The Mutsu Institute for Oceanography (MIO) was established as the home port of the oceanographic research vessel Mirai, one of the largest vessels of its kind in the world. The MIO, the northern branch of the Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), functions as a base for observation research of the global ocean, including the North Pacific Ocean, and is equipped with various ocean research facilities and equipment.

In recent years, we have been conducting marine environment research in the Tsugaru Strait, which is a coastal area adjacent to the MIO. The environment in the strait has been changing rapidly. We are also working on various observations in cooperation with stakeholders and facilitating social utilization of the observation results.