JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2026

convener:Toshio Suga(WPI-Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change, Tohoku University), Niklas Schneider(University of Hawaii at Manoa), Hatsumi Nishikawa(Hokkaido University), Daiki Ito(Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency), Yuma Kawakami(Meteorological Research Institute), Sayaka Yasunaka(Tohoku University)

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.