1. Observe and elucidate the structure, variability and dynamics of the ocean circulation in the NWP region with special attentions to LLWBCs, and clarify its interaction with marginal seas, the ITF and the subtropical ocean circulation;

2. Assess roles of the far western Pacific heat and freshwater transport and air-sea fluxes in the maintenance and variability of the warm pool, and in regional and global climate variability by a combination of observational and modeling studies;

3. Evaluate the societal impacts and provide scientific basis for developing a sustained program to monitor the currents and their heat and mass transports for future climate prediction.