Intrusion of the Kuroshio Current to the Okinawa Trough during 40-100 thousand years before present?

Whether the intrusion of paleo-Kuroshio Current had intruded into the Okinawa Trough (OT) during the glacial time has been a debate for decades. In this study, we present records of planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber Mg/Ca-based sea surface temperature (SST) and δ18O records during 40-100 thousand years ago(ka BP, before AD 1950) from core MD01-2404 (26°38.84' N, 125°48.75' E; 1397 m water depth). The Mg/Ca-derived SST record is characterized by a steady thermal condition at 24.4±2.6 (2σ) °C. Harmonic variations of planktonic and benthic foraminiferal δ18O records suggest that the global sea level change dominates the oxygen isotopic variation in G. ruber shell calcite during 40-100 ka BP. Our geochemistry data imply that the warm and saline Kuroshio Current might have not intruded into the Okinawa Trough during this time window.