The concentration profiles of Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn in a water column in the western Philippine Sea (located at 124°00'E, 21°45'N) were investigated. All four elements sho,ved a surface-low and deep-high distribution pattern. The maximum concentrations found between 0-2000 m ""·ere 0.97, 2.6, 9.3 and 7.7 nM for Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn respecti\1ely. The distributions can be further classified into different types according to their relationships with nutrients. Cadmium was strongly correlated to nitrate

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... nd phosphate, whereas nickel and zinc were related to silicate. The concentration of cop per increased linearly with depth, but it correlated poorly with either phos phate, nitrate or silicate. A c . omparison betll'·een the present data set and those reported for the northeast Pacific Ocean indicates t . hat those elements follow similar distribution patterns across the Pacific Basin, '¥ith a decreas ing trend on the maximum concentrations in the deep ""7ater from the east to the w·est. (