Kuroshio Current

The Kuroshio (黒潮, , "くろしお"^?, [ku͍ɽoɕio] "Black Tide", "Japan Current") is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre. Like the Gulf stream, it is a strong western boundary current.

It begins off the east coast of Luzon, Philippines, Taiwan and flows northeastward past Japan, where it merges with the easterly drift of the North Pacific Current. It is analogous to the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, transporting warm, tropical water northward toward the polar region. It is sometimes known as the Black Stream — the English translation of kuroshio and an allusion to the deep blue of its water — and also as the "Japan Current" (日本海流, Nihon Kairyū^?).

The path of Kuroshio south of Japan is reported every day. Its counterparts are the North Pacific Current to the north, the California Current to the east, and the North Equatorial Current to the south. The warm waters of the Kuroshio Current sustain the coral reefs of Japan, the northernmost coral reefs in the world. The branch into the Sea of Japan is called Tsushima Current (対馬海流, Tsushima Kairyū^?). The Japan Current is responsible for the mild weather experienced around Alaska's southern coast and in British Columbia.

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