The Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle “IBUKI GW” (GOSAT-GW), developed jointly by the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOE), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), was successfully launched on June 29, 2025. The satellite has been in the initial functional verification operations phase. The first observations by the Total Anthropogenic and Natural emissions mapping SpectrOmeter-3 (TANSO-3) onboard this satellite were conducted from July 14 to July 20, 2025, and the proper operation of TANSO-3 was confirmed.

Snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements are critical for water resource management, yet existing remote sensing methods struggle to provide accurate, large-scale estimates.

A recent study published in National Science Review has revealed an extreme ionospheric electron density depletion and the pronounced hemispheric asymmetry during the May 2024 geomagnetic storm. The near-total depletion of ionospheric electrons caused widespread failures in high-frequency radio wave propagation. This research provides critical observational evidence from CMP and modeling insights into the ionosphere's response to extreme space weather, advancing understanding of the physical processes of magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling.

JapanFlux2024 is Asia’s first large-scale open dataset of eddy covariance observations, compiled by Japanese researchers. Covering 83 sites across East and Southeast Asia, it tracks carbon, water and energy exchange in terrestrial ecosystems. The dataset fills a regional information gap and supports climate, land-use and carbon cycle research.