15801dcd-7841-40cb-b2f6-97dfcfe1776d Copernicus Marine Service product specification CMEMS servicedesk.cmems@mercator-ocean.eu http://marine.copernicus.eu/ 2026-04-30T09:49:20.869812Z ISO 19139, MyOcean profile 0.2 2 false N/A EPSG Kuroshio Phase from Observations Reprocessing OMI_CIRCULATION_BOUNDARY_PACIFIC_kuroshio_phase_area_averaged 2023-11-30 3.4 2025-06-24 c682a888-4a82-4951-9b97-2f2eb168b37f '''DEFINITION''' The indicator of the Kuroshio extension phase variations is based on the standardized high frequency altimeter Eddy Kinetic Energy (EKE) averaged in the area 142-149°E and 32-37°N and computed from the DUACS delayed-time (CMEMS SEALEVEL_GLO_PHY_L4_MY_008_047) and near real-time (CMEMS SEALEVEL_GLO_PHY_L4_NRT _008_046) altimeter sea level gridded products. ""CONTEXT"" The Kuroshio Extension is an eastward-flowing current in the subtropical western North Pacific after the Kuroshio separates from the coast of Japan at 35°N, 140°E. Being the extension of a wind-driven western boundary current, the Kuroshio Extension is characterized by a strong variability and is rich in large-amplitude meanders and energetic eddies (Niiler et al., 2003; Qiu, 2003, 2002). The Kuroshio Extension region has the largest sea surface height variability on sub-annual and decadal time scales in the extratropical North Pacific Ocean (Jayne et al., 2009; Qiu and Chen, 2010, 2005). Prediction and monitoring of the path of the Kuroshio are of huge importance for local economies as the position of the Kuroshio extension strongly determines the regions where phytoplankton and hence fish are located. Unstable (contracted) phase of the Kuroshio enhance the production of Chlorophyll (Lin et al., 2014). ""CMEMS KEY FINDINGS"" The different states of the Kuroshio extension phase have been presented and validated by (Bessières et al., 2013) and further reported by Drévillon et al. (2018) in the Copernicus Ocean State Report #2. Two rather different states of the Kuroshio extension are observed: an ‘elongated state’ (also called ‘strong state’) corresponding to a narrow strong steady jet, and a ‘contracted state’ (also called ‘weak state’) in which the jet is weaker and more unsteady, spreading on a wider latitudinal band. When the Kuroshio Extension jet is in a contracted (elongated) state, the upstream Kuroshio Extension path tends to become more (less) variable and regional eddy kinetic energy level tends to be higher (lower). In between these two opposite phases, the Kuroshio extension jet has many intermediate states of transition and presents either progressively weakening or strengthening trends. In 2018, the indicator reveals an elongated state followed by a weakening neutral phase since then. '''DOI (product):''' https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00222 E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information SL-CLS-TOULOUSE-FR P0M0D0H/P0M0D0H N/A https://documentation.marine.copernicus.eu/IMG/OMI_CIRCULATION_BOUNDARY_PACIFIC_kuroshio_phase_area_averaged.png Oceanographic geographical features GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2009-09-22 satellite-observation Discipline 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.discipline.myocean.discipline specific_turbulent_kinetic_energy_of_sea_water Climate and Forecast Standard Names 2017-04-04 geonetwork.thesaurus.external.parameter.myocean.ocean-variables multi-year Temporal scale 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.temporal-scale.myocean.temporal-scale marine-resources marine-safety weather-climate-and-seasonal-forecasting coastal-marine-environment Area of benefit 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.area-of-benefit.myocean.area-of-benefit global-ocean Reference Geographical Areas 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.reference-geographical-area.myocean.reference-geographical-area N/A Processing level 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.processing-level.myocean.processing-level Not Applicable Model assimilation 2016-02-03 geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.myocean.model-assimilation See Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service Data commitments and licence at: http://marine.copernicus.eu/web/27-service-commitments-and-licence.php No limitations on public access 0df49843-8609-4e6a-aa2e-996d2e16f056 Bessières, L., Rio, M.H., Dufau, C., Boone, C., Pujol, M.I., 2013. Ocean state indicators from MyOcean altimeter products. Ocean Sci. 9, 545–560. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-9-545-2013 2019-05-08 Drévillon, M., Legeais, J.-F., Peterson, A., Zuo, H., Rio, M.-H., Drillet, Y., Greiner, E., 2018. Western boundary currents. J. Oper. Oceanogr., Copernicus Marine Service Ocean State Report Issue 2, s60–s65. https://doi.org/10.1080/1755876X.2018.1489208 2019-05-08 Jayne, S.R., Hogg, N.G., Waterman, S.N., Rainville, L., Donohue, K.A., Randolph Watts, D., Tracey, K.L., McClean, J.L., Maltrud, M.E., Qiu, B., Chen, S., Hacker, P., 2009. The Kuroshio Extension and its recirculation gyres. Deep Sea Res. Part Oceanogr. Res. Pap. 56, 2088–2099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2009.08.006 2019-05-08 Niiler, P.P., Maximenko, N.A., Panteleev, G.G., Yamagata, T., Olson, D.B., 2003. Near-surface dynamical structure of the Kuroshio Extension. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 108. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JC001461 2019-05-08 Qiu, B., 2003. Kuroshio Extension Variability and Forcing of the Pacific Decadal Oscillations: Responses and Potential Feedback. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 33, 2465–2482. https://doi.org/10.1175/2459.1 2019-05-08 Qiu, B., 2002. The Kuroshio Extension System: Its Large-Scale Variability and Role in the Midlatitude Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction. J. Oceanogr. 58, 57–75. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015824717293 2019-05-08 Qiu, B., Chen, S., 2010. Eddy-mean flow interaction in the decadally modulating Kuroshio Extension system. Deep Sea Res. Part II Top. Stud. Oceanogr., North Pacific Oceanography after WOCE: A Commemoration to Nobuo Suginohara 57, 1098–1110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.11.036 2019-05-08 Qiu, B., Chen, S., 2005. Variability of the Kuroshio Extension Jet, Recirculation Gyre, and Mesoscale Eddies on Decadal Time Scales. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 35, 2090–2103. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO2807.1 2019-05-08 17e6c09a-0b76-492f-8960-cbb0fdb14ce0 5f67bbd6-e608-410a-8ee6-66f0dd2ea7ba Lin, P., Chai, F., Xue, H., Xiu, P., 2014. Modulation of decadal oscillation on surface chlorophyll in the Kuroshio Extension. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 119, 187–199. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JC009359 2019-05-08 eng oceans bounding box -180.00 180.00 -90.00 90.00 pluri-annual-trend 1993-01-15 0 0 display priority: 99999 observation temporal resolution: monthly mean vertical level number: 1 false timeseries NetCDF-4 http://stac.marine.copernicus.eu/metadata/OMI_CIRCULATION_BOUNDARY_PACIFIC_kuroshio_phase_area_averaged/omi_circulation_boundary_pacific_kuroshio_phase_area_averaged_202506/dataset.stac.json WWW:STAC omi_circulation_boundary_pacific_kuroshio_phase_area_averaged For accessing native data and Analysis-ready Cloud-optimized data services, consult this STAC metadata endpoint COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services 2010-12-08 See the referenced specification The myOcean products depends on other products for production or validation. The detailed list of dependencies is given in ISO19115's aggregationInfo (ISO19139 Xpath = "gmd:MD_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo/gmd:aggregationInfo[./gmd:MD_AggregateInformation/gmd:initiativeType/gmd:DS_InitiativeTypeCode/@codeListValue='upstream-validation' or 'upstream-production']")