Today we come to share one of the most beautiful experiences you can have in navigation, sailing on the Humboldt current.
In this article we will learn more about the Humboldt Current. You will learn why it is so important and what makes it such a particular current. If you find it interesting, surely later you will be encouraged to take a trip through this current to discover all its virtues.
What is the Humboldt Current?
The Humboldt Current is also known as the Peru Current or South Pacific Current. It is a cold ocean current that flows northward along the western coast of South America. The name of this stream is due to the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt, since he made important scientific studies in the stream.
We are facing a very particular current, since it is one of the richest marine environments on the planet. Obviously, this wealth explains the research carried out by Alexander von Humboldt. Thanks to this current, Chile is among the 10 most important fishery producing countries worldwide.
To give you an idea of the importance of the Humboldt current, it is an ecosystem that provides more than 20% of fish catches and has more than 1000 different species. Thanks to this current, Chile is the main exporter of seaweed in the world.
Where is the Humboldt Current born?
The Humboldt Current is born in the South Pacific Ocean, very close to the Antarctic continent. This current begins its journey in the region of the subantarctic seas, near 40º south latitude and extends northward along the entire western coast of South America until it reaches practically the equator.
As you can see, you have a great tour if you want to navigate along this Humboldt current, a tour where you can enjoy unparalleled landscapes and a marine fauna of the most diverse.
The Humboldt Current owes its formation to several factors among which are the trade winds, the configuration of the submarine relief of the area and, in addition, the rotation of the earth.
Trade winds blow from southeast to northwest along the entire coast of South America. Because of this, surface waters are pushed westward, which allows cold waters and nutrients to rise from the bottom of the ocean to the current itself, an aspect that also serves to explain the biodiversity of the current itself.
As the Humboldt Current moves into Chile and Peru, it becomes stronger. The maximum intensity of the current is approximately 20º south latitude. From this point the current is diverted westward, so it moves away from the coast and mixes with other ocean currents.
Why is the Humboldt Current important?
The Humboldt Current is of great importance due to the influence it has on the climate, the marine ecosystem and also on the economy of the region.
The richness of the Humboldt Current lies within, as it carries cold, nutrient-rich waters into the ocean. The importance of nutrients is fundamental for the growth of phytoplankton, food that forms the base of the marine food chain. Thanks to all this phytoplankton, the Humboldt Current supports a large amount of marine life where, in addition to fish, seabirds and mammals are also important.
This abundance and variety in terms of fish, serves to explain the importance it has economically. Commercial fishing provides employment for a large number of coastal people and communities. The Humboldt Current is famous for some species such as anchovy, this being one of the most important in the region.
As far as the climate is concerned, the Humboldt Current and its cold water serves to modify temperatures and atmospheric conditions. In addition to this, it is also very important in the formation of coastal fogs, which allows the development of agriculture and the terrestrial ecosystem that is close to the beach.
Finally, the Humboldt current is very important for the scientific community. In addition to all the biodiversity that we can find in the current itself, there are many studies that are carried out in it to try to better understand the influence it has on the climate of the region.
The research carried out in the Humboldt Current serves to better understand oceanographic processes, marine biodiversity and a topic that is now on everyone’s lips, climate change.
In short, there are many factors why the Humboldt Current is so important and unique on the planet. From several points of view and in many different studies, the Humboldt current is a source of information and also of life. Of course, the region of South America would not be the same if it were not for the presence and impact of this current. There is still much to learn and discover about it, but the future around the research that is being carried out is promising.
