Dr So Kawaguchi - krill ecologist

Krill ecologist Dr So Kawaguchi in the krill aquarium. — Krill ecologist Dr So Kawaguchi. (Photo: Glenn Jacobson)

Dr So Kawaguchi: MFSc, PhD(FSc)

Research interests

I am a krill ecologist. I was born in Japan and gained my PhD from Hokkaido University.

I started my career as a research scientist at a fishing company in Japan. I was sent down to the Southern Ocean on the company’s krill fishing boat, which was my first encounter with krill, and it has been the theme of my professional career since then. After four years with the company I worked for the Japanese Fisheries Research Agency as a krill scientist for eight years, before moving to Australia in late 2002 to join the Australian Antarctic Division.

I lead the Antarctic Division’s krill research program. My current research activity spans a range of topics relating to Antarctic krill biology and ecology, and studies into the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on krill. These include field studies on research vessels, as well as laboratory studies using the Antarctic Division's unique krill aquarium facility. My research interest also extends to krill fishery management in the Southern Ocean. Collectively, my research is fundamental to improving our understanding of the Southern Ocean ecosystem and better managing the krill fishery in the Southern Ocean.

Current projects

International/national collaborations

Delegate, Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
Delegate, Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (SC-CAMLR)
Delegate to SC-CAMLR Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management
Convener, SC-CAMLR Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management, 2012-2016.
Vice Chair, Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (SC-CAMLR) 2002.
Vice Chair, SCAR Krill Action Group 2019 - current
Adjunct Professor, Shanghai Ocean University 2015 – current
Collaborations with groups in Germany (Alfred Wegener Institute), Japan (National Research Institute of Polar Research, and China (Shanghai Ocean University), and IMAS

Key outcome areas

Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Selected Publications

Ericson JA, Hellessey N, Kawaguchi S, Nicol S, Nichols PD, Hoem N, Virtue P (2018). Adult Antarctic krill proves resilient in a simulated high CO2 ocean. Communications Biology doi: 10.1038/s42003-018-0195-3

Dawson A, Kawaguchi S, King C, Townsend K, King R, Huston W, and Bengtson Nash SM (2018). Turning Microplastics into Nanoplastics: Digestive Fragmentation by Antarctic krill. Nature Communications 9 (1), 1001. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03465-9

Constable AJ, Kawaguchi S (2017). Modelling growth and reproduction of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, based on temperature, food and resource allocation amongst life history functions. ICES Journal of Marine Science. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsx190

Kawaguchi S (2016). Reproduction and larval development in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). In: Siegel, V. ed. The biology and ecology of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba Dana, 1850. Springer, Cham, pp 225–246.

Kawaguchi S, Ishida A, King R, Raymond B, Waller N, Constable A, Nicol S, Wakita M, Ishimatsu A (2013). Risk maps for Antarctic krill under projected Southern Ocean acidification. Nature Climate Change 3:843-847. doi: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1937

See a full list of Dr Kawaguchi's publications on Google Scholar.

Australian Antarctic Division: Leading Australia’s Antarctic Program