This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Humboldt Current" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(September 2021)
The Humboldt Current, also called the Peru Current, is a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north along the western coast of South America.[1] It is an eastern boundary current flowing in the direction of the equator, and extends 500–1,000 km (310–620 mi) offshore. The Humboldt Current is named after the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt even though it was discovered by José de Acosta 250 years before Humboldt. In 1846, von Humboldt reported measurements of the cold-water current in his book Cosmos.[1]
The current extends from southern Chile (~45th parallel south) to northern Peru (~4th parallel south) where cold, upwelled, waters intersect warm tropical waters to form the Equatorial Front.[1] Sea surface temperatures off the coast of Peru, around 5th parallel south, reach temperatures as low as 16 °C (61 °F).[2] This is highly uncharacteristic of tropical waters, as most other regions have temperatures measuring above 25 °C (77 °F). Upwelling brings nutrients to the surface, which support phytoplankton and ultimately increase biological productivity.[1]
The Humboldt Current is a highly productive ecosystem. It is the most productive eastern boundary current system.[3] It accounts for roughly 18-20% of the total worldwide marine fish catch. The species are mostly pelagic: sardines, anchovies and jack mackerel. The system's high productivity supports other important fishery resources as well as marine mammals (eared seals and cetaceans) and seabirds. Periodically, the upwelling that drives the system's productivity is disrupted by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event, often with large social and economic impacts.
The Humboldt has a considerable cooling influence on the climate of Chile, Peru and Ecuador. It is also largely responsible for the aridity of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile and coastal areas of Peru and also of the aridity of southern Ecuador. Marine air is cooled by the current and thus is not conducive to generating precipitation (although clouds and fog are produced).
^ abcdMontecino, Vivian, and Carina B. Lange. "The Humboldt Current System: Ecosystem components and processes, fisheries, and sediment studies." Progress in Oceanography 83.1 (2009): 65-79. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2009.07.041
^Chavez, Francisco P.; Bertrand, Arnaud; Guevara-Carrasco, Renato; Soler, Pierre; Csirke, Jorge; "The northern Humboldt Current System: Brief history, present status and a view towards the future." Progress in Oceanography (2008): 95-105. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2008.10.012
^Penven, P., V. Echevin, J. Pasapera, F. Colas, and J. Tam (2005), Average circulation, seasonal cycle, and mesoscale dynamics of the Peru Current System: A modeling approach, J. Geophys. Res., 110, C10021, doi:10.1029/2005JC002945.
The HumboldtCurrent, also called the Peru Current, is a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north along the western coast of South America. It...
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent...
Galápagos penguin. The Humboldt penguin and the cold water current it swims in both are named after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. The species is listed...
that of its surrounding tropical latitudes because of the HumboldtCurrent. Ocean currents are patterns of water movement that influence climate zones...
due to the HumboldtCurrent. Before over fishing killed its fishery, Peru had the world's most productive fishery due to the cold Current. It lifts nutrients...
flying squid or Humboldt squid, with the last name most popular in naturalist sources. The name Humboldt refers to the HumboldtCurrent, off the southwestern...
The Humboldt Broncos are a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey team from Humboldt, Saskatchewan. Established in 1970, the Broncos play in the Saskatchewan Junior...
processes sometimes reinforce each other. Cape Peninsula Cape Point HumboldtCurrent, the Benguela's analogue in the South Pacific Ocean Nelson, G. (1992)...
boundary currents in which coastal upwelling primarily occurs are the Canary Current, Benguela Current, California Current, and HumboldtCurrent. The Benguela...
anniversary of crash that killed 4 Swift Current hockey players". CBC News. December 30, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2018. "Humboldt Broncos bus crash causes Vancouver...
coast is a microclimatic region. The region is affected by the cold HumboldtCurrent, the El Niño Southern Oscillation, tropical latitude, and the Andes...
and writings of German scientist, naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt. It maintained a certain ethics of precision and observation, which combined...
been reported on the Azores. G. atlanticus was recently found in the HumboldtCurrent ecosystem in Peru in 2013, and off Andhra Pradesh in India in 2012...
Ocean. The area of high atmospheric pressure and the presence of the HumboldtCurrent in the underlying ocean make the west coast of Peru and northern Chile...
Anticyclone, the southern circumpolar low pressure area, the cold Humboldtcurrent, the Chilean Coast Range and the Andes Mountains. Despite Chile's narrowness...
the ocean's mesopelagic zone and are found in the California Current and the HumboldtCurrent. Little is known about their specific feeding and mating behaviors...
pelagic species such as anchovies. In fact, those in the northern HumboldtCurrent System feed almost exclusively on one species, the Peruvian anchoveta...
The Humboldt Research Award (German: Humboldt-Forschungspreis), also known informally as the Humboldt Prize, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt...
in West Berlin. The university received its current name in honour of Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt in 1949. The university is divided into nine...
Humboldt Bay (Wiyot: Wigi) is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, entirely within...
as the southwest African Coast (the Benguela Current); the long Chile-Peru Coast (the HumboldtCurrent), where upwelling of cool nutrient-rich waters...
crustaceans and algae, thanks to the oxygen-rich water carried in by the HumboldtCurrent. Chile is also one of the world's largest producers of wine and many...
waters around the Galápagos Islands because of the cool waters of the HumboldtCurrent and the resulting winds. Why the albatrosses became extinct in the...