FOR THE YEAR 2000-FACES TO THll PHILIPPINE SEA AND THE SOUTH

Taiwan faces to the Philippine Sea at the east and to the South China Sea at the south. The warm, saline Kuroshio current flows northward off the eastern coastline of Taiwan. The China Coast Longshore current mixes with a branch of Kuroshio current in the northern Taiwan strait where the water depth is less than 100 meters. Nevertheless, geologically, the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate are collided on the Taiwan island. Ryukyu trench and Okinawa trough are both terminated at Taiwan eastern offshore area. Combining those unique conditions, there has a lot of attraction topics for the Taiwanese oceanographers and geoscientists. Since 1989, Kuroshio Edge Exchange Processes (KEEP) program has been oriented by the National Science Council. In 5 years, Taiwanese oceanographers are planning to study the mixing processes of the Kuroshio current with the East China Sea waters off the northeastern Taiwan. In KEEP program, our contribution to study on exchange and interaction between geosphere and biosphere may focus on recycling of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus. The results of KEEP program will deal with the JGOFS program internationally. In the same year, our WOCE Steering Committee was organized in the National Science Council. A major portion of our WOCE program is planning to measure two sections once for baseline information, and twice yearly for basic hydrographic data collections (CTD, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients etc.). It also collaborates with similar organization of other countries in