Weather Characteristics at Observatory Candidate Sites in West Tibet

• Project/Area Number: 23540275
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Astronomy
• Research Institution: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
• Principal Investigator: SASAKI Toshiyuki 国立天文台, 光赤外研究部, 准教授 (80178657)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YOSHIDA Michitoshi 広島大学, 宇宙科学センター, 教授 (90270446) ; SEKIGUCHI Kazuhiro 国立天文台, 光赤外研究部, 教授 (20280563) ; OHSHIMA Norio 国立天文台, 天文情報センター, 研究技師 (80223808) ; MIKAMI Yoshitaka 国立天文台, 先端技術センター, 研究技師 (70165984)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
• Budget Amount: ¥5,070,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,170,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2011: ¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
• Keywords: 光赤外線望遠鏡 / サイト調査 / チベット西部域 / 大学間連携 / 国際協力 / 国際研究者交流：中国 / 天文観測サイト調査 / 光赤外線天体観測条件評価 / 西チベット / 国際研究者交流(中国) / 天文サイト調査 / 国際研究者交流（中国）

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The high plateaus in west Tibet may provide promising sites for a part of global astronomical observation network. We have been conducting to search for good sites to monitor at Gar (Tibet) since 2010 after previous monitoring at Karasu (Xinjiang Uighur) and Oma (Tibet). Weather characteristics at Gar shows its high clear-sky ratios, comparable to Mauna Kea. A wind problem at Gar has been revealed in winter that higher wind speeds over 20m/sec occur frequently even though sky is clear.
To find more calm site both with high clear-sky ratios and mild wind speed, we have searched for another site, ZoZo Hill, near Gar. To clarify their weather characteristics, we have conducted numerical simulations at Gar and ZoZo Hill using Japan Meteorological Agency Non-Hydrostatic Model. ZoZo Hill shows nearly half wind speed than at Gar.
We hopefully should continue to monitor Gar site to clarify weather characteristics through a whole year and start site monitoring at ZoZo Hill in near future.

Research Products

• [Presentation] チベット西部域における光赤外線天体観測環境調査 (VIII) (2014)
  • Author(s): 佐々木敏由紀, 大島紀夫, 三上良孝, 岡田則夫, 小矢野久,関口和寛, 安藤裕康,海部宣男（国立天文台）,直江寛明（気象研究所）, 吉田道利, 内海洋輔（広島大学）,姚永強, 劉立勇, 王紅帥（中国国家天文台）, 劉彩品（紫金山天文台）
  • Organizer: 日本天文学会秋季年会
  • Place of Presentation: 山形大学（山形県）
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-11 – 2014-09-13
• [Presentation] WEATHER CHARACTERISTICS AT OBSERVATORY CANDIDATE SITES IN WEST TIBET (2014)
  • Author(s): Toshiyuki Sasaki(NAOJ), Hiroaki Naoe(MRI/Japan), Yosuke Utsumi(Hiroshima U.), Hongshuai Wang, Yongqiang Yao(NAOC), Michitoshi Yoshida(Hiroshima U.), Norio Ohshima, Yoshitaka Mikami, Norio Okada, Hisashi Koyano, Kazuhiro Sekiguchi, Hiroyasu Ando(NAOJ), Liyong Liu, Cai-Pin Liu(PMO/China), Norio Kaifu(NAOJ)
  • Organizer: 12th Asia-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: Daejeon, Korea
  • Year and Date: 2014-08-18 – 2014-08-22
• [Presentation] チベット西部域における光赤外線天体観測環境調査 (VII) (2014)
  • Author(s): 佐々木敏由紀, 大島紀夫, 三上良孝, 岡田則夫, 小矢野久, 関口和寛（国立天文台）, 吉田道利, 内海 洋輔（広島大学）, 姚永強, 劉立勇, 王紅帥（中国国家天文台）
  • Organizer: 日本天文学会春季年会
  • Place of Presentation: 国際基督教大学（東京都)
• [Presentation] A China-Japan Collaborative Site Survey in west Tibet - Sky clearness at Gar/Ali, Tibet - (2013)
  • Author(s): Toshiyuki Sasaki (NAOJ), Yongqiang Yao(NAOC), Norio Ohshima(NAOJ), Yoshitaka Mikami(NAOJ), Michitoshi Yoshida(Hiroshima Univ.), Norio Okada(NAOJ), Hisashi Koyano(NAOJ), Kazuhiro Sekiguchi(NAOJ), Liyong Liu(NAOC)
  • Organizer: 9th East Asian Meeting on Astronomy
  • Place of Presentation: NCU, Taiwan
• [Presentation] 西チベット天体観測環境調査の紹介と京都3.8mレプリカ設置の可能性 (2013)
  • Author(s): 佐々木敏由紀、吉田道利、姚永強
  • Organizer: 岡山3.8m新望遠鏡によるサイエンスと観測装置ワークショップ
  • Place of Presentation: 国立天文台(東京都)
• [Presentation] チベット西部域における光赤外線天体観測環境調査 (VI) (2013)
  • Author(s): 佐々木敏由紀、大島紀夫、三上良孝、岡田則夫、小矢野久、長山省吾、関口和寛、吉田道利、姚永強、劉立勇
  • Organizer: 日本天文学会春季大会
  • Place of Presentation: 埼玉大学(埼玉県)
• [Presentation] China-Japan Collaborative Site Testing in West China (2012)
  • Author(s): Sasaki, T., Yao, Y., Yoshida, M., Ohshima, N., Mikami, Y., Okada, N., Koyanao, H., Nagayama, S., Sekiguchi, K., Ando, H., Liu, L.
  • Organizer: EACOA: Site Survey Workshop
  • Place of Presentation: National Astronomical Observatories, China
• [Presentation] The NAOC Ali Observatory, Tibet (2011)
  • Author(s): Yao, Y., Wang, Y., Liu, L., Zhou, Y., Li, L., Sasaki, T., Yoshida, M., Ohshima, N., Mikami, Y., Sekiguchi, K.
  • Organizer: 11th Asian-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting 2011
  • Place of Presentation: Chiang Mai, Thailand
• [Presentation] A China-Japan Collaborative Site Survey in west Tibet : Sky clearness at Oma, Tibet (2011)
  • Author(s): Sasaki, T., Yao, Y., Yoshida, M., Ohshima, N., Mikami, Y., Okada, N., Koyanao, H., Sekiguchi, K., Liu, L., and Li, L.
  • Organizer: 11th Asian-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting 2011
  • Place of Presentation: Chiang Mai, Thailand
• [Book] 国立天文台ニュース (2011)
  • Author(s): 佐々木敏由紀
  • Total Pages: 2
  • Publisher: マウナケア山頂すばる望遠鏡での血中酸素濃度の変化
• [Book] 国立天文台ニュース (2011)
  • Author(s): 佐々木敏由紀
  • Total Pages: 2
  • Publisher: エジプト・コッタミア観測所188cm望遠鏡の光学系改修
• [Remarks] Site Survey around Tibet, China
  • URL: http://www-irc.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~sasaki/TibetSiteSurvey/index.html
• [Remarks] Site Survey in west China
  • URL: http://sasakihome.info/~sasaki/TibetSiteSurvey/index.html
• [Remarks] Site Survey around Tibet, China
  • URL: http://www-irc.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~sasaki/TibetSiteSurvey/index.html
• [Remarks] Site Survey in west China
  • URL: https://sasakihome.info/~sasaki/TibetSiteSurvey/index.html