trade winds blow from east to west across the pacific ocean. The winds move surface waters westward across the ocean.this causes deeper, colder water to rise to the surface along the coast.this upwelling of deep ocean waters bring with it nutrients that would that would otherwise lie near the bottom of the ocean.
thanks for the info.
The phenomenon you mentioned is known as upwelling. It describes the upward movement of deep, cold water to the ocean's surface. Upwelling occurs along certain coastlines when surface waters are moved away from the shore due to ocean currents or winds, like the trade winds.
To understand this process, let's break it down step-by-step:
1. Trade winds blow from east to west across the Pacific Ocean: Trade winds are prevailing winds that blow consistently in the same direction. In the Pacific Ocean, they blow from east to west, primarily due to the Earth's rotation and atmospheric circulation patterns.
2. Surface waters are moved westward across the ocean: The trade winds push surface waters from the eastern side of the ocean towards the western side. As this happens, the surface waters accumulate in the western part of the ocean basin, piling up.
3. Upwelling of deep ocean waters along the coast: Due to the accumulation of surface waters in the western part of the ocean, a large mass of water starts to build up. As a result, the surface waters along the coast are forced to move away from the shore to fill the gap created by the accumulation.
4. Upwelling brings nutrients from the deep ocean to the surface: When the surface waters move away from the coast, they are replaced by colder, nutrient-rich water from the deeper parts of the ocean. This is because the deeper water contains more dissolved nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates, which are essential for supporting marine life.
5. Nutrients support marine ecosystems: The upwelled water carries these nutrients towards the surface, supporting the growth of algae and phytoplankton. These microscopic organisms form the base of the marine food chain, and their abundance benefits larger organisms like fish and marine mammals, which rely on these nutrients for sustenance.
So, in summary, the trade winds blowing from east to west across the Pacific Ocean cause surface waters to move westward, leading to the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich waters along the coast. This upwelling brings essential nutrients to the surface, benefiting marine ecosystems and supporting a thriving marine food chain.