Oyashio-Kuroshio Transition western North Pacific Latitude:   36.0000     Longitude:   144.0000 Associated Investigators: Sanae Chiba   Related Web Sites: [www.jamstec.go.jp/frcgc/eng/index.html]   Related Time Series: [ Kuroshio Current Time Series ]   [ Oyashio Current Time Series ]   [ Kuroshio-Oyashio Transition Zone Time Series ]   [ Japan Sea (PM Line) Time Series ]   About 20,000 zooplankton samples taken by various Japanese research institutions since 1949 were reassembled and the biomass was measured by Dr. K. Odate. The data and samples are known as the Odate Collection and maintained at the Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute (TNFRI). Sampling area covers Oyashio, Kuroshio and Transition zone, of which Oyashio is known for extensive spring bloom and high zooplankton biomass (Figure 2). The long-term climate-ecosystem change study, the Odate Project started in 2003 (project leader: Dr. Hiroya Sugisaki, TNFRI) based on this zooplankton collection. One of our major finding is a clear influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation on zooplankton biomass both in the Oyashio (Figure 3) and the Transition zone (Figure 4). We have especially focused on the functional and taxonomic breakdown of zooplankton community. Microscopic analysis has been done for the selected thousand samples by the end of 2005, and new study results will come out soon.