Takeyoshi Nagai & Hiroaki Saito 
Kuroshio Current 
Physical, Biogeochemical, and Ecosystem Dynamics

An interdisciplinary study of the Kuroshio nutrient stream

The surface water of the Kuroshio, a western boundary current in the North Pacific Ocean, is nutrient-depleted and has relatively low primary productivity, yet abundant fish populations are supported in the region. This is called the ‘Kuroshio Paradox’.

Kuroshio Current: Physical, Biogeochemical and Ecosystem Dynamics presents research from a multidisciplinary team that conducted observational and modeling studies to investigate this contradiction. This timely and important contribution to the ocean sciences literature provides a comprehensive analysis of the Kuroshio.

Volume highlights include:

* New insights into the role of the Kuroshio as a nutrient stream

* The first interdisciplinary examination of the Kuroshio Paradox

* Reflections on the influence of the Kuroshio on Japanese culture

* Research results on both the lower and higher trophic levels in the Kuroshio ecosystem

* Comparisons of nutrient dynamics in the Kuroshio and Gulf Stream

* Predictions of ecosystem responses to future climate variability

Table of Content

Contributors vii

Preface ix

Section I: Introduction

1 The Kuroshio: Its Recognition, Scientific Activities and Emerging Issues 3
Hiroaki Saito

2 The Research Advancements and Historical Episodes brought by the Kuroshio Flowing across Generations 13
Takeyoshi Nagai, Kazuyuki Otsuka, and Hiroshi Nakano

3 The Gulf Nutrient Stream 23
Josep L Pelegrí, Ignasi Valles-Casanova, and Dorleta Orue-Echevarría

4 On the Role of the Gulf Stream in the Changing Atlantic Nutrient Circulation During the 21st Century 51
Daniel B Whitt

Section II: Physical and Biogeochemical Dynamics

5 Structure and Impact of the Kuroshio Nutrient Stream 85
Kosei Komatsu and Yutaka Hiroe

6 Multiscale Routes to Supply Nutrients Through the Kuroshio Nutrient Stream 105
Takeyoshi Nagai, Sophie Clayton, and Yusuke Uchiyama

7 Contribution of Kuroshio Recirculation to Nutrient Transport Along the Kuroshio South of Japan: An Analysis of Model Results 127
Xinyu Guo, Yingying Hu, and Yoshikazu Sasai

8 The Kuroshio-Induced Nutrient Supply in the Shelf and Slope Region off the Southern Coast of Japan 137
Hiroshi Kuroda

9 Progress of Studies on Kuroshio Path Variations South of Japan in the Past Decade 147
Norihisa Usui

10 Island Mass Effect 163
Daisuke Hasegawa

11 Impact of Ocean Physics on Marine Ecosystems in the Kuroshio and Kuroshio Extension Regions: A High-Resolution Coupled Physical-Biological Model Study 175
Yoshikazu Sasai, Makio C Honda, Eko Siswanto, Sami Kato, Kazuyuki Uehara, Hideharu Sasaki, and Masami Nonaka

Section III: Ecosystem Dynamics

12 Phytoplankton Distribution in the Kuroshio Region of the Southern East China Sea in Early Spring 191
Toru Hasegawa, Satoshi Kitajima, and Yoko Kiyomoto

13 Spatial Variations in Community Structure of Haptophytes Across the Kuroshio Front in the Tokara Strait 207
Hisashi Endo and Koji Suzuki

14 Variability in Taxonomic Composition, Standing Stock, and Productivity of the Plankton Community in the Kuroshio and its Neighboring Waters 223
Toru Kobari, Yurie Kobari, Hiroomi Miyamoto, Yuji Okazaki, Gen Kume, Reo Kondo, and Akimasa Habano

15 Diverse Trophic Pathways from Zooplankton to Larval and Juvenile Fishes in the Kuroshio Ecosystem 245
Yuji Okazaki, Hiroomi Miyamoto, Koji Suzuki, Hiroaki Saito, Kiyotaka Hidaka, and Tadafumi Ichikawa

16 Feeding Ecology of Chaetognath Flaccisagitta enflata in the Kuroshio Region, Western North Pacific 257
Hiroomi Miyamoto, Dharmamony Vijai, Yuji Okazaki, and Hiroaki Saito

17 Reproduction and Early Life History of Mesopelagic Fishes in the Kuroshio Region: A Review of Recent Advances 273
Chiyuki Sassa

18 Variability in Growth Rates of Japanese Jack Mackerel Trachurus japonicus Larvae and Juveniles in the East China Sea – Effects of Temperature and Prey Abundance 295
Motomitsu Takahashi, Chiyuki Sassa, Kou Nishiuchi, and Youichi Tsukamoto

Index 309

About the author

Takeyoshi Nagai, Department of Ocean Sciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Japan.

Hiroaki Saito, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Japan.

Koji Suzuki, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Japan.

Motomitsu Takahashi, Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan.