A quasi-synoptic interpretation of water mass distribution and circulation in the western North Pacific:I.Water mass distribution

With high-resolution conductivity-temperature-depth （CTD） observations conducted in Oct.-Nov. 2005, this study provides a detailed quasi-synoptic description of the North Pacific Tropic Water （NPTW）, North Pacific Intermediate Water （NPIW） and Antarctic Intermediate Water （AAIW） in the western North Pacific. Some novel features are found. NPTW enters the western ocean with highest-salinity core off shore at 15°-18°N, and then splits to flow northward and southward along the western boundary. Its salinity decreases and density increases outside the core region. NPIW spreads westward north of 15°N with lowest salinity off shore at 21°N, but mainly hugs the Mindanao coast south of 12°N. It shoals and thins toward the south, with salinity increasing and density decreasing. AAIW extends to higher latitude off shore than that in shore, and it is traced as a salinity minimum to only 10°N at 130°E. Most of the South Pacific waters turn northeastward rather than directly flow northward upon reaching to the Mindanao coast, indicating the eastward shift of the Mindanao Undercurrent （MUC）.

Decadal variations of the North Pacific Tropical Water at 137°E

The decadal variations of the North Pacifi c Tropical Water (NPTW) at 137°E in the western North Pacific Ocean are investigated based on the repeated hydrographic observations along with two global gridded ocean products. The results indicate that the maximum salinity of NPTW experiences signifi cant quasi-decadal variations, having maxima around 1979, 1987, 1995, 2004, and 2012, while minima around 1974, 1983, 1991, 1999, and 2008 during the period of interest. The NPTW area also shows similar quasidecadal variation, expanding/shrinking as its maximum salinity increases/decreases at the 137°E section. These variations are induced mainly by changes in the mixed layer salinity in the source region and largescale circulation in the northwestern tropical Pacific Ocean, both of which are related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. The underlying processes at work are further confi rmed through conducting the subsurface salinity budget analysis. Besides, short-term processes are also at work through nonlinear interactions, especially after 2000.