Trailblazing geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi honoured in Google Doodle

Commemorating what would’ve been her 98th birthday, Google paid tribute to Japanese geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi on Thursday.

The honour took in the form of a Doodle, featuring a sketch of the scientist, clipboard in hand, as water fills the background.

Saruhashi is best known for developing a groundbreaking method for measuring carbonic acid in natural waters based on its temperature, pH level and chlorinity. This methodology was dubbed “Saruhashi’s Table,” and proved to be indispensable to oceanographers for decades.

In 1954, she examined the prevalence of radioactive materials in seawater and how far it spread due to fallout in the Pacific.  Read more…

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