Parallel Worlds Could Exist in Ocean Circulations
-Ensemble experiments analyze interannual variability of the Kuroshio Extension-

A research team led by Dr. Masami Nonaka at Application Laboratory, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and Dr. Hisashi Nakamura, Professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo evaluated ocean interannual variability with ensemble experiments using the JAMSTEC’s supercomputer, the Earth Simulator. The results showed existence of unpredictable intrinsic variability and potentially predictable wind-driven variability, both of which are contributing to the interannual variability in the mid-latitude ocean currents, including the Kuroshio and its eastward extension, Kuroshio Extension (KE) jet speed.

The results of this research were published on Scientific Reports on February 1, 2016 (JST).