By laying emphasis on the intermediate layer, water property distribution in the Northwest Pacific is studied using the hydrographic data obtained by Japan Meteorological Agency in the period from 1960 to 1986. The scattering of water type in T-S diagram is relatively small in the Kuroshio Region. Both the envelopes of saline side and of fresh side of the scattered data points shifts gradually from saline side to fresh side as the observation line moves from southwest to northeast. In the Mixed Water Region, the scattering of water type increases rapidly as the observation line moves north; The envelope of fresh cold side moves towards fresh cold side much faster than that of saline side. The thermosteric anomaly value at the salinity minimum decreases as the observation line moves from north to south or southwest. This suggests that the water does not advect along the salinity minimum layer, but that the salinity minimun layer is understood as a boundary of two different waters aligned vertically. We defined the typical water masses for the Oyashio Water and the Kuroshio Water. The water mass below the salinity minimum layer may be created by isopycnal mixing of these two water masses with a fixed mixing rate. While, the water mass above the salinity minimum cannot be created simply by isopycnal mixing. The salinity minimum layer may be eroded from upper side due to active mixing processes in the surface layer, while the water of the salinity minimum layer moves gradually southward. This appears to give an explanation why the thermosteric anomaly value at salinity minimum decreases towards south.

• Sung Kee Yang | 양성기