“Rare island” surveyed for the first time in 3 years Nishinoshima, 10 times larger area due to eruption
An investigation team from the Ministry of the Environment, which conducts a landing survey for the first time in three years on Nishinoshima in the Ogasawara Islands, where the area has expanded 10 times due to eruption activity, departed for the island on the 1st.
In Nishinoshima, about 130 km west of Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands, lava flowed out due to active eruption activity from November 2013, six years ago, and according to the Japan Coast Guard, the area of the island is very large. At the time of, has spread about 10 times the original.
The Ministry of the Environment visited the island three years ago and examined how birds, insects, and plants live, but since eruption activity has not been confirmed since July last year, The second landing survey will be conducted.
On the 1st, 15 people including animals and plants and geological experts gathered at Misaki Port in Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
On the island, it was confirmed that the five types of seabirds that had existed before the eruption in the previous survey were once again inhabited. We will investigate the breeding situation and habitat spread.
Kazuhito Kawakami, Senior Researcher of the Forest Research Institute participating in the survey, said, “Nishinoshima after the eruption is in a natural state and is one of the rare islands in the world where the spread of ecosystems can be confirmed. I would like to investigate in detail how the ecosystem is spreading. "