Kuroshio Current

Common card · No. 268182

The Kuroshio Current (黒潮, Kuroshio; Japanese pronunciation: [kɯ̈̀.ɾó̞.ɕí.ó̞] lit. 'Black Stream'), also known as the Black Current or Japan Current (日本海流, Nihon Kairyū, Nippon-; [ɲ̟ì.hó̞ŋ́ kä́ì.ɾʲjɨ̀ɨ̀, ɲ̟ìp̚.pó̞ŋ́-]), is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Kuroshio is a powerful western boundary current that transports warm equatorial water poleward and forms the western limb of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Off the East Coast of Japan, it merges with the Oyashio Current to form the North Pacific Current. The Kuroshio Current has significant effects on both physical and biological processes of the North Pacific Ocean, including nutrient and sediment transport, major Pacific storm tracks and regional climate, and Pacific mode water formation. Additionally, the current's significant nutrient transport results in a biologically...

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