Upwelling Dynamics
Waters off Peru (left) and northwest Africa (right) are among the most
productive in the global ocean. The Peru/Pacific composite covers 16-26 January
1980; the Africa/Atlantic composite 16 - 22 December 1979. Nutrients injected
by wind-driven coastal upwelling result in high phytoplankton biomass and
productivity; this supports some of the world's richest fisheries. The
upwelling is reflected here as 100-km-wide chlorophyll-rich bands along both
coasts, and plumes of productive waters extending 500 to 1,000 km offshore.
Island-induced upwelling generates highly productive regions around the
Galapagos Archipelago (left, center).
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