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

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 • Nov. 30, 2025

In a recent publication in Nature Geoscience, the researchers describe how strong wind-driven upwelling near the equator brings phosphorus-rich deep water to the surface and transports it northward into the Caribbean.

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025

However, based on the data available, fire pollution appears to have influenced the ocean’s chemistry far less than this year’s upwelling effect did.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2025

To feed, each bird spins on the surface, kicking water outward to create a whirling upwelling that brings morsels to its needle-like bill.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2025

That upwelling magma is responsible for the breathtaking mountainous landscape of Japan, and those subducting plates cause most of the earthquakes that shake the country.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland