This is Haodong XU 许浩东 (Carraway)

About me

I am originally from Lanxi City, Zhejiang Province, China, where the city flower is orchid, and the city tree is camphor. The city is famous for Lanxi Underground River, Zhuge Village, Lanxi Rural Marathon, bayberry, subing (a crisp cake with meigan cai and pork inside). It is the place where I have all childhood memory and adolescent experience.

I like discovering science, exploring nature and exchanging culture. I am also a huge fan of many kinds of sports, including ball games, mountains climbing, swimming, cycling, wild running. Beyond the land, I enjoy time spending in the vessel on marine investigations in the vast Pacific Ocean. Besides, I like reading books and enjoying the pop music.

From April 2023, I embarked on my PhD journey after gaining 13 months of valuable work experience. I believe this practical background can significantly enhance my research by fostering a smarter, more empirical, more practical approach to my studies. In my perspective, connecting the theoritical knowledge with realistic society and industry can always be the pursuit of research although I am not a utilitarianism follower. Additionally, I participated in a SDGs-promotion campaign to call for the recycle of wasted lithium battery of electronics. Unfortunately, this idea was suspended at conceptual stage. In addition, scientific outreach is one of my interests, and this is my first time actively engaging in Youngsters' Science Festival 2024 in Science Museum in Tokyo with senior and young-career oceanographers, showcasing water stratification induced by high salinity and low temperature, an experimental exihibition of physical oceanography.

Education

• 2015~2019: Major of Marine technology, School of Marine Science, Shanghai Ocean University

Obtaining B.S. in June 2019

Dissertation: Comparison of particle size distribution of three sampling methods (Bucket, Neuston Net, Pump)

• 2019~2021: Lab of Environment Measurement, Department of Marine Resources and Environment, Gradual School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology

Obtaining M.S. in September 2021

Supervisor: Prof. Hisayuki Arakawa

Dissertation: The study of sampling method and analysis method of small microplastics (<350 μm).

• 2023~2026: Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science, The University of Tokyo

Supervisor: Prof. Shin-ichi Ito

Research

I am a doctoral student of Fisheries Environmental Oceanography Section, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, the University of Tokyo. Concurrently, I am co-affiliated to Department of Living Marine Resources, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo.

My doctoral research is estimating the distribution and transport of microplastics in the past 65 years in the North Pacific Ocean. I am passionate to study the microplastic pollution, an anthropogenic consequence due to the mismanagement of plastic waste and impatient consumption. We live in a world that cannot be dissociated from plastics materials, meantime, both terrestrial and aquatic environmental have been polluted broadly and heterogeneously. This situation will continue to deteriorate if human beings refuse to alter their life styles and mindsets. In my opinion, decarbonazation is never equivalent to lower living quality. There must be ways to address this problem.

In my research, most experimental apparatuses are made of quartz glass and stainless steel to output least-contaminated results. I wish my research can further help to comprehend the behavior of microplastics, and to quantify the microplastic pollution in many reservoirs. The teleology of my research is to advance public consciousness regarding ocean and marine ecosystem. I aim to achieve this by delivering the latest scientific knowledge and critical insights on marine issues to the broader public. Through my work, I strive to bridge the gap between scientific understanding and public awareness, empowering individuals with the information needed to become better stewards of our oceans. A research abstract is available here. Research interests include but not limited to:
Microplastics | Plastic pollution | Marine environment issues | Marine science | Numerical simulation.

Involved projects

• Elucidation of collection characteristics of Neuston nets toward standardization of marine microplastic sampling. Link
  My role (2019~2021): developing double Neuston net and testing feasibility in both inner bay and open ocean
• UTokyo-Nippon Foundation FSI Marine Litter Solution Project. Link
  My role (2023~2025): focusing on theme 1 of Act 1, covering data interpretation of particle tracking model and Lagrangian framework learning
• Elucidation of the process of marine microplastics fragmentation and removal from the surface water based on long-term time-series sample analysis. Link
  My role (2023~2025): analyzing data of particle tracking model that reproduces 65-year distribution and transport of microplastics
• Long-term hisotrical variation and future estimation of microplastic distribution and transport in the North Pacific Ocean. Link
  My role (2024~2026): principal investigator

The international and domestic conferences/symposiums that I presented

1. Joint Seminar of Microplastics Research in Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Development of sampling and processing of small microplastics (<350mum). Online, Oral, December 23, 2020.
2. JpGU 2021. ニューストンネットによる海表面の微細マイクロプラスチックの採取の試み. Section: M-IS20-11, Online, Oral, June 5, 2021.
3. The Fall Meeting of The Oceanographic Society of Japan. 微細画分マイクロプラスチックを想定した海洋シミュレーションモデルの構築. Poster, Kyoto, September 25, 2023.
4. The Fall Meeting of JOS. 海底堆積物中のマイクロプラスチック分布に関する数値実験. Section: Geoscience of marine plastics, Oral, Kyoto, September 27, 2023.
5. The First Research Exchange Meeting of the WINGS for Sustainable Agriculture Education Program. The numerical simulation of microplastics distribution in sediment in the North Pacific Ocean. Oral, Yayoi Campus, Tokyo, Spetember 28, 2023.
6. JOS Wakate Mushashugyo Program. Modelling approaches to investigate historical 65 years distribution of microplastics in the North Pacific. Oral, Kyushu University, Kasuka, January 9, 2024. Report is available.
7. The Second Research Exchange Meeting of the WINGS for Sustainable Agriculture Education Program. Evaluating the actual sinking speed and transport mechanism based on particle-tracking model and sediment microplastics sample. Oral, Yayoi Campus, Tokyo, February 13, 2024.
8. Ocean Science Meeting 2024. Evaluating the actual sinking speed and transport mechanism based on particle-tracking model and sediment microplastics sample (20~5000mum). Index: CE42A-02, Oral, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 22, 2024.
9. JpGU 2024. 北太平洋におけるマイクロプラスチック表層除去速度の見積もり. Section: MIS09-02, Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Oral, May 27, 2024.
10. The Fall Meeting of JOS. 粒子追跡モデルのマイクロプラスチック濃度の検証. Section: Geoscience of marine plastics, Poster, Tokyo, September 18, 2024.
11. PICES 2024. Estimating the biological removal timescale of microplastics in the North Pacific. Session 9, Oral, Honolulu, Hawaii, October 30, 2024.
12. Ocean and Atmosphere Symposium 2024. 河口付近におけるマイクロプラスチックの濃度分布および輸送パターン. Oral, Tokyo, March 12, 2025.
13. CVASU Fish Festival 2025. Modelled distribution of heavy microplastics in the sediment of North Pacific. Session of Pollution and Toxicology, Oral, Chattogram, April 30, 2025.

The conferences/symposiums that I organized

• JpGU 2025, Primary Convener, Ocean plastics an earth science perspective. Chiba, May 26, 2025.

The publications

• Yehao Wang, Haruka Nakano, Haodong Xu, Hisayuki Arakawa, Contamination of seabed sediments in Tokyo Bay by small microplastics particles. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Elsevier, 261(2021)107552. Link
• Haodong Xu, Hisayuki Arakawa, Determination of appropriate particle quantity on a filter for small microplastics analysis by microscopy. Methodx 9, Elsevier, (2022)101646. Link
• Haodong Xu, Haruka Nakano, Tadashi Tokai, Tadashi Miyazaki, Hiroaki Hamada, Hisayuki Arakawa, Contamination of sea surface water offshore the Tokai region and Tokyo Bay in Japan by small microplastics. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Elsevier, 185(2022)114245. Link
• Murat Celik, Yang Zijiang, Haodong Xu, Haruka Nakano, Atsuhiko Isobe, Hisayuki Arakawa, Carbonyl index of miniaturized microplastics at the sea surface. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Elsevier, 211(2025)117376. Link
• Haodong Xu, Yoshimasa Matsumura, Rei Yamashita, Hideyuki Nakano, Shin-ichi Ito, Heterogeneous seafloor deposition of heavy microplastics in the North Pacific estimated over 65 years. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Elsevier, 211(2025)117536. Link

Awards and honors

• Fostering Advanced Human Resource Development to Lead Green Transformation (SPRING GX fellowship)
• Research Fellowship for Young Scientists of Japan Society For the Promotion of Science (JSPS fellowship fellowship)
• JpGU 2024 Outstanding Student Presentation Award
• CVASU Fish Festival 2025 Best Presenter

Work experience

1. Oct. 2021-Jul. 2022 Reserved Director of Product Division, Zhoushan Oceanthink Marine Science and Technology Co., LTD.

The major work covered quality assurance, software function designing, user manual compilation of marine observation devices

2. Aug. 2022-Nov. 2022 Project Personnel, Department of Offshore Technology Development, Qingdao NCS Testing and Corrosion Protection Co., LTD.

The primary work I did there includes bidding document composition, procurement, on-site inspection of anti-corrosion products applying on offshore platforms.

Contact info

Haodong[at]aori.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Carraway[underscore]Xu1997[at]hotmail.com
+81 90 7466 9793
Kashiwanoha 5-1-5
Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan