GEOGRAPHY THROUGH MAPS
Humboldt Current
The Humboldt or Peru Current system carries cool water generally northward along Chile and Peru. Coastal upwelling makes this eastern boundary of the South Pacific biologically productive.
Fast Facts
- Follow the west coast toward the equator; branches and countercurrents make the real system more complex than one arrow.
- Alongshore winds drive surface water offshore through Ekman transport; deeper nutrient-rich water rises to replace it.
- Plankton supports anchoveta and other fish, which support seabirds and guano accumulation on coastal islands.
Connected lessons
- Atacama DesertMap, explanation and practice
- Humboldt CurrentMap, explanation and practice
- Falkland / Malvinas CurrentMap, explanation and practice
- Why is the west coast so dry?Guided exploration
- Labrador CurrentMap, explanation and practice
- Climatic transitions along the AmericasGuided exploration
- From circumpolar waters to South American currentsGuided exploration
Geographical connections
- Atacama DesertRelated places
- Peruvian guano coastRelated places
- Galápagos IslandsRelated places
- Falkland / Malvinas CurrentRelated places
- Atacama DesertInfluences
- Coastal upwellingAssociated with
- El Niño–Southern OscillationInfluenced by
- Falkland / Malvinas CurrentCompare with
- Atacama DesertWest of
- Labrador CurrentCompare with