In recent year, ocean space utilization, relationship between global environmental change and ocean, and development of ocean resources such as renewable energy, offshore oil, methane hydrate and seafloor massive sulfides have attracted attention and have been widely discussed. Experiments and observations carried out in the IIS Ocean Engineering Basin support development of related elemental technologies. The dimensions of the basin are 50 m in length, 10 m in width and 5 m in depth. Various ocean conditions can be artificially generated using multidirectional wave maker, current generator and wind blower.

The sea surface fluctuates intensely spatiotemporally due to wind, waves and currents. It is very difficult to measure sea surface conditions directly. The photographs show a system for measuring microwave backscattering from artificially generated ocean surfaces by wind, waves and currents in the IIS Ocean Engineering Basin, and a microwave pulse Doppler radar for measuring sea surface conditions installed off Hiratsuka in Sagami Bay. A sea surface observation systems using active microwave remote sensing is currently under development.

In ocean, there are abundant renewable energy sources such as offshore wind, wave and tidal current. For the practical use of ocean renewable energy, low-cost system applicable to low energy density of sources and severe environment conditions of ocean should be developed. Tidal current power generation systems with the high efficiency rotor and hydraulic system have been developed. The photograph shows a vertical axis type tidal current generation system installed in Sabusawa channel in Shiogama city.