National Institute of Polar Research

Professor Yutaka Kondo, Project Professor at National Institute of Polar Research awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure

April 29, 2023

Dr. Yutaka Kondo, project professor at National Institute of Polar Research, and professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon at the Spring Conferment Ceremony of 2023.

Human activities have brought about global-scale changes in atmospheric composition, which in turn have significantly affected the atmospheric environment and climate, including stratospheric ozone depletion, global air pollution, and global warming. Professor Kondo has developed a variety of original instruments for in situ atmospheric measurements and used them to pursue improved understanding of atmospheric chemical, aerosol and radiative processes. With his balloon, aircraft, and ground-based observations from low latitudes to the North Pole and by planning and conducting international joint research projects, he has contributed immensely to atmospheric environmental science. In stratospheric ozone research, he developed instruments to measure nitrogen oxides which have a crucial role in controlling ozone concentrations. His balloon observations in the stratosphere demonstrated the importance of heterogeneous reactions occurring on aerosols (atmospheric particles) to ozone depletion. In his global warming research, he developed methods to measure the concentrations of black carbon (BC), a type of aerosol that strongly absorbs solar radiation, in the atmosphere and precipitation. COSMOS (continuous soot monitoring system) instrument is becoming internationally recognized as a standard method for continuous BC measurements. He greatly improved the understanding of the behaviors and climate effects of BC in Asia and the Arctic, based on his reliable ground-based and aircraft observations.

Professor Kondo's outstanding research results have contributed greatly to society, as reflected in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report, the World Meteorological Organization/United Nations Environment Programme (WMO/UNEP) Scientific Assessments of Ozone Depletion, and the Arctic Council/ Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AC/AMAP) Report, among others.