Editing Humboldt Current (section)

{{Short description|Current of the Pacific Ocean}}
{{one source|date=September 2021}}
[[File:Humboldt current.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Humboldt Current]]
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]].<ref name=":0">Montecino, 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]]</ref> It is an [[eastern boundary current]] flowing in the direction of the [[equator]], and extends {{convert|500-1000|km|mi|abbr=on}} 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.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Daum | first=Andreas W.|author-link=Andreas Daum | year=2024 | title=Alexander von Humboldt: A Concise Biography | location=Trans. Robert Savage. Princeton, N.J. | publisher=Princeton University Press |pages=77 | isbn=978-0-691-24736-6 }}</ref> In 1846, von Humboldt reported measurements of the cold-water current in his book ''[[Kosmos (Humboldt)|Cosmos]]''.<ref name=":0" />

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]].<ref name=":0" /> [[Sea surface temperature]]s off the coast of Peru, around [[5th parallel south]], reach temperatures as low as {{convert|16|C|F|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":1">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]]</ref> This is highly uncharacteristic of tropical waters, as most other regions have temperatures measuring above {{convert|25|C|F|abbr=on}}. Upwelling brings nutrients to the surface, which support phytoplankton and ultimately increase biological productivity.<ref name=":0" />

The Humboldt Current is a highly productive [[ecosystem]]. It is the most productive eastern boundary current system.<ref>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}}.</ref> It accounts for roughly 18-20% of the total worldwide marine fish catch. The species are mostly [[pelagic fish|pelagic]]: [[sardine]]s, [[Anchovy|anchovies]] and [[jack mackerel]]. The system's high productivity supports other important fishery resources as well as marine mammals ([[eared seal]]s and [[cetacea]]ns) and [[seabird]]s. 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]], [[Climate of Peru|Peru]] and [[Climate of Ecuador|Ecuador]]. It is also largely responsible for the aridity of the [[Atacama Desert]] in [[Norte Grande, Chile|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).