Ukichiro Nakaya

Infobox Scientist
name = Ukichiro Nakaya


image_width =
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birth_date = July 41900
birth_place = Kaga, Ishikawa
death_date = April 111962
death_place =
ethnicity = Japanese
field = Physics
work_institutions =
alma_mater = University of Tokyo
doctoral_advisor =
doctoral_students =
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 .

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 [ [http://sigact.acm.org/genealogy/index-London.html University of London, Richardson, O.W. (1904)] ] [ [http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic15-3-242.pdf Obituary, Ukichiro Nakaya] ] 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 snowcrystal by observing natural snow. Low Temperature Science lab opened which is continuously low temperature in 1935 [ [http://www.lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp/english/index.html Home page of Institute of Low Temperature Science] , Hokkaido University] .

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 [ [http://phys.agr.hokudai.ac.jp/index_e.html Laboratory of Agricultural Physics of Hokkaido University] ] . 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 [ [http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110005716778/ Icing Observatory at Mt. Niseko-Annupuri, Hokkaido] ] , 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) [ [http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/Snow,+Ice,+and+Permafrost+Research+Establishment SIPRE (Snow, Ice, and Permafrost Research Establishment)] ] .

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. [ [http://www.igsoc.org/journal/17/ 111-116, The freezing of small Tyndall figures in ice, Shinji Mae] ] [ [http://school.gifu-net.ed.jp/gizan-hs/HP/ssh17/ss2/hyoukessyou/chindaruzou.pdf Tyndall figures in Japanese] ] [ [http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200321/000020032103A0640544.php 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")] [ [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v202/n4931/abs/202485a0.html Tyndall Figures by KEIJI HIGUCHI] ] In 1954-1956, the book "Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial" [ [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/citation/120/3123/755 Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial. Ukichiro Nakaya. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge] ] [ [http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/earlyobs/earlyobs.htm 1954 -- Ukichiro Nakaya, Snow Crystals.com] ] 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 [ [http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/113519156/ Cloud Physics Conf., Woods Hole, Mass., 3-5 June 1959] ] , and observation trip to Ice Island T-3 [ [http://www.climateaudit.org/?p=1042 Ice Island T-3] ] .

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.

Snow Crystal

Hokuetsu SeppuIn 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 [ [http://www1.odn.ne.jp/snow-crystals/page1_E.html Snow Crystals in Hokkaido] ] . 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. [ [http://www.lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp/ptdice/english/aletter.html Fascination of Snow Crystals-How are their beautiful patterns created?] ] [ [http://221.243.18.148/tenki/pdf/51_10/p043_048.pdf Convection type artificial snow making apparatus and Nakaya diagram, published in 1954.] jp icon]

Essays on science and anecdote

Nakaya was also great essayist on science-related issues. He wrote and edited many many educational books, photo albums and documentaries [ [http://www.city.kaga.ishikawa.jp/yuki/siryo/mokuroku.pdf 41 items of list of Nakaya's editing books and others] jp icon.] [ [http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/2159.htm Reflections on Science by NAKAYA Ukichiro] , READINGS, VOCABULARY NOTES, TRANSLATIONS, AND AN ORIGINAL GLOSSARY] .

Nakaya's first essay was written in 1924, for the innaugural issue of the proceedings of Physics department of Tokyo Imperial University, devoted to Kutani porcelain [ [http://www.gotheborg.com/marks/kutani.shtml Kutani pottery] (九谷焼)] [ [http://www.kutani.or.jp/index.html Ishikawa pottery commerce and industries assiciation] for Kutani pottery jp icon] . Nakaya wrote that his father wanted him to be potter and sent him to a potter's boarding house for a while during his primary school, but his father died after he finished the primary school.

Poetry

In 2004, a handwritten and signed note by Nakaya was noticed in a copy of the book "", issued by Harvard University in 1954, saying "Snowflakes are letters from Heaven" (雪は天から送られた手紙である) ["Snowflakes are letters from Heaven" [http://www.city.kaga.ishikawa.jp/yuki/comm/pdf/kantushin/no12.pdf "Ukichiro Nakaya Museum on Snow and Ice", No 12, March 31, 2005] ] . This verse is read in the documentary “SNOW CRYSTALS”（1939） which is Nakaya's first review among many books and movies he involved with.

The Egg of Lichun

Chinese tradition has it that it is much easier to balance an egg on a smooth surface on Li Chun, the official first day of spring in the Chinese calendar, than on any other day of the year. The Egg of Li Chun "phenomenon" became widely believed in the United States in 1945, after it was reported in popular magazines [cite article | journal = Life Magazine | author = Annalee Jacoby | date = March 19, 1945] . Japanese newspapers picked up the story in 1947.

Nakaya took the trouble to educate the public about this misconception. He verified experimentally that eggs in fact can be balanced any time of the year, with equal ease. He noticed that the shell of an egg usually has many small bumps and dimples, so that, by turning the egg in different directions, it can be made to touch a flat surface on three points at once, in many ways. It is not hard to find an orientation such that the triangle spanned by the three contact points lies right under the egg's center of mass — which is the basic condition for balancing an object.

He conjectured that most people who try to balance the egg will give up after a few attempts, before they understand the trick [cite book | title = Egg of Li Chun (立春の卵) | author = Ukichiro Nakaya] . He used the story to illustrate the mental equivalent of the eye's blind spot, and the importance of experimentation in science.

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) [ [http://www.iw-eizo.co.jp/ Iwanami Audio-Visual Media] jp icon] 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".

See also

* Snow
* Wilson Bentley
* Glaciology
* International Glaciological Society
* Kaga, Ishikawa

Footnote and reference

External links

* [http://www.city.kaga.ishikawa.jp/yuki/index-e.html NAKAYA UKICHIRO MUSEUM OF SNOW AND ICE]
* [http://www.seppyo.org/english The Japanese Society of Snow and Ice] , since 1939 Nakaya and et al. established from "Snow Club (雪の会）".
* [http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/ Snow Crystals.com]
* [http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/earlyobs/earlyobs.htm Historic Snowflakes, Snow Crystals.com] ... Early observations and studies of snow crystals
* [http://www.its.caltech.edu/~ph76a/japantour/part1/japantour.htm Japan - The Snow Crystal Tour] -- by Kenneth G. Libbrecht, January, 2002
* [http://www.lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp/english/index.html Institute of Low Temperature Science] , Hokkaido University
* [http://phys.agr.hokudai.ac.jp/index_e.html Laboratory of Agricultural Physics, Graduate school of Agriculture] , Hokkaido University.
* [http://www1.odn.ne.jp/snow-crystals/page1_E.html Snow Crystals in Hokkaido]
* [http://troutfactorynotebook.blogspot.com/2006/01/snow-days.html troutfactorynotebook, Snow days]
* [http://www.athropolis.com/arctic-facts/fact-nakaya.htm Facts: Cold, Icy and Arctic]
* [http://www.civic.ninohe.iwate.jp/100W/english2.html#Physics 100 Scientist and Engineer in Japan]
* [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v202/n4931/abs/202485a0.html Tyndall Figures formed in Crystallographic Plane Perpendicular to Basal Plane of Ice Crystals]