2000 年 34 巻 3 号 p. 153-160
Owing to continuous increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (e.g., methane) emissions due to human activities, especially global warming is now being more seriously addressed world wide because it may lead to the climatic change in future. Therefore it is important to study the relationship between the climatic change and global carbon cycle. In the first step, the material transport in the oceans affected by large scale climatic changes such as ENSO (El Niño/Southern Oscillation) and Asian monsoon should be investigated. By obtaining algorithm and relative parameters for the estimation of chlorophyll-a standing stock and primary production from the satellite data, we will get time-series global map on primary production. And the combination of satellite imagery analysis and the sediment trap experiments will provide important information on the fluctuation of biological pump, responding to these cyclic climatic change. The fluctuations in SST and SSS (sea surface temperature and salinity) over the last 200-300 years will be estimated by the analysis of coral annual banding. During glacial times, the Indonesian maritime continent may play an important role in the global conveyer current. The current from the Pacific to the Indian ocean passing through the straits in the region, might change substantially during glacial low sea levels when the Sunda and Sahul platforms were emergent. These studies will enable us to answer what kind of role the Pacific has played in the change in climate, ocean environments and material cycle.
