The CSK (Collaborative Study of Kuroshio and adjacent region) was the first project of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO in the Western Pacific, with 12 countries participating in and supporting joint research into this current from 1965 to 1979. Since then, a number of activities have been carried out within the region.

Inspired by the spirit of cooperation reflected in and following the recommendation of CSK, IOC established a regional collaborative mechanism - WESTPAC - (Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in 1977, and further evolved as the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific) with mandate to develop, coordinate and implement marine scientific research, observations and services, and capacity development in the Western Pacific and adjacent regions.

Since the completion of the CSK, a good many multi-national, bilateral, and national projects and studies have been conducted aiming to understand more about ocean circulation and variations in the CSK and its adjacent regions. Given the dramatic advance over the last four decades in observational technologies and modeling techniques, and the 40th anniversary of CSK in 2019, it is necessary to review our current knowledge on Kuroshio, identify scientific and observational gaps, and further explore any possibilities of cooperative studies on Kuroshio and its adjacent regions.

Workshop Objectives

The objectives of this workshop aim to: 1) review the CSK-1 (1965-1979) and its achievements; 2) update with the present observations and research status on Kuroshio and its adjacent regions; 3) share any plan or idea for future observations and research programs on Kuroshio and its adjacent regions; 4) identify knowledge gap and new scientific themes; and 5) analyze the feasibility of conducting the CSK-2, with a list of associated actions/proposals to be taken shortly after the workshop.

Source: http://iocwestpac.org/