Humboldt Current

British  

/ ˈhʌmbəʊlt /

noun

1. Also called: Peru Current.  a cold ocean current of the S Pacific, flowing north along the coasts of Chile and Peru

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Humboldt Current Scientific  

/ hŭm′bōlt′ /

1. A cold ocean current of the South Pacific, flowing north along the western coast of South America from Chile to Peru. Extending up to 1,000 km (620 mi) offshore, the Humboldt Current results in significant cooling of the marine environment and influences the weather pattern that makes this section of coast one of the driest regions in the world. The current is also the world's largest upwelling current, bringing cold, nutrient-rich waters to the surface and creating an ecosystem abundant in plankton, fish, and other marine life. It is named after Baron Alexander von Humboldt, who explored this coast in 1802.

2. Also called Peru current

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Example Sentences

Other major upwelling systems include the Humboldt Current off Peru and the Benguela and Canary Currents along the west coast of Africa.

From Science Daily

As the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water from lower depths that characterizes the Humboldt Current slowed down, the water warmed, killing off the abundant plankton that feed the anchovetas.

From Slate

Small forage fish, especially in the Humboldt Current, which is naturally volatile in temperature and strength, have evolved to survive extreme environmental upheavals, but any species has a limit.

From Slate

The cutter’s twin 800 horsepower engines powered it smoothly along with the Humboldt current which swells up from Antarctica bringing nutrient-rich cold water along the coasts of Chile and Peru.

From The Guardian

Both countries benefit from the Humboldt Current, a cold, nutrient-rich current of water off of South America’s Pacific coast that helps feed one of the world’s most productive fishing grounds.

From Los Angeles Times