Mechamisms of two-way interactions between the East Asian Monsoon variability and the Kuroshio Current/Kuroshio Extension

Using both various observational data and high-resolution numerical models on regional and global scales, we clarified (1) the passive and active roles of the Kuroshio Current/Kuroshio Extension in extratropical cyclone activities in the winter monsoon regions, (2) the significant contribution of the SST increase over the Kuroshio Current/Kuroshio Extension to the increases in wintertime rainfall along the Pacific coast and associated cyclone activity, (3) the interaction between the SST front intensification and low-level westerlies along the Baiu frontal zone, (4) how the typhoons have the potential to accumulate large amounts of moisture from distant tropical oceans, and also assessed (5) how the SST increase over the Japan Sea impacts the wintertime rainfall variability and summertime heavy rainfall events in northern Japan.