Humboldt Current

The Humboldt Current is the cold eastern boundary current of the southeast Pacific, flowing equatorward along the west coast of South America as the eastern limb of the South Pacific subtropical gyre. Equatorward winds force offshore Ekman transport and intense coastal upwelling, raising cold, nutrient-rich water that supports the Peruvian anchoveta fishery, one of the largest single-species fisheries in the world. The system collapses during El Nino events, when the thermocline deepens and upwelled water turns warm and nutrient-poor. The current is also called the Peru Current over its northern reach.