upwelling

American  

[uhp-wel-ing] / ʌpˈwɛl ɪŋ /

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.

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upwelling Scientific  

/ ŭp-wĕl′ĭng /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of upwelling

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

Example Sentences

The discovery points to the rising vulnerability of tropical upwelling systems.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026

There are several factors driving the staggering heat, including a unyielding ridge of high pressure straddling Southern California and weaker-than-normal coastal winds, which typically drive upwelling along the coast.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

According to the researchers in Mainz, monitoring wind conditions, sea surface temperatures, and associated upwelling patterns in the equatorial Atlantic can help refine predictions of future Sargassum growth.

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025

The researchers describe a process in which phosphorus delivered by upwelling deep water and nitrogen supplied by nitrogen-fixing bacteria together fuel the blooms seen over past decades.

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025

From the depths of that emptiness came an upwelling of rage that made her push herself away from the grave.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo