The Pacific Torrent -

| Decade | Two-way Pacific trade (US-East Asia, $B) | Korean/Japanese content on US streaming (%) | Patent cross-citations (%) | |--------|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------| | 1970 | 40 | <0.1 | 2 | | 1985 | 120 | 0.5 | 5 | | 2000 | 620 | 3 | 12 | | 2010 | 1,100 | 8 | 19 | | 2025 | 2,480 | 27 | 31 |

IVT during PT events has increased by 18% per decade since 1980 (p<0.01), consistent with Clausius–Clapeyron scaling. The frequency of PT events (≥14 days) has risen from 0.2 per decade (1950–1980) to 1.5 per decade (2000–2024). This suggests a doubling by 2050 under RCP 8.5. the pacific torrent

Notable: The 1861–1862 event (pre-reanalysis) is estimated at 43 days and >6,000 mm total—a “megatorrent.” | Decade | Two-way Pacific trade (US-East Asia,

Simultaneously, “Pacific Torrent” serves as a potent metaphor. Since 1970, the flow of goods, capital, and culture across the Pacific has accelerated from a steady stream to a rushing flood. This paper argues that both the literal and metaphorical torrents share a common driver: pressure gradients —in the atmosphere (between equatorial warmth and Arctic cold) and in geopolitics (between post-WWII American hegemony and rising Asian economies). 2.1 Atmospheric Rivers and Extreme Persistence then 4.1% from 2010–2025

author@hydroclimate.org End of paper.

The metaphorical Pacific Torrent is not reversible. Attempts to dam it (tariffs, tech decoupling) create backwater effects—e.g., US tariffs on Chinese EVs (2024) redirected the torrent through Vietnam and Mexico. Just as atmospheric PTs find a new corridor when the jet stream shifts, capital and culture will circumvent barriers. Policy should focus on “spillway design”—managed competition rather than futile blockade.

Arrighi (2007) described the Pacific as a “commodity chain frontier” where capital moves from East Asia to North America in waves. Iwabuchi (2002) introduced “cultural odorlessness” to explain how Japanese, then Korean, then Chinese media adapted for Western markets—a gradual flow that became a torrent after streaming platforms (2010–2020). Trade data from WTO and IMF show that Pacific trade grew at 8.2% annually from 1985–2005, then 4.1% from 2010–2025, suggesting a “flood” that has not receded.