Ukichiro Nakaya

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Ukichiro Nakaya
Born July 4, 1900
Kaga, Ishikawa
Died April 11, 1962
Ethnicity Japanese
Fields Physics
Alma mater University of Tokyo
Known for artificial snowflake crystal.

Ukichirō Nakaya (中谷宇吉郎 Nakaya Ukichirō, July 4, 1900 - April 11, 1962）was a Japanese physicist who first made artificial snowflake crystal, essayist on science, and many footprints on glaciology and Low temperature science .

Contents

[edit] Life and researches

He was born near Katayamazu onsen (片山津温泉) Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture where much snow fall in winter and observable Mount Haku (白山, literally; white mountain with snow) over Shibayama lagoon. In his primary school life, he read much books such as Journey to the West, and impressed on Kant-Laplace's Nebular hypothesis that teacher told. By reading Hajime Tanabe's book, the first choice was physics during high school.

Majored experimental physics under the guidance of professor Torahiko Terada at Tokyo Imperial University and graduated in 1925, then became the research assistant for Terada at RIKEN. Nakaya researched sparks and also was assistance professor of Tokyo Imperial University, and married with daughter of Sakutaro Fujioka (藤岡作太郎) in 1927.

In 1928-29, additional graduate work at King's College London under Professor O.W. Richardson [1][2]for Long wavelength X-ray, but he received sad news from Japan that of his wife death by diphtheria. In 1930, assistant professor at Hokkaido University. 1930, conferred on doctor of science from Kyoto Imperial University.

After remarriage, in 1932, Nakaya became professor at Hokkaido University and started the research on snow crystal by observing natural snow. Low Temperature Science lab opened which is continuously low temperature in 1935[3].

On March 12, 1936, artificial snow crystal was created at long last. See "Snow Crystal" story below.

During 1936-1938, he and his family spent at Ito onsen (伊東温泉) in Izu Peninsula to recuperate from recent bad physical condition which was found due to clonorchis sinensis and treated by Taro Takemi.

In 1938, first his essay were published. 1939, Nakaya received the thanks letter upon the resolution of 3rd United States Snow Committee conference in Washington, D.C. where he sent his first movie Snow Crystals and also started to pursuit frost heaving that was the foundation of Laboratory of Agricultural Physics of Hokkaido University started in 1946[4]. Received Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy for contribution of snow crystal in 1941.

1943, two years after Pacific War began, the Atmospheric icing observatory house built on the top of at Mt. Niseko-Annupuri (ニセコアンヌプリ, Elevation 1,308 metres) and pull up the aircraft Zero into the house then started study to prevent atmospheric icing on the aircraft[5], and the following year, 1944, started to study artificial dissipation of fogs at Nemurocoast.

After Pacific War ended, Nakaya continued aggressively survey the flood and the total amount of water equivalent of snowmelt in a drainage basin. In 1949, International Glaciological Society invited Nakaya study tour to United States, Canada and TVA and Boulder Dam, and attended to workshop meeting for establish of "Snow sort committee" and SIPRE (Snow, Ice, and Permafrost Research Establishment)[6].

In 1952, Nakaya became research fellow of SIPRE for two years, lived in Winnetka, Illinois with family and researched Tyndall Figure and physical distortion of ice by using single crystal of ice of Alaska's glacier.[7][8][9][10] In 1954-1956, the book "Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial" [11][12] was published by Harvard University of his years of researches and studies on snow crystal in Hokkaido University until that time.

In 1956, he had 9 times series of lecture talks on NHK radio program titled "Kagaku no houhou ; 科学の方法 (The Methods of Science)" and this talks was published as a book (in Japanese) in 1958. Nakaya observed snow crystal at the top of Mauna Loa, Hawaii.

In 1957, Nakaya first visit Greenland as a member of United States expedition for International Geophysical Year, and repeatedly visited, stays for 1-2 months then observed the glaciological ice cap at latitude 78° observatory site. Appointed to cochairman of International Glaciological Society.

In 1959, he attended Cloud Physics Conference in Woods Hole in Massachusetts[13], and observation trip to Ice Island T-3[14].

In 1960, study trip to Mendenhall Glacier. Surgery operation for his prostate cancer at hospital of University of Tokyo. April 11, 1962, die from osteomyelitis, received Order (正三位勲一等) from Japanese government.

[edit] Snow Crystal

In Japan, 86 types of the first natural snowflake crystal was sketched and published Sekka-Zusetsu; meaning:"Illustrated flower of snow (雪華図説)" in 1832, then 97 types with continued edition in 1840 by Doi Toshitsura with observing though the microscope for 20 years when his was in Koga Domain.Thereafter the snow crystal became popular pattern in kimono and even on chawan.

Nakaya recall in his essay that he had make up his mind to research for snow crystal, impressed with the book Snow Crystals of Wilson Bentley published in 1931.

Hokuetsu Seppu was also the sympathizing book for snow and life in Hokuriku region where Nakaya born and spent in young life. Hokuriku region is the most snow falls in arable and/or livable area in the world because of the dry Siberian air mass containing much humidity while come over longer distance of Sea of Japan then hits Honshū mountains and drops much humid as snow before the dry and cold wind reached to Pacific Ocean side, Kanto plain.

From 1933, Nakaya observed natural snow and made up 3,000 pieces of photographic plate for snow crystals, and cataloging seven type of classification of snow crystals [15]. In course of natural snow observation, taking photographs and sort it by appearance caused by various weather conditions, he desired to make artificial snow with crystal in the laboratory. Nakaya generated water vapor in the dual layer hollow glass tube then cool down. Unlike his initial expectation, making snow crystal was not easy task, and it grown like the caterpillar on the cotton string.

Low Temperature Science lab opened in 1935, and experiment continued with various materials for ice nucleus, and found woolen string is better than cotton string. The snow crystal, however, still not made as intended. One day, he found snow crystal on the tip of fur on coat with rabbit fur in the lab. This was the step forward to produce artificial snow crystal steady on the tip of single rabbit fur in a experimental laboratory apparatus on March 12, 1936. The time past 3 years from first attempt.
Nakaya further researched on snow crystal and elucidated how various patterns of snow crystal is produced in nature, and published Nakaya Diagram which describes relation to temperature and supersaturation of vapor, excess vapor density in cloud.[16][17]

[edit] Essays on science and anecdote

Poetry;Snow crystals are letters sent from heaven
(Original poetry in Japanese ; 雪は天から送られた手紙である)[18]

With like this poetry, Nakaya was also great essayist on science and philosophical conductor about science for people as he was writer and editor of many books, photo albums and movies.[19][20]

In 1924, Nakaya first contributed an essay to the initial issue of the proceedings of Physics department in Tokyo Imperial University about Kutani porcelain[21][22] that his father wanted him to be potter and led him potter's boarding house in some period in primary school life, but his father died after he finished the primary school.

The fact "egg of lichun stands on the table" which is described in the old Chinese book ; literally "kaleidoscope of Secrecy (秘密の万華鏡)" was discovered in China and this discovery news was reported by the most Japanese newspapers on February of lichun of 1947. This fact was the astonishing news with photo in Japan as well as reported in United States and other countries ever since the story of Egg of Columbus is known. Nakaya experimented and verified egg stands any time, negating the news from China not only on day of lichun that if you find out three protrudes on the surface of the egg right underneath of the center of mass, egg could stand on the table on any day. In his book, titled "egg of lichun (立春の卵)", he thought of people, who believe the egg supposed to be not stand, may not attempts to let the egg stand many times by even only spending 5-10 minutes. Nakaya said in his essay that this is a interesting exemplified story that every one know that people have a blind spot, and the fact that egg stands any time exhibits human being's blind spot. This implies importance of experimental physics which Nakaya contributed.

[edit] Others

In 1948, Nakaya completed scientific movies "Shimo no Hana (霜の華；Flower of frost)" and "Daisetsuzan no Yuki (大雪山の雪；The snow of Mt. Daisetsu)", and 1949 Nakaya Lab. film production production started and later production changed name to Iwanami Audio-Visual Media (岩波映画製作所)[23] and produced many scientific and educational movies.

In 1960, UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee named islands in Antarctic Peninsula to Nakaya Islands for his admirable contribution. An Asteroid is named 10152 Ukichiro.

[edit] External Link

[edit] Footnote and reference

  1. ^ University of London, Richardson, O.W. (1904)
  2. ^ Obituary, Ukichiro Nakaya
  3. ^ Home page of Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University
  4. ^ Laboratory of Agricultural Physics of Hokkaido University
  5. ^ Icing Observatory at Mt. Niseko-Annupuri, Hokkaido
  6. ^ SIPRE (Snow, Ice, and Permafrost Research Establishment)
  7. ^ 111-116, The freezing of small Tyndall figures in ice, Shinji Mae
  8. ^ Tyndall figures in Japanese
  9. ^ Pattern formation of Tyndall figure in ice crystals, Japan Science and Technology Agency (科学技術振興機構 Dokuritsu Gyousei Houjin Kagaku Gijutsu Shinkou Kikou)
  10. ^ Tyndall Figures by KEIJI HIGUCHI
  11. ^ Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial. Ukichiro Nakaya. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge
  12. ^ 1954 -- Ukichiro Nakaya, Snow Crystals.com
  13. ^ Cloud Physics Conf., Woods Hole, Mass., 3-5 June 1959
  14. ^ Ice Island T-3
  15. ^ Snow Crystals in Hokkaido
  16. ^ Fascination of Snow Crystals-How are their beautiful patterns created?
  17. ^ Convection type artificial snow making apparatus and Nakaya diagram, published in 1954.(Japanese)
  18. ^ "Snow crystals are the hieroglyphs sent from the sky", this is Nakaya's writing with his signature on a book; Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial issued by Harvard University in 1954 was found in about 2004.　The periodical of "Ukichiro Nakaya museum snow and ice", No 12, March 31, 2005edition (Japanese) describes another English translation of this poetry ; “In this respect, snow crystals may be called letters sent from heaven” was in narration of movie “SNOW CRYSTALS”（in 1939） which is Nakaya's first review among many books and movies he involved with.
  19. ^ 41 items of list of Nakaya's editing books and others (Japanese).
  20. ^ Reflections on Science by NAKAYA Ukichiro, READINGS, VOCABULARY NOTES, TRANSLATIONS, AND AN ORIGINAL GLOSSARY
  21. ^ Kutani pottery(九谷焼)
  22. ^ Ishikawa pottery commerce and industries assiciation for Kutani pottery (Japanese)
  23. ^ Iwanami Audio-Visual Media (Japanese)
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