are provided in class labs and take-home assignments. Students build both physical intuition and basic skills for reading and using seismological data. 

There are no formal prerequisites. However, students should be comfortable with basic calculus and introductory physics (e.g., derivatives and simple differential equations). 

This course provides a deep understanding of how geoscience can be used to support the overall sustainability of our planet. Topics include earth observations and sustainability; geothermal energy and energy storage; natural and anthropogenic carbon cycles; fluxes and budgets; carbon, capture, utilization and storage; geoengineering, including enhancement of geological processes for climate mitigation; ensuring access to clean water; pollution assessment and remediation.

Earth’s surface is constantly changing. Understanding how and why these changes occur is a key skill for those across the Earth Sciences, from physical and human geographers to geo- and environmental scientists. This course focuses on the role of water in the evolution of Earth’s landscape. Through investigating water-driven processes and sediment transport, students gain first-hand experience in constructing simple models to help them estimate the rate and magnitude of surface processes. Students also practice sediment classification, quantitative problem solving, and map making.

The course provides a general overview of the most important natural hazards affecting the Earth and human societies in the past, at the present and possibly in the future. It covers the natural processes that impact the Earth system as hazards, disasters, and catastrophes instantaneously changing the environment and – in modern times – adversely affecting humans. Topics such as tsunamis, river flooding, sea level change, earthquakes, and mass wasting are discussed with focus on their origin, course, documentation left in the geological record and, when relevant, impact on past and modern societies, including economic and social impacts.

This course examines stars and planetary systems in detail. It covers the building blocks of stars and planets, how they form, and how they evolve over time. It also covers telescopes and surveys, present and upcoming, used to understand the physics of these systems. Topics to be covered include: stellar structure, star and planetary formation and evolution, stellar spectra in relation to fundamental properties, end states of stars, exoplanet detection and characterization, planetary atmospheres and interior structures, and stellar activity and its effect on habitability.

This course introduces the basics of dynamical oceanography, the study of forces that control ocean processes, and the resulting interaction with large scale bio-geochemical cycling. Students learn how to assess what forces and interactions are important for a particular scenario relating to an ocean feature/process. 

This intercultural collaborative learning course deepens one's understanding of geological topics. It discusses the geological characteristics that differ from country to country, relating the impact of these characteristics on technology, resources, and disaster prevention. The course covers earth history; geological structural analysis, technology of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and includes a required field trip to the Geological Museum of the National Institute of Advanced Industrical Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba City. 

This course presents the main geological characteristics of marine environments (excluding the water column). It examines the dynamics of the various structural entities that make up oceanic domains—mid‑ocean ridges, subduction zones, abyssal plains, continental margins, oceanic plateaus, and islands—and the sedimentary processes that occur within them. These elements are situated within the broader framework of lithospheric plate dynamics. The course combines classroom lectures, guided practical sessions involving the analysis of oceanographic data, and fieldwork. In addition, a guest lecture addresses current global issues affecting marine domains at the international scale.

This course covers issues involved in global environmental changes and introduces system thinking, which is used in natural and social sciences. The course covers the following topics: 

1: Global Change: Overview
2: System Diagram
3: Daisyworld
4: Global Energy Balance
5: The Atmospheric Circulation System
6: The Circulation of the Oceans
7: The Carbon Cycle
8: Long-Term Climate Regulation
9: Faint Young Sun Paradox, Early Earth
10: Short-Term Climate Variability
11: Global Warming and An Inconvenient Truth
12: Kepler and Milankovitch
13: Ozone Depletion

This course introduces the issues surrounding water in terms of management, sustainable development, and resource protection. Lectures, tutorials, and practical work are taught in various fields: hydrology, hydrogeology, mass transfer, and drilling. The water cycle is analyzed in detail through its different processes and associated mechanisms, with the goal of establishing hydrological and material budgets for the study of watersheds. A case‑study project is carried out during the semester, allowing students to put theory into practice and to develop an initial methodological and scientific approach in preparation for a future professional or research career. In hydrogeology, the basic principles are taught regarding flows, aquifers, and associated groundwater bodies.