Oyashio Current

The Oyashio Current, or Oyashivo Current, is a cool North Pacific marine current.

Formation and route of the Oyashio Current

This current descends from the polar regions, runs along the Kamtchatka Peninsula and then the Kouriles Islands. North of Japan, the Oyashio Current meets the warm water of the Kuroshio Current and divides into two currents.

One, colder and with a higher salinity, dives under the Kuroshio and runs along the ocean bottom, the other mixes with the warm waters and forms the North Pacific current.

Characteristics of the Oyashio Current

The cold waters of the Oyashio, rich in nutrients and oxygen, is biologically very productive. It therefore sustains major fishing grounds in the region.