Regional Environment Simulator
Atmosphere-Ocean-Land Interactions
Mohammed Haggag
Ph.D. candidate, Laboratory of Earth Environment Simulator, Graduate School for
International Development and Cooperation (IDEC), Hiroshima University
1-5-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan
haggag-moh@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
The environment encompasses the whole of life on earth and the complex interactions that link
the living world with the physical world. In a general sense, this covers everything contained
within the air, land and water. Sudden and dramatic natural changes to the environment have
occurred, and continue to occur, which have the potential to upset the whole balance of the
Earth's ecosystem. The challenge that faces the Earth scientists is to predict the potential
environmental threats and to develop measures that reduce the impacts of the potential
significant environmental hazards throughout the globe.
The Regional Environment Simulator (RES) is one of the state-of-the-art tools to study, predict
and reduce the impact of the environmental hazards. RES is a coupled system of computer
simulation models for meteorology, physical oceanography, land surface, vegetation, hydrology,
coastal dynamics and urban environment. The models used in this system are the non-hydrostatic
atmospheric model (MM5), multi-layer land surface model (SOLVEG), hydrological simulation
program FORTRAN (HSPF), the third-generation ocean wave model (WAVE WATCH III),the
Princeton Ocean Model (POM), in addition to coastal area models, estuary model, and urban air
model. RES has proved good talent in dealing with several environmental issues. RES is
applicable for the studies of natural disasters in coastal and estuarine areas such as tropical
cyclones, storm surges, tsunami, high waves, coastal erosion, etc. Applications in the terrestrial
areas include flood inundation, heavy rainfall, land use change, deforestation, air pollution,
carbon balance, etc.
RES is under continuous development by the research team of the Environment Simulator
Laboratory, IDEC- Hiroshima University, lead by Professor Takao Yamashita. The system is
capable to extend to include various environmental and ecological phenomena within the goal of
creating an Integrated Earth Environment Simulator.