Even in Japan, the development of an "ocean vision", which sees beyond the 21st century, has become a pressing need. In terms of technology, innovative ideas could contribute to the new development of this vision. From the point of view of future generation marine structures, this article deals with massive floating structures such as the integrated EEZ management station and disaster prevention wide area mobile station and their functions.
Selected Papers No.4(p.17)

Global warming is progressing. The biggest absorber of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the ocean and the plankton has a decisive influence on the absorption amount. Aiming at systematically addressing issues raised in recent plankton research from the point of view of global environmental science, the establishment of an organization, which will become the core of plankton research in Japan, is much anticipated.

Marine environmental monitoring is critically important to detect environmental hazards at an early stage and to take the appropriate actions. However, monitoring, as has often been the case in the past was centered on the observation of the result, is very much like when humans consult a doctor after feeling sick to diagnose the ailment. From here on, we should consider turning to the idea of "preventive care", adopting necessary measures before any clear symptoms are apparent. This article outlines a new monitoring and valuation technique labeled as the "Health Examination" for the sea.