Katsuko Saruhashi quit her job at age 21 to attend the Imperial Women’s College of Science, now Toho University. While working at the Geochemical Laboratory of the Meterological Research Institute, she developed the first method for measuring the levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean. Saruhashi’s Table has become the global standard for gauging the concentration of carbonic acid in water. Her research also found that the Pacific Ocean emits more carbon dioxide than it absorbs. Saruhashi developed methods to investigate the levels of radioactive fallout from nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll. Her research helped secure limits on above-ground nuclear testing. Saruhashi was the first female member of the Science Council of Japan. A pioneer who paved the way for women in science, she established the Society of Japanese Women Scientists in 1958.
