Coral reefs at 34°N, Japan: Exploring the end of environmental gradients

Yamano, Hiroya; Sugihara, Kaoru; Watanabe, Tsuyoshi; Shimamura, Michiyo; Hyeong, Kiseong

doi:10.1130/g33293.1

Cited by 42 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…First, Japan extends across a wide latitudinal range, covering subtropical to temperate areas (Fig. 1), and the latitudinal limits of coral reefs and coral distributions have been reported around the Japanese islands (Veron and Minchin 1992;Yamano et al 2012). Second, the Japanese islands form an almost continuous chain, with subtropical and temperate corals able to inhabit the extent of the latitudinal gradient, due to the warm Kuroshio Current and its branches ( Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

An improved estimation of the poleward expansion of coral habitats based on the inter-annual variation of sea surface temperatures

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The poleward expansion of coral habitats has been observed along the Japanese coast since the 1930s. Previous modeling studies have projected a poleward expansion using decadal-mean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the coldest months. However, this poleward expansion could be affected by the inter-annual variation of SST in the coldest months, which has not been considered before. In this study, the simulated pattern of poleward expansion was compared between cases where coral mortality was considered based on the inter-annual variation of SST and the decadal-mean SST in the coldest months. Modeled monthly mean SSTs for historical and future global warming simulations from the most recent climate projection model (MIROC4h) were used. The poleward expansion of corals simulated by considering mortality based on the inter-annual variation of SST in the coldest months better reproduced the observed poleward expansion speed compared to the simulations without such a consideration. Our results show the importance of considering coral mortality based on the inter-annual variation of seawater temperature to produce a more realistic poleward expansion of coral habitats.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

An improved estimation of the poleward expansion of coral habitats based on the inter-annual variation of sea surface temperatures

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Typically, the present global latitudinal limit of coral reef development is constrained by the 18°C winter maximum sea surface isotherm (Kleypas et al 1999). However, small-scaled reefs have been found 2°north of this isotherm in the Tsushima Strait at 33°48′ N representing the highest latitude reefs in the world (Yamano et al 2001(Yamano et al , 2012. Hermatypic coral diversity decreases northwards from over 400 species around Yaeyama Islands near Taiwan at~24°N (where the Kuroshio Current originates) to 24 species at 35°N (Tateyama, Boso Peninsula) where the Kuroshio Extension meets the Polar Front (Fig.…”

Section: Coral Reefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Twentyfour species (Table 1) are present along the full path of the "main" Kuroshio Current (Veron 1992;Tsuchiya et al 2004). Four species of corals are present in the Tsushima Strait (Table 1; Yamano et al 2001Yamano et al , 2012.…”

Section: Coral Reefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sourced from Chinzei et al (1987), Veron (1992), Kuroyanagi and Kawahata (2004), Tsuchiya et al (2004), Yamano et al (2001Yamano et al ( , 2012, Gallagher et al (2009), Hoiles et al (2012, and Tada et al (2015). A list of diatom proxies is included in Table 2 Megangulus zyonoensis, and Mercenaria stimpsoni; Kitamura et al 1994) are those living in the area north of the southern Hokkaido and/or deeper than 150-160 m depth off Sanin and Hokuriku (Fig.…”

Section: Psammocora Superficialismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Pliocene to recent history of the Kuroshio and Tsushima Currents: a multi-proxy approach

Gallagher

Kitamura

Iryu

et al. 2015

Prog. in Earth and Planet. Sci.

156

121

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Kuroshio Current is a major western boundary current controlled by the North Pacific Gyre. It brings warm subtropical waters from the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool to Japan exerting a major control on Asian climate. The Tsushima Current is a Kuroshio offshoot transporting warm water into the Japan Sea. Various proxies are used to determine the paleohistory of these currents. Sedimentological proxies such as reefs, bedforms, sediment source and sorting reveal paleocurrent strength and latitude. Proxies such as coral and mollusc assemblages reveal past shelfal current activity. Microfossil assemblages and organic/inorganic geochemical analyses determine paleo-sea surface temperature and salinity histories. Transportation of tropical palynomorphs and migrations of Indo-Pacific species to Japanese waters also reveal paleocurrent activity. The stratigraphic distribution of these proxies suggests the Kuroshio Current reached its present latitude (35°N) by~3 Ma when temperatures were 1 to 2°C lower than present. At this time a weak Tsushima Current broke through Tsushima Strait entering the Japan Sea. Similar oceanic conditions persisted until~2 Ma when crustal stretching deepened the Tsushima Strait allowing inflow during every interglacial. The onset of stronger interglacial/glacial cycles~1 Ma was associated with increased North Pacific Gyre and Kuroshio Current intensity. This triggered Ryukyu Reef expansion when reefs reached their present latitude (~31°N), thereafter the reef front advanced (~31°N) and retreated (~25°N) with each cycle. Foraminiferal proxy data suggests eastward deflection of the Kuroshio Current from its present path at 24°N into the Pacific Ocean due to East Taiwan Channel restriction during the Last Glacial Maximum. Subsequently Kuroshio flow resumed its present trajectory during the Holocene. Ocean modeling and geochemical proxies show that the Kuroshio Current path may have been similar during glacials and interglacials, however the glacial mode of this current remains controversial. Paleohistorical studies form important analogues for current behavior with future climate change, however, there are insufficient studies at present in the region that may be used for this purpose. Modeling of the response of the Kuroshio Current to future global warming reveals that current velocity may increase by up to 0.3 m/sec associated with a northward migration of the Kuroshio Extension.

show abstract

“…They normally do not contribute to reef-building, though the world's most northerly coral reefs are found at Iki and Tsushima islands (34.1 • N, 129.5 • E) (Yamano et al, 2012). The northernmost coral species (Oulastrea crispata) around Japan is currently found at Sadogashima Island (38.0 • N, 138.2 • E), of Niigata Prefecture (Honma and Kitami, 1978), where SST gets as low as 10 • C during the coldest months.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean acidification limits temperature-induced poleward expansion of coral habitats around Japan

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract.Using results from four coupled global carbon cycle-climate models combined with in situ observations, we estimate the effects of future global warming and ocean acidification on potential habitats for tropical/subtropical and temperate coral communities in the seas around Japan. The suitability of coral habitats is classified on the basis of the currently observed regional ranges for temperature and saturation states with regard to aragonite ( arag ). We find that, under the "business as usual" SRES A2 scenario, coral habitats are projected to expand northward by several hundred kilometers by the end of this century. At the same time, coral habitats are projected to become sandwiched between regions where the frequency of coral bleaching will increase, and regions where arag will become too low to support sufficiently high calcification rates. As a result, the habitat suitable for tropical/subtropical corals around Japan may be reduced by half by the 2020s to 2030s, and is projected to disappear by the 2030s to 2040s. The habitat suitable for the temperate coral communities is also projected to decrease, although at a less pronounced rate, due to the higher tolerance of temperate corals for low arag . Our study has two important caveats: first, it does not consider the potential adaptation of the coral communities, which would permit them to colonize habitats that are outside their current range. Second, it also does not consider whether or not coral communities can migrate quickly enough to actually occupy newly emerging habitats. As such, our results serve as a baseline for the assessment of the future evolution of coral habitats, but the consideration of important biological and ecological factors and feedbacks will be required to make more accurate projections.

show abstract

Coral reefs at 34°N, Japan: Exploring the end of environmental gradients

Cited by 42 publications

References 19 publications

An improved estimation of the poleward expansion of coral habitats based on the inter-annual variation of sea surface temperatures

An improved estimation of the poleward expansion of coral habitats based on the inter-annual variation of sea surface temperatures

The Pliocene to recent history of the Kuroshio and Tsushima Currents: a multi-proxy approach

Ocean acidification limits temperature-induced poleward expansion of coral habitats around Japan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About