upwelling

up·well·ing | \ ˌəp-ˈwe-liŋ

How to pronounce upwelling (audio)

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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)

Examples of upwelling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The low winds reduced the upwelling of cooler, nutrient rich waters at the ocean depths to the surface. — Will Houston, The Mercury News, "Poor Farallon Islands bird breeding season prompts alarm," 2 Sep. 2019 As whales evolved along these two paths, a process called oceanic upwelling was intensifying in the waters around them. — Jeremy Goldbogen, The Conversation, "Why are whales big, but not bigger?," 12 Dec. 2019 Where previous upwellings of public fury were often led by students, the authorities now face a scenario where regular office workers with stable jobs and promising careers have been loosed on a path to radicalization. — Shibani Mahtani, Washington Post, "‘We are in a war’," 12 Nov. 2019 Just offshore, the collision of nutrient-rich cold water from the Benguela upwelling and the warm Agulhas current creates a mix of cold and warm eddies along the southern coast. — Curtis W. Marean, Scientific American, "When the Sea Saved Humanity," 1 Nov. 2012 Within minutes, the force of the upwelling cleared the pool and stasis returned. — Paul Voosen, Science Magazine, "A project to monitor every aspect of a fast-shrinking glacier could hold an answer to an urgent question: How fast will seas rise?," 10 Oct. 2019 Typically, storms that run over the continental shelf cause an upwelling that works to weaken the storm. — Kimberly Miller, sun-sentinel.com, "A monster grew in the Gulf of Mexico. Here’s why more may follow," 9 Oct. 2019 The strong upwelling near the Farallon Islands are what make the area so productive as a bird breeding haven, Warzybok said. — Will Houston, The Mercury News, "Poor Farallon Islands bird breeding season prompts alarm," 2 Sep. 2019 Mantua said the lack of wind this summer has limited upwelling of nutrient-rich waters, which tends to cool off surface temperatures. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "‘Blob’ of warm Pacific water is back — could be trouble for marine life and weather," 10 Sep. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

8 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Upwelling.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upwelling. Accessed 18 January 2020.

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