A flock of black-tailed gulls, native to East Asia, flying around the Matsushima Pleasure Cruise in Sendai, Japan. © Weerawath / Adobe Stock
- Wenxi Zhu & Xiongpei Patrick Liu
- Posted on
- Sendai, Japan
On 15 November 2024, the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) convened the 5th Session of its International Steering Group (ISG) for the 2nd Cooperative Study of the Kuroshio and its Adjacent Regions (CSK-2). This Session was graciously hosted by the Tohoku University and JAMSTEC Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC), with support from the Laoshan Laboratory of China.
The meeting gathered ISG members, representatives from CSK-2 endorsed projects, and Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) from eight participating countries, to share and review major progress since the Fourth Session (Qingdao, China, December 2023). Participants shared and reviewed key progress since the Fourth Session held in Qingdao, China, in December 2023. Highlights of the ISG-5 session included national CSK-2 progress reports, preliminary analyses from CSK-2 projects, updates on outreach initiatives, and the implementation status of 13 endorsed projects.
Ahead of the ISG-5 Session, the second CSK-2 International Scientific Symposium took place in a hybrid format on 13-14 November. Approximately thirty invited talks were presented, focusing on two CSK-2 objectives: Understanding the role of Kuroshio in weather forecast and climate prediction, and examining the current status and future changes of the Kuroshio ecosystem.
A dedicated session highlighted contributions from Early Career Ocean Professionals, with ECOPs from China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Russia, and the United States presenting their research on the Kuroshio. They also reaffirmed their commitment to actively contribute to the CSK-2 development.
The ISG-5 and second Symposium reinforced international collaboration and scientific engagement to better understand the Kuroshio’s critical role in weather, climate, and marine ecosystems.