Union (U)
Session Sub-categoryUnion
Session IDU-07
Title Ecosystem fluctuations in the Northwest Pacific and their linkages to global environmental change
Short Title Northwest Pacific ecosystem change
Main Convener Name Toshio Suga
Affiliation WPI-Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change, Tohoku University
Co-Convener 1 Name Niklas Schneider
Affiliation University of Hawaii at Manoa
Co-Convener 2 Name Hatsumi Nishikawa
Affiliation Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
Co-Convener 3 Name Daiki Ito
Affiliation Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency
Co-Convener 4 Name Yuma Kawakami
Affiliation Meteorological Research Institute
Co-Convener 5 Name Sayaka Yasunaka
Affiliation Tohoku University
Session Language E
Scope In recent years, the northwestern Pacific region has witnessed the longest Kuroshio meander on record, an unprecedented abnormal northward shift of the Kuroshio Extension, the occurrence of the world's strongest marine heatwave, and significant ecosystem changes, including coral bleaching and shifts in fish species distribution along coasts and in the open ocean. Furthermore, a link has been suggested between variations in the Kuroshio and Kuroshio Extension and changes in the Pacific-scale wind system. Are these changes part of the Earth System shifts accompanying global warming? Unraveling the full picture of the series of changes in the Northwest Pacific, from ocean circulation to ecosystems, and clarifying their relationship with ocean-scale and global-scale changes could serve as a touchstone for comprehensively understanding the relationship between global-scale changes and regional/local changes. This session focuses on recent changes in the Northwest Pacific and aims to deepen the cross-disciplinary, overarching discussions on interactions between Earth system change and marine ecosystems, including the changing global marine environment, its relationship with ecosystems, and the impacts on human society.
Session Format Orals and Posters session