Twenty-year operation of the Cryospheric Environment Simulator

The operational results for the Cryospheric Environment Simulator (CES) of the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) compiled over a 20-year period from October 1997 to March 2017, during which a total of 598 projects were conducted, are reported herein. These projects were instigated by four types of institutions: official institutes, universities, companies, and the NIED itself. In terms of international cooperative use, 12 institutes or universities from 9 countries have conducted various investigations using the CES. The present specifications, performances, and operations of CES are described herein; some of the scientific results and future considerations are also presented.