Humboldt Current

The Humboldt Current is a cool, nutrient-rich eastern boundary current that flows northward along the west coast of South America. It is one of the main oceanographic features shaping the climate and marine productivity of the southeast Pacific.

Relevance for the Galapagos

Although the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent is the dominant local upwelling mechanism around the islands, the Humboldt Current provides part of the broader cool background state of the eastern Pacific. That background helps support lower SSTs, a stable Marine boundary layer, and the seasonal conditions associated with Garua.

Climate variability

Its influence interacts with ENSO variability and the position of the ITCZ, contributing to large seasonal and interannual changes in eastern Pacific hydroclimate.

See also: Galapagos Cold Pool, Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent, Thermocline