upwelling

[uhp-wel-ing]

noun

1. an act or instance of welling up.

   an upwelling of public support; an upwelling of emotion in his voice.

2. Oceanography.,  the process by which warm, less-dense surface water is drawn away from along a shore by offshore currents and replaced by cold, denser water brought up from the subsurface.

upwelling

1. The rising of cold, usually nutrient-rich waters from the ocean depths to the warmer, sunlit zone at the surface. Upwelling usually occurs in the subtropics along the western continental coasts, where prevailing trade winds drive the surface water away from shore, drawing deeper water upward to take its place. Because of the abundance of krill and other nutrients in the colder waters, these regions are rich feeding grounds for a variety of marine and avian species. Upwelling can also occur in the middle of oceans where cyclonic circulation is relatively permanent or where southern trade winds cross the Equator.

Word History and Origins

Origin of upwelling¹

First recorded in 1850–55; upwell + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Co Author Dr. Hana Jurikova, Senior Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Environmental Science, said: "Predicting how upwelling systems will respond to climate change is highly complex, as anthropogenic influences interact with natural sources of ocean acidification. Our research shows that such interactions can amplify environmental change in the California Current System, highlighting the need for similar studies in other regions to better anticipate future change."

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In a study published on November 13th in Nature Communications, the research team used the California Current as a case study and found that upwelling regions significantly intensify ocean acidification rather than simply reflecting atmospheric trends.

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Upwelling occurs when deeper ocean layers, which are already nutrient rich and naturally acidic, move upward toward the shore.

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Their findings show that upwelling zones experience acidification rates that exceed those "expected" from atmospheric CO2 alone.

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Upwelling systems rank among the most biologically productive regions on Earth and play an essential role in supporting global fisheries.

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