Question map
The Kuroshio is a north flowing Ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. Which one among the following statements regarding this is not correct ?
Explanation
The Kuroshio Current is the western boundary current of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Statement 4 is incorrect because the current does not begin off the coast of Japan; rather, it originates further south where the North Equatorial Current bifurcates near the Philippines and the coast of Luzon [1]. From there, it flows northward past Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands before reaching the Japanese archipelago. Regarding the other options, the Kuroshio is indeed the Pacific equivalent of the Atlantic's Gulf Stream [2]. It functions as a powerful warm current that transports tropical water toward the polar regions [1]. Furthermore, its warm waters are responsible for sustaining Japan's coral reefs, which are the northernmost in the world.
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 32: Ocean Movements Ocean Currents And Tides > Kuroshio Current – Warm > p. 490
- [2] https://www.ocha.ac.jp/news/20211015_d/fil/release_20211015.pdf