Climate & Environment
Upwelling
The rise of cold, nutrient-rich deep water to the surface — feeding the world's great fisheries and sensitive to climate change.
Definition
Upwelling is the ocean process by which deep, cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the sunlit surface, driven by winds and currents — most powerfully along eastern boundary coasts (Peru, California, Benguela, Canary systems) where winds push surface water offshore. Upwelling zones cover about 1% of ocean area but support a large share of global fish catch, including the Peruvian anchoveta fishery, historically the world's largest.
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