upwelling

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noun up·well·ing \ ˌəp-ˈwe-liŋ \

Definition of upwelling

:the process or an instance of rising or appearing to rise to the surface and flowing outward; especially :the process of upward movement to the ocean surface of deeper cold usually nutrient-rich waters especially along some shores due to the offshore movement of surface waters (as from the action of winds and the Coriolis force)

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Recent Examples of upwelling from the Web

The California Current, which flows from north to south along the coast, and upwelling caused by strong winds, ensure that the waters off California remain relatively cool. 2.

— paul duginski, latimes.com, "There's a reason it's gray when we wake up; we call it June gloom," 8 June 2017
Strong upwelling in Monterey Bay initiated the bloom locally and several milder events allowed the algae to persist and accumulate.

— tommy wright, The Mercury News, "Cause of 2015 toxic algal bloom in Monterey Bay identified," 7 June 2017
This is called upwelling and essentially fertilizes ocean waters.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "We May Finally Know Why Blue Whales Are So Enormous," 24 May 2017
At the same time, wind patterns change so that breezes blowing off the coasts push warm, surface water toward the center of the ocean and allow upwelling of cooler, nutrient-rich water.

— deborah netburn, latimes.com, "Whales are the largest animals on Earth. Now we know why they got so big," 24 May 2017
Runoff from the glaciers would have washed nutrients like iron into coastal waters and intense seasonal upwelling cycles would have caused cold water from deep below to rise, bringing organic material toward the surface.

— nicholas st. fleur, New York Times, "How Whales Became the Biggest Animals on the Planet," 24 May 2017
Iceland is also situated on a mantle plume, or an upwelling of scalding rocks that is believed to cause volcanic hotspots.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Iceland’s Volcano and Earthquake Museum is Devoted to the Country’s “Epic” Geology," 18 May 2017
Small shifts in water temperature and upwelling can have large impacts on species that depend on those deep sea nutrients, Gentemann says.

— betsy mason, National Geographic, "A Striking New View of the Pacific “Blob”," 8 Feb. 2017
Scientists studying the upwelling typically use pressure measurements from ocean buoys as a proxy for the the winds that clear the way for the colder water from below.

— betsy mason, National Geographic, "A Striking New View of the Pacific “Blob”," 8 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upwelling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.