The Peru Current is a shallow current in the Pacific Ocean. In this article, you will learn about its features, as well as the phenomena that accompany it.
Peruvian current on the map
There are about twenty currents in the Pacific Ocean. All of them form two main rings of water movement. The Peruvian Current flows in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and continues the course of the West Winds. It washes the western coast of South America from the southern coast of Chile to Peru. The current moves in a northerly direction, towards the equator. Approximately near 4 degrees south latitude, deviating to the west, it merges with the South Equatorial Current.
The Peruvian current is also called the Humboldt current in honor of its discoverer. Prussian explorer and geographer Alexander von Humboldt discovered it back in the 18th century aboard the Pissarro corvette.
Peruvian current: warm or cold?
Moving from south to north, it carries cold waters from the Antarctic. Along the course of the current, the ambient temperature drops significantly until it meets the South Equatorial Current off the coast of Cape Blanco in Peru. There it is alreadydevelops into another current, but initially the Peruvian current is cold.
When cold and warm water masses meet, there is a sharp jump in temperature and salinity of the water. The cold Peruvian current moves under the warm equatorial waters, as a result of which various eddies and whirlpools can form on the surface of the water. Sometimes even splashes and sounds of bubbling water are heard.
The collision of various water flows, as well as the northern and northwestern winds that carry the upper flow of water towards the equator, contribute to the mixing of water masses. The cold lower layers of bottom waters rise. Such water is rich in phosphates - substances that attract phytoplankton, which, in turn, attract larger ocean inhabitants. Thanks to this phenomenon, this place in the Pacific Ocean is one of the busiest and most prosperous. Here you can meet baleen whales, sperm whales and notothenia, which are especially fond of plankton.
Influence of the current on the climate of the coast
The Humboldt Current determines the natural conditions of the western coast of South America. Carrying cold waters to the equator, the Peruvian current affects the temperature of the lower atmosphere and makes precipitation much more difficult.
The result of the influence of the current on the coast is the Atacama Desert. It is considered the driest place on our planet. The desert is located on the territory of the state of Chile, and in the north it borders on Peru. Rains here may not fall for several decades. The Atacama has the lowest humidity in the world. BUTsome researchers claim that the desert experienced little to no rainfall from 1570 until the mid-twentieth century.
Unpredictable El Niño
Another phenomenon is connected with the Peruvian current, which the locals gave the name El Niño, which means “baby boy”. It usually happens around Christmas (hence the mysterious name), once every few years. Then the usual flow of the Peruvian current is disturbed by the warm currents of the "baby", which is accompanied by a sharp change in climate. The coast is attacked by storms and prolonged downpours, causing irreparable damage to the locals. This is one of the most dangerous and destructive natural phenomena.
Conclusion
The cold Peruvian current flows in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Connecting with warm streams, it is able to bring deep waters full of plankton to the surface and revive the coastal areas of the ocean. On the other hand, it dries up the climate and creates deserts.
