A Geologist and the Kuroshio

Noam joined the MBU as an intern after finishing his Master’s in Earth Sciences.

Background

The Kuroshio transports an immense quantity of heat – over 100 times the global anthropogenic energy production. This heat transport has a significant impact on the climate of East Asia, and is likely a major reason why Japan is currently home to the world’s northernmost coral reefs, as far north as Tsushima, off northern Kyūshū.

Methods

Noam has been simulating the East China Sea at the LGM using high-resolution numerical ocean models, run on OIST’s supercomputer. By coupling these simulations with geochemical reconstructions of sea temperatures at the LGM and estimates of past coral reef extent, we are starting to unravel the story of how climate and corals have changed throughout the Ryūkyūs over the past 20,000 years.

The Future

It’s been a fascinating project to work on and whilst my term here as an intern is coming to an end, I am looking forward to continuing collaborating with the MBU on this and other exciting projects!