To See a World
in a Grain of Sand
There’s something magnetic about beaches that inspires people to try and protect them.
Can you tell me a bit about your research?
I am studying sandy beach erosion and coastal engineering. My research looks at how sediments are transported all the way from mountaintops through rivers and into the ocean. Each point in this system is a different mechanism, so my aim is to unify my work at each stage into one big picture. Since there are very few researchers working on this currently – especially in Japan – there’s a big knowledge gap. I have to figure out a lot by myself.
Why is it important to study coastal engineering in Japan in particular?
Japan has markedly unique coastal characteristics from other countries. For example, there are many natural hazards like rainfall, storm surges, tsunami, and earthquakes that are constantly changing the landscape. Even when we study other regions in Asia, the results are so different that we cannot generalize our findings. This is why we need studies in each region to create tailored assessments and analyses.
How did you first become interested in this research?
As an undergraduate student, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I never gave it much thought, to be honest (laughs). I was inspired by my professor who specialized in coastal engineering. I joined his lab and ended up falling in love with the subject.
What is a typical day of research like?
When I was young, I did a lot of field work, which is time-consuming and very tough. You need to go in-person to collect data before and after big events like storms or tsunami, but timing is tricky since no one knows exactly when they will occur. Nowadays, the latest earth surface measurement technologies with satellite or drone images provide much more information - easily and remotely. However, I want young researchers to still visit the field to look around and get a solid sense of what they’re researching.
Image courtesy of Tohoku University and Studio Xxingham
Image courtesy of Tohoku University and Studio Xxingham
What is the “real world” impact of this type of research?
I am currently working on climate change assessments of beaches. There’s something magnetic about beaches that inspires people to try and protect them. My research helps communities plan how to do this. The more citizens know, the more we can work together to protect coastal environments 5, 10, or 50 years in the future.
Were you present for the 2011 Great Earthquake in Tohoku?
Yes. At the time, I was pregnant. I couldn’t go anywhere to do field work, even though it was a critical moment to assess the aftermath of the tsunami. Instead, I used satellite images to publish a detailed analysis of how the coastline was affected. I also had several opportunities to collaborate with people who were affected by the event.
What were those collaborations like?
I met with a community in a tsunami-affected area to discuss the process of restoring their ravaged beaches. The sea wall had been destroyed, and they consulted me about how to construct a new one. Contra-intuitively, despite the fact that they had just suffered from a huge tsunami, they argued for a smaller sea wall that wouldn’t take up such a large portion of usable beach area. I was shocked. To them, the beach was a symbol of hope. This made me understand how personal values are also an important factor in engineering that should not be overlooked just because it’s hard to assign a number to it. It is challenging but important to develop a method for objectively evaluating people’s values so we can incorporate this into coastal planning and management.
Do you have any hobbies?
Surprisingly, I don’t do any water sports! (laughs) I tried surfing once, but it was not for me. I prefer playing shogi (Japanese chess). I recently got into playing shogi online after the peak of the pandemic, and I still play in my spare time.
Photograph: Rock samples collected for a study on coastal cliff erosion. The rocks were collected around Japan from local spots such as Shichigahama and Minami-Sanriku in Tohoku, to as far away as Kochi Prefecture.
Keiko Udo studies how we can protect our coastlines by studying erosion, how sediments travel from inland mountains to the coasts through river networks, and climate change projections to inform policy-making decisions, while also evaluating beach values for these decisions. She serves on national and local councils that oversee coastal projects, in order to provide policy advice. She completed both her Master’s degree and Ph.D. degree at the University of Tsukuba to deepen her knowledge of coastal engineering. She is currently a professor at Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Engineering, where she guides a lab of students from diverse backgrounds, while promoting international collaborative research in regions such as Asia and Africa.
Romance
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