Tsushima Warm Current Research Articles

Outbreak conditions for Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms in the southern coastal waters of Korea

We conducted field observations to investigate the cause of Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms in the Korean Southern Coastal Waters (KSCW), and also analyzed information on marine environmental factors obtained from the National Fisheries and Development Institute (NFRDI), from 1995 to 2008. Long-term tidal currents revealed a two-layered flow with the upper current flowing toward Boddolbada located between Narodo and Nammyeon, and the lower current out of the bay. Water temperatures were higher at the north than at the south of the bay, whereas salinities exhibited the reverse trend. C. polykrikoides blooms occurred at a water temperature of approximately 25.0–26.0 °C and a salinity of approximately 31.00 in the seas neighboring Narodo Islands. The outbreak of C. polykrikoides blooms in the seas neighboring Narodo Islands in summer was influenced by thermohaline fronts observed between the KSCW and Tsushima Warm Current (TWC).

A study of the dynamic factors of the summer-time upwelling in the Tsushima Warm Current region

The dynamic factors governing the summer-time upwelling along the Japanese shelf area and its structures are examined using an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model. A sensitivity experiment suggests that the dominant factor is the topographic irregularities that enhance the upwelling along the shelf slope but the influences of the seasonal variation of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) inflow and wind stress are insignificant. The dynamic analysis shows that the upwelling is a part of the secondary, overturning circulation that appears along the shelf from April to October. The dynamic structure shows the dominant term balance in essence, i.e. a triad of the term of pressure gradient, Coriolis force, and horizontal advection. The local pattern of the upwelling is closely correlated to the horizontal variations of the shelf slope and the horizontal advection term. The horizontal variation in the shelf topography is a key factor to determine the local pattern of the summer-time upwelling.

Surface current structure of the Tsushima Warm Current region in the Japan Sea derived by satellite-tracked surface drifters

We examined the surface current structure in the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) region of the Japan Sea based on a dataset from satellite-tracked surface drifters, including our new deployments during 2004–2008. The gridded mean current velocity and mean kinetic energy (KE) fields calculated from all available drifter data revealed the structure and seasonality of the three branches of the TWC. By comparing the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) field to the KE field, we found four regions where the ratio of EKE to KE was high. In particular, this ratio became extremely high east of the Oki Islands located between the first branch of the TWC (FBTWC) and the second branch of the TWC (SBTWC). Our analysis suggests that the generation of alternate warm and cold eddies east of the Oki Island induced this high ratio. The occurrence of a warm or cold eddy was related to the route—either nearshore or offshore—of the SBTWC. When the offshore route of the SBTWC became dominant, a warm eddy was frequently generated east of the Oki Islands. In contrast, when the nearshore route of the SBTWC became dominant, a cold eddy was more likely to be generated.

Modeling of the branches of the Tsushima Warm Current in the Eastern Japan Sea

The branches of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) are realistically reproduced using a three-dimensional ocean general circulation model (OGCM). Simulated structures of the First Branch and the Second Branch of the TWC (FBTWC and SBTWC) in the eastern Japan Sea are mainly addressed in this study, being compared with measurement in the period September–October 2000. This is the first numerical experiment so far in which the OGCM is laterally exerted by real volume transports measured by acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) through the Tsushima Straits and the Tsugaru Strait. In addition, sea level variation measured by tide-stations along the Japanese coast as well as satellite altimeters is assimilated into the OGCM through a sequential data assimilation method. It is demonstrated that the assimilation of sea level variation at the coastal tide-stations is useful in reproducing oceanic conditions in the nearshore region. We also examine the seasonal variation of the branches of the TWC in the eastern Japan Sea in 2000. It is suggested as a consequence that the FBTWC is continuous along northwestern Honshu Island in summertime, while it degenerates along the coast between the Sado Strait and the Oga Peninsula in other seasons. On the other hand, a mainstream of the SBTWC exists with meanders and eddies in the offshore region deeper than 1000 m to the north of the Sado Island throughout the year.

Paleotemperature response to monsoon activity in the Japan Sea during the last 160 kyr

Paleo-sea-surface temperatures in the northeastern- and southeastern-parts of the Japan Sea were reconstructed for the last 160 kyr using alkenone temperatures (U K ′ 37-temperatures). U K ′ 37-temperatures at two sites show distinct glacial–interglacial changes during the last 160 kyr except for the interval corresponding to middle MIS 3 to MIS 2. On orbital-timescales, U K ′ 37-temperature tends to be high during MIS 5e, MIS 5c, and MIS 5a, which coincides with the intervals of stronger East Asian summer monsoon activity. The amplitude of temperature fluctuations in the Japan Sea is significantly higher than those in the neighboring seas. We suggest that the SST variation was amplified by the increasing source water (Kuroshio water) temperature and the changes in the volume transport of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) and/or the north–south oscillation of the sub-polar front position within the Japan Sea. Millennial-scale temperature fluctuations in the Japan Sea show that the temperature at the northern site was higher than that at the southern site during warmer periods of MIS 5, which is called “temperature reversal.” By analogy with modern oceanography, the temperature reversal could reflect the enhanced volume transport of the TWC and the spatial relationship between the studied site and the branches of the TWC, which is an essential factor in north–south temperature reversal around the eastern Japan Sea. Temperature drops were found at 114 ka, 111 ka, 93 ka, 87 ka, and 77 ka in MIS 5. Those events were associated with an increase in organic carbon and alkenone contents and can be correlated with the abundance peaks of ice-rafted debris (IRD) at Site GH05-1208 in the northern Japan Sea, suggesting that the surface water was cooled by enhanced mixing and consequent upwelling in a stronger winter monsoon regime.

Interannual–interdecadal variations of spear squid Loligo bleekeri abundance in the southwestern Japan Sea during 1975–2006: Impact of the trawl fishing and recommendations for management under the different climate regimes

A climatic regime shift, characterized by an abrupt change from cool to warm conditions, occurred in the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) region in the Japan Sea in the late 1980s. The abundance of spear squid Loligo bleekeri in the southwestern part of the Japan Sea responded strongly to the changing thermal regime. Spear squid are widely distributed in Japanese coastal waters and form one of the most important target species of pair trawlers in the southwestern Japan Sea. Catch from the southwestern Japan Sea has fluctuated from a minimum of 16 tons in 2003 to a maximum of 13,700 tons in 1977. Catch has decreased to less than 100 tons in recent years, and consequently the stock is at the point of collapse. The abundance index of spear squid shows a decadal pattern of variation with a step change from positive to negative annual anomalies that occurred around 1990; this pattern corresponds closely with the changing regime in water temperature in the TWC, strongly indicating that the decadal variability in spear squid was largely affected by the climatic regime shift in the late 1980s. Significant negative correlations between water temperature and an abundance index of spear squid ( R 2 = 0.39, p < 0.01) indicate that increasing ambient water temperature reduced spear squid abundances during the 1990s. Monthly CPUE (catch per unit effort) decreases sharply during the fishing season from autumn through winter, a patterns that was well described by a DeLury model. DeLury estimates of apparent mortality showed that the fishing mortality coefficient was relatively stable during 1975–1987, but has increased greatly since the late 1980s. The average fishing mortality coefficient averaged during the warmer 1990s was about 2.1 times higher than during the colder late 1970s and 1980s, indicating that the fishing mortality has intensified during the 1990s and has accelerated the collapse of the stock. This suggests that the decadal pattern of variation of spear squid was largely forced by the late 1980s climatic regime shift of the TWC, while high fishing magnified interannual variation of spear squid and attributed to the subsequent collapse of the stock. Reducing fishing pressure on juvenile squid during the early part of the fishing season in autumn is considered to be particularly important for the recovery of this stock under the current unfavorable thermal regime.

Formation and evolution of the modern warm current system in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea since the last deglaciation

To reconstruct the formation and evolution process of the warm current system within the East China Sea (ECS) and the Yellow Sea (YS) since the last deglaciation, the paleoceangraphic records in core DGKS9603, core CSH1 and core YSDP102, which were retrieved from the mainstream of the Kuroshio Current (KC), the edge of the modern Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) and muddy region under cold waters accreted with the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) respectively, were synthetically analyzed. The results indicate that the formation and evolution of the modern warm current system in the ECS and the YS has been accompanied by the development of the KC and impulse rising of the sea level since the last deglaciation. The influence of the KC on the Okinawa Trough had enhanced since 16 cal kyr BP, and synchronously the modern TWC began to develop with the rising of sea level and finally formed at about 8.5 cal kyr BP. The KC had experienced two weakening process during the Heinrich event 1 and the Younger Drays event from 16 to 8.5 cal kyr BP. The period of 7-6 cal kyr BP was the strongest stage of the KC and the TWC since the last deglaciation. The YSWC has appeared at about 6.4 cal kyr BP. Thus, the warm current system of the ECS and the YS has ultimately formed. The weakness of the KC, indicated by the occurrence of Pulleniatina minimum event (PME) during the period from 5.3 to 2.8 cal kyr BP, caused the main stream of the TWC to shift eastward to the Pacific Ocean around about 3 cal kyr BP. The process resulted in the intruding of continent shelf cold water mass with rich nutrients. Synchronously, the strength of the YSWC was relatively weak and the related cold water body was active at the early-mid stage of its appearance against the PME background, which resulted in the quick formation of muddy deposit system in the southeastern YS. The strength of the warm current system in the ECS and the YS has enhanced evidently, and approached to the modern condition gradually since 3 cal kyr BP.

Observational evidence of a warm ocean current preceding a winter teleconnection pattern in the northwestern Pacific

The role of the extratropical ocean in climate remains unclear due to the complexities in air‐sea interaction processes. We have found robust evidence for the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) preceding the western Pacific (WP) teleconnection pattern by conducting an analysis over the past 30 years. The WP index in winter sharply succeeds the volume transport of the TWC in autumn, but rather smoothly connects with the El Niño indices, indicating a considerable role of the ocean current in the climate system. Correlation patterns of seasonal precipitation over the Japanese Islands are also consistent with this relationship. The significant lead‐lag correlations with the coherent structures of surface temperature indicate ocean‐to‐atmosphere feedback in which the interannual variation of the wind‐driven current, represented by the TWC transport, influences the regional climate conditions associated with the WP pattern in winter.

Seasonal variation in Tsushima Warm Current paths over the shelf off the San’in coast, Japan

Using long-term sea surface temperature (SST) and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data, we examined variations in the current axis of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) off the San’in coast of Japan, near the entrance to the Japan Sea. There were large horizontal temperature gradients along the shelf edge in the southwestern Japan Sea from October to May, suggesting that the second branch of the TWC appears not only in spring and autumn but also in winter. From the ADCP data analysis, we found that currents with speeds of approximately 20 cm s −1 and greater appeared around the shelf edge off San’in coast in all seasons. The SST and ADCP data analyses suggested that the second branch of the TWC exists around the shelf edge off the San’in coast throughout the year. This finding differed from those of previous studies. A relatively strong current (speed greater than 15 cm s −1) appeared on the shore side in all seasons, except at line W in winter. This current might be the first branch of the TWC. The first branch seemed to occur around in 100 m isobaths, but shifted northward and southward because the bottom topography around lines W and M was relatively flat and the shelf was broad. The first branch was very obscure, and it was difficult to define the two branches of the TWC off the San’in coast from the seasonally averaged vectors. However, snapshots of current distribution derived from the ADCP data clearly showed these branches. Hence, both the first and second branches might occur throughout the year off the San’in coast.

The Relationship Between the Taiwan Warm Current and Tsushima Warm Current

The Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) and the Tsushima Warm Current (TSWC) flow northward over the shelf in the East China Sea (ECS), which some previous studies regard as a Taiwan-Tsushima Warm Current (TTWC) System. But the roles of the TWC and TSWC in the formation of the TTWC system have not been clarified. This article will show that the TSWC is more important in the TTWC system. Using a three-dimensional baroclinic model, we conducted several numerical experiments to reveal the dynamic relationship between the TWC and TSWC. The results show that the TWC has little effect on the TSWC, while the TSWC has a significant effect on the TWC. A source-sink driven mechanism along isobaths may be used to explain this phenomenon. The perennial northward flow through the Tsushima Strait pumps the response over the northern shelf in the ECS that gives rise to the TWC. Although the TSWC is located at the “downstream” region, it could induce about 0.5 Sv to TWC in annual mean values.

Circulation features in the Japan/East Sea related to statistically obtained wind patterns in the warm season

A response of the circulation in the Japan/East Sea (JES) to different kinds of wind forcing is studied, with the emphasis on the warm season, using a primitive equation oceanic model. Wind forcing is based on typical patterns obtained from complex empirical orthogonal functions of 1°-gridded NCEP/NCAR 6 h winds for 1998–2005. These patterns are distinguished by a prevailing wind direction. Northwestern wind and strong cyclonic (C) curl prevail in winter, while a variety of patterns occur in the warm season, differing in the wind direction and curl. Three model runs are performed to examine the circulation in response to a prevailing C wind stress curl or an alternating C and anticyclonic (AC) curl or a strong C curl in the warm season. The simulated features are consistent with the observational evidence, in particular with thermal fronts and frequent eddy locations derived from multi-year infrared satellite imagery. The simulated C circulation intensifies and the subarctic region extends southward with the strengthening of a summer C wind stress curl over the JES. Variability of Subarctic Front (SF) in the western JES (between 130°E and 133°E) is strongly affected by summer wind stress curl. Forcing by an AC curl tends to shift SF northward, while SF shifts to the south under the forcing by a C curl, reaching the southern Ulleung Basin in the case of the strong C curl. In the northwestern JES (off Peter the Great Bay, Russia, and North Korea), the SF northwestern branch (NWSF) is simulated. It is a known feature in autumn and early winter and can also occur in the warm season. The simulation results suggest an AC wind stress curl as the forcing of the formation of the NWSF in the warm season. The Siberia Seamount and sharply bending coastline near Peter the Great Bay facilitate partial separation of the Primorye (Liman) Current from the coast. The wind stress curl can be an additional forcing of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) branching off the Korea Strait to the East Korea Warm Current (EKWC) and the offshore branch (OB). In the warm season, the simulated TWC bifurcation occurs farther north, the EKWC is strong, and the OB is weak under the forcing of the AC wind stress curl. The EKWC is weak and the OB is strong under the forcing of the strong C wind stress curl.

Seasonal upwelling underneath the Tsushima Warm Current along the Japanese shelf slope

Seasonal upwelling variations are examined in the eastward coastal boundary branches of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC). The climatological pattern and the fundamental hydrographic structure of the seasonal appearance of cold water are revealed by analyzing the temperature profile data around the Japanese shelf area. Seasonal maps of temperature at the intermediate layer around 200 m depth show the rise of the main pycnocline along the Japanese coast due to seasonal subsurface cooling from May to September. The cold water areas appear around the strong curvature in the continental shelf break. These areas are confined to the south of the TWC thermal front, i.e., to the coastal boundary region. The seasonal appearance of the localized cooling areas implies that the seasonal upwelling is induced by horizontal variations in shelf topography and the intensifying TWC from May to September.

Diatom-derived SSTs ( Td′ ratio) indicate warm seas off Japan during the middle Holocene (8.2–3.3 kyr BP)

Regression analysis was performed between the ratio of warm- and cold-water diatoms ( Td′ ratio) in 123 surface sediment samples in the northwest Pacific Ocean and the mean annual sea surface temperatures (SSTs) (°C) at the core sites, in order to calibrate this proxy for paleo-temperatures. Equations to derive annual SST (°C) from diatom analysis were somewhat different for the Tohoku area ( y = 6.5711⁎ × 0.273, r = 0.89946) than for the Japan Sea ( y = 5.4069⁎ × 0.26841, r = 0.89088). The annual paleo-SSTs (°C) in the Tohoku Area were in general higher than in the Japan Sea despite lower Td′ values, because the warm-water species Fragilariopsis doliolus is abundant only in the Tsushima Warm Current in the Japan Sea. The reliability of the equations is supported by our understanding of the ecology of recent diatoms. Td′-derived annual paleo-SSTs (°C) agree with alkenone-derived summer paleo-SST (°C) at a site off central Japan in the northwestern Pacific. In a south-to-north transect of cores around Honshu and Hokkaido, paleo-SSTs (°C) decreased when the Kuroshio and Tsushima Warm Currents weakened. The middle Holocene (8.2–3.3 cal kyr BP) was warmer by 1–2 °C than earlier and later parts of the Holocene, and mean annual paleo-SSTs (°C) show rhythmic fluctuations with durations of 1000 years and 400–500 years. These new data show that annual SSTs were warm in the northwestern Pacific at times that the northeastern Pacific was cold. In addition, oceanic warm- and cold-water species defined by Kanaya and Koizumi [Kanaya, T., Koizumi, I., 1966. Interpretation of diatom thanatocoenoses from the North Pacific applied to a study of core V20–130 (studies of a deep-sea core V20–130, part IV). Sci. Rep. Tohoku Univ., 2nd series (Geol.) 37, 89–130], and Koizumi et al. [Koizumi, I., Irino, T., Oba, T., 2004. Paleoceanography during the last 150 kyr off central Japan based on diatom floras. Mar. Micropaleontol. 53, 293–365] are illustrated.

Seasonal Volume Transport Variation and Origin of the Tsushima Warm Current

A model of the current and seasonal volume transport in the East China Sea was used to investigate the origin of the Tsushima Warm Current (TSWC). The modeled volume transport field suggested that the current field west of Kyushu (30˚-32˚N) was divided into two regions, R1 and R2, according to the bottom depth. R1 consisted of the Taiwan Warm Current (TWWC) region and the mixed Kuroshio-TWWC (MKT) water region, while R2 was the modified Kuroshio water (MKW) region west of Kyushu. The MKW branched from the Kuroshio and flowed into the Korea/Tsushima Straits through the Cheju-Kyushu Strait, contributing 41% of the annual mean volume transport of the TSWC. The TWWC and MKT water flowed into the Korea/Tsushima Straits through the Cheju-Kyushu and Cheju Straits, contributing 32% and 27% of the volume transport, respectively. The maximum volume transport of the MKW was 53% of the total volume transport of the TSWC in November, while the maximum volume transport of the water in the R1 region through the Cheju-Kyushu Strait was 41% in July. Hence, there were two peaks per year of volume transport in the TSWC.

The late 1980s regime shift in the ecosystem of Tsushima warm current in the Japan/East Sea: Evidence from historical data and possible mechanisms

A climatic regime shift, an abrupt change from cooling to warming in the Japan/East Sea (JES), particularly in the Tsushima warm current (TWC) region, occurred in the late 1980s. The ecosystem of the JES responded strongly to the changing thermal regime. Many, but not all biological components of the ecosystem, spanning from plankton to predatory fishes, and including both warm-water pelagic and cold-water demersal species responded to this late 1980s climatic regime shift in the JES. Diatom abundance (cell number) in spring from a monitoring line located in the central part of JES showed decadal variations with a step change from positive to negative anomalies in 1991. Zooplankton biomass in spring and autumn was high in the 1970s, declined during the 1980s, and returned to higher, but quite variable levels during the 1990s. Japanese sardine catch increased after 1974 to its peak level in 1989 and then declined dramatically to 1974 levels by 1997 with step changes in 1979 and 1994. Conversely, catches of other small pelagic species such as Japanese anchovy and common squid, and several higher-trophic fishes, such as yellowtail and tunas increased markedly in the 1990s compared to the early-mid 1980s. Step changes were detected in these pelagic species during 1989–1992. Catch of demersal species (crab, pink shrimp, Pacific cod and walleye pollock) were high during most of the 1970–1980s, but declined at various times in the late 1980s to generally low catches in the 1990s. Detailed analysis of the demersal fish assemblage composition, abundance and distribution indicated a shift in the late 1980s with several years lag in the time of change. Cold-water species (e.g., walleye pollock, Pacific cod) decreased in abundance and the regions in which their abundances remained high became greatly reduced in extent. Conversely, warm-water species (e.g., pointhead flounder, shotted halibut) increased in abundance and/or extended their spatial range (as indicated by trawl catch) during the warm 1990s. A principal component analysis for pelagic and demersal fish assemblages, suggested decadal variation patterns with a step change during 1986–1988. Abundance changes were identified not only in the plankton, but also in small pelagic fishes, and in predatory fishes. These changes were reflected in fish community indicators, and suggest an ecosystem regime shift occurred in the TWC region as a result of the late 1980s climatic regime shift. A hypothesis on the ecological response process to the late 1980s climatic regime shift was proposed.

Long-term trends in pelagic environments of the east sea ecosystem

Physical and biological environmental variations in the East Sea were investigated by analysing time-series of oceanographic data and meteorological indices. From 1971 to 2000, dominant periodicity in water temperature variations had two apparent periods of 3 to 4 years and of decades, especially in the southwestern part of the East Sea affected by the influence of inflowing Tsushima warm current. Fluctuating water temperature within a certain period appears to respond to El Nino events with a time lag. It was found that there was a strong correlation between water temperature and El Nino events with a time lag of 1.5 and 5.5 years for periods of 3 to 6 years and of decades, respectively. Corresponding with El Nino events, water temperature variability also showed strong correlation with shift and/or changes in biological and chemical environments of nutrient concentrations, zooplankton biomass, and fisheries. However, there also occurred a short-term periodicity of water temperature variations. Within a period of 1 to 4 years, a relatively short-term cycle of water temperature variation had strong correlation with other climate indices such as Pacific Decadal Oscillation and monsoon index. After comparing coherence and phase spectrum between water temperature and different climate indices, we found that there was a shift of coherent periods to another climate index during the years when climate regime shift was reported.

Intercomparison of Air–Sea Interface Fluxes over the Yellow Sea and Korea Strait: Impact of Tsushima Warm Current

Surface-layer meteorological observations obtained from oceanic buoys over the Korean Strait and the Yellow Sea are used to estimate surface-layer turbulent fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum over the East-Asian Marginal Seas. Special emphasis is paid towards explanation of the impact of the Tsushima warm current flowing through the Korean Strait on air–sea interface fluxes. During the active phase of the Tsushima warm current, when the difference in sea surface temperature and air temperature becomes as large as 8°C, the sensible heat flux increases to a value of about 135 W m−2, while the latent heat flux is around 200 W m−2. The study attempts to broaden our understanding on the air-sea interaction processes over the Yellow Sea and Korean Strait.

Spatial biome changes in southwestern Japan since the Last Glacial Maximum

Data from published palynological studies in southwestern Japan between 20 ka BP and the present were applied in a biomization procedure for Japan. The 20 biome maps obtained reveal a transition in biome from cool-mixed forest to warm-mixed/broadleaved evergreen forest and their migration routes. During the Last Glacial Maximum, southwestern Japan was covered with cool-mixed forest, and the climate was cooler than present. The warm-mixed/broadleaved evergreen forest was established in northern Kyushu Island and in the coastal areas of the Sea of Japan at 17 and 7 ka BP, respectively. There appears to have been a delay in its migration into the Chugoku region, caused by the environmental changes in the Sea of Japan. Before 8 ka BP, the relatively weak flow of the Tsushima warm current into the Sea of Japan created a climate resembling continental conditions and the winter temperatures were not high enough to permit the establishment of a warm-mixed/broadleaved evergreen forest. After 8 ka BP, warm-mixed/broadleaved evergreen forest spread into the Chugoku region, and reached higher altitudes 4 ka BP.

Evolution and variation of the Tsushima warm current during the late quaternary: Evidence from planktonic foraminifera, oxygen and carbon isotopes

The evolution and variation history of the Tsushima warm current during the late Quaternary was reconstructed based on the quantitative census data of planktonic foraminiferal fauna, together with oxygen and carbon isotope records of mixed layer dweller a ruber and thermocline dweller N. dutertrei in piston core CSH1 and core DGKS9603 collected separately from the Tsushima warm current and the Kuroshio dominated area. The result showed that the Tsushima warm current vanished in the lowstand period during 40-24 cal ka BP, while the Kuroshio still flowed across the Okinawa Trough, arousing strong upwelling in the northern Trough. Meanwhile, the influence of freshwater greatly increased in the northern Okinawa Trough, as the broad East China Sea continental shelf emerged. The freshwater reached its maximum during the last glacial maximum (LGM), when the upwelling obviously weakened for the lowest sea-level and the depression of the Kuroshio. The modern Tsushima warm current began its development since 16 cal ka BP, and the impact of the Kuroshio increased in the middle and northern Okinawa Trough synchronously during the deglaciation and gradually evolved as the main water source of the Tsushima current. The modern Tsushima current finally formed at about 8.5 cal ka BP, since then the circulation structure has been relatively stable. The water of the modern Tsushima current primarily came from the Kuroshio axis. A short-term wiggle of the current occurred at about 3 cal ka BP, probably for the influences from the enhancement of the winter monsoon and the depression of the Kuroshio. The cold water masses greatly strengthened during the wiggle.

Fluctuations of Pelagic Fish Populations in Relation to the Climate Shifts in the Far-East Regions

Based on a time series of ocean climate indices and catch records for seven pelagic fish species in the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) and Kuroshio-Oyashio Current (KOC) regions from 1910 to 2004, we detected regional synchrony in the long-term fluctuations of the fish populations and identified alternation patterns of dominant species related to climate shifts. The annual catches of Pacific herring, Japanese sardines, Japanese anchovies, jack mackerel, chub mackerel, Pacific saury and common squid in the TWC region fluctuated in phase with those in the KOC region, which suggests that they were controlled by the same basin-wide climate forcing. After the collapse of the herring fishery, the alternation sequence was: sardines (1930s), Pacific saury, jack mackerel, common squid and anchovies (<TEX>$1950s{\sim}1960s$</TEX>), herring (<TEX>$late\;1960s{\sim}early\;1970s$</TEX>), chub mackerel (1970s) and then sardines (1980s). As sardine biomass decreased in the late stages of the cool regime, catch of the other four species increased immediately during the warm period of the 1990s. Regional differences in the amplitude of long-term catch fluctuations for the seven pelagic fishes could be explained by regional differences in availability, fishing techniques and activity.