Global Warming and the Human-Nature Dimension in Siberia
－ Social Adaptation to the Changes of the Terrestrial Ecosystem, with an Emphasis on Water Environments－
Global warming will likely transform Siberian environments. Early evidence indicates that the hydrological, carbon, and methane cycles are undergoing rapid change, with potentially grave impact on Siberian flora and fauna. Human inhabitants, who have adapted to great changes in social structure and environment in the past, will be forced to adapt again, but to a cascading series of environmental changes whose dimensions are understood only in outline. This project uses multiple satellite and surface systems to track changes in the carbon and hydrologic cycles and the cryosphere, and assesses their likely interactions and significance for human inhabitants of the region. The project is jointly conducted by Japanese and Russian universities and research institutes.