**Winter sea changed Okayama beach Late 1990s to mid-2000s**.

**Winter sea changed Okayama beach Late 1990s to mid-2000s**.

From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, unprecedentedly high winter sea water temperatures began to become noticeable along the coast of Okayama Prefecture. The Seto Inland Sea has always been an inner-bay, calm sea area that has maintained an ideal low water temperature environment for cultured flounder. However, at this time of year, the water temperature did not drop even in winter, resulting in frequent color fading and poor growth of the nori. Local fisheries officials testified that the cold winter temperatures of the past have not returned, and they have been forced to deal with declining market prices due to lower quality and increased fertilizer costs. In addition to the long-term trend of global warming, the El Niño phenomenon and fluctuations in the Kuroshio Current and Tsushima Warm Current were acting in combination in the background. At the time, the Kyoto Protocol came into effect (2005) and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions became an international agend
a item. The ongoing winter transformation of Okayama's beaches was a symbolic example of how climate change is directly affecting the traditional livelihoods of local communities.