Recent studies of local-scale climate in Japan

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to give a general review of recent studies of local climate as mechanically and thermally characterized by the effects of topography. Unprecedented information on local climate has been obtained using new instruments and techniques, but to understand it in more detail, we need to synthesize and systematize the information in numerous case studies. Therefore, cooperative study pursued by researchers who have the same or similar aims, or by observers and modelers, are thought necessary. Although more than 60 papers are introduced in this review, half of them were written by a single author, and there are no cooperative studies among them. This indicates that the approaches to the study of local climate are insufficient. It is expected that cooperative studies in this area will be planned for the future.